SNGF -- An Unexpected Record Find

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

It's Saturday Night again - 

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings tonight is to:

1)  Have you found an unexpected record recently (or at any time) in your genealogy and family history research?  A document, a book, an article, a letter, etc. 

2)  This week, please tell us about that unexpected record find and how it helped your research.

3)  Share your unexpected record find and how it helped your research with us in your own blog post, writing a comment on this blog post, or put it in a Substack post, Facebook Note, or some other social media system.  Please leave a comment on this post so others can find it.

NOTE:  He also said he could use ideas for different SNGF topics.  Please email him (randy.seaver@gmail.com).

Here's mine:
I spend most of my time researching at online sites in parts of their websites where the records are. I usually have a research question I’m trying to answer. So, I focus my searches in indexes and databases with images, or I am browsing in unindexed images or using full-text search. However, sometimes a find happens when you look in unexpected places for documents.

Case in point. I was looking at the FamilySearch Family Tree and came across the profile for Martha Jane Polly, who married (1) George W. Lancaster, and (2) Noah F. Parks.[1] I felt I had all the documents available for her, but decided to check the Memories section, as this is a place where researchers can upload documents, images, etc. I was about to upload a copy of the text of a blog post I had written about her. To my surprise, there was an image of the funeral record for her.[2]

To practice using AI, I decided to upload the document to Scribe, as Randy did. This is part of MyHeritage and is powered by Google. It took some time before I got the answer.

It started out with an overview:

This is a 'Record of Funeral,' a standard form used by funeral homes in the early 20th century to document the details of a deceased person's death, funeral arrangements, and the associated costs. Created on April 7, 1932, it provides a wealth of genealogical information, including vital dates, birthplaces, parental names, and the names of the attending physician and clergyman. Such records are invaluable as they often contain information provided by close family members (informants) and can sometimes offer details not found on official state death certificates, such as who paid for the burial. The locations mentioned (Orosi, Dinuba, Cutler, Tulare) indicate the event took place in Tulare County, California.

This is a good overview of the document type and the places mention (Orosi, Dinuba, Cutler, and Tulare) are in Tulare County, California. Other places are also mentioned but were left out of the summary: Los Angeles and Texas.

Next, I got a listing of details mentioned:

Principal Individual:

• Name: Mattie J. Parks (maiden name likely Polly)
• Role: Deceased
• Birth: August 26, 1856, in Texas
• Death: April 7, 1932, 2 3/4 miles N.E. of Orosi
• Age: 75 years, 8 months, 11 days
• Race: White
• Marital Status: Married (M)
• Spouse: M. F. Parks
• Father: Hary Polly (born in Kentucky)
• Mother: Margaret Rose (born in Tennessee)
• Interment: Tulare Cemetery
• Funeral Date: Saturday, April 9, 1932, at 11:00 A.M. at the Chapel

Associated Individuals:

• M. F. Parks: Husband of the deceased.
• Mrs. M. J. Harper: Person charged for the funeral, residing in Los Angeles. Likely a daughter or close relative.
• Hary Polly: Father of the deceased.
• Margaret Rose: Mother of the deceased.
• Rev. C. E. Brown: Clergyman officiating the funeral, residing in Dinuba.
• Dr. Carson: Certifying physician, residing in Cutler.
• Chas Dias: Individual who paid the funeral charges on April 8, 1932.

Many of the facts the AI got right, but a couple of items are wrong. Her spouse reads as N. F. Parks. Her mother’s birthplace reads as Kentucky, not Tennessee. Chas Dias did not pay the funeral charges, Mrs. W. J. Harper of Los Angeles, did. There is no Chas Dias on the form. Instead, it looks like “less dis.” which could mean “less discount.” 

Next, I got a listing of key findings. Some of the errors mentioned above are still included, of course.

• Mattie J. Parks, a 75-year-old white married woman, died on April 7, 1932, near Orosi, California.
• She was born in Texas on August 26, 1856, to Hary Polly (of Kentucky) and Margaret Rose (of Tennessee).
• Her husband is listed as M. F. Parks.
• The funeral expenses of $205.00 were charged to Mrs. M. J. Harper of Los Angeles and paid by Chas Dias.
• She was interred at Tulare Cemetery following a service on April 9, 1932.

Most of this is correct. There are still things to find out. Where was the funeral home? What was the funeral home named? Where was the funeral home located? I would first check the obituary or funeral notice to see if the funeral home was named. If not, then I would check directories to see what funeral homes are in Tulare County, particularly near Tulare Cemetery.

This record does not give cause of death, so checking for a death certificate would give me that, and might also give me the name of the funeral home.

The AI gave me some next steps and, also a complete transcription of the document. The AI did a decent job of analyzing the information in the document, but not the document itself. This could be considered an image of an original record, but I’m weary to do that as I don’t know were it came from. Was it a copy given to the family at the time of the funeral? Or did a researcher request a copy later? The details on the FamilySearch page only says “Funeral record for Martha Jane Polly Lancaster Parks.”

I think this is a worthwhile exercise to do, especially if the researcher is a beginner or advanced beginner. This helps the researcher slow down and notice all the information pieces in a document. It is always advisable to double-check what the AI gives you and not take it at face value. It can miss things or misread things.

How did this document help me? It is one of the few documents that gives a surname for her mother. Most documents of her mother when she was alive named her as Lydia M, Lidda M, Lydda M, Rose, Margaret, Liddy M, and L.M. I don’t know if Rose is her surname. More research is needed.

---

[1] “FamilySearch Family Tree,” profile page for Martha Jane Polly, LHN5-VC6, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/LHN5-VC6 : accessed 18 April 2026).

[2] “Record of Funeral,” uploaded by lindaneedham1, 2 Dec 2013, “Memories” tab for Martha Jane Polly, LHN5-VC6, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/LHN5-VC6 : accessed 18 Apr 2026).

Copyright © 2011-2026 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.