Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness - Karl A. Morgenthaler

Easton Express, 15APR1964, pg 38

Because we all have collateral information surrounding those obituaries and news articles we copy for our records.  Let's share them and hope that they benefit someone researching their genealogy.

“Karl A. Morgenthaler

A Requiem Mass for Karl A. Morgenthaler, 70, Columbia, N.J., was celebrated this morning in St. Jude Catholic Church, Blairstown.  Mr. Morgenthaler died Monday in Monroe County General Hospital, East Stroudsburg.

Rev. Michael Garry was the celebrant.  Interment was in Cedar Ridge Cemetery, Blairstown.  The pallbearers were James R. Snedeker, Howard KaKay, Richard Baumbach and Roy Fostle.

The funeral was conducted from the MacFadden Funeral Home, Belvidere.”  

There is a memorial for Karl on FindAGrave that shows that he served with Co E 132 Infantry during World War I and was a Sergeant.  He was awarded the Purple Heart, was born on November 15, 1893, and is buried with his wife, Myrtle.

Karl's Social Security Death Index information on Ancestry.com showed that his last residence was in New Jersey (which we knew from the obit), but that his card was issued in Illinois.  Oh, how I love the SSDI.  Without that piece of information it may have been much more difficult for someone researching Karl to know that he lived in Illinois!  In fact, Karl's WWI enlistment card was filed in Illinois.  We see from his military marker on his gravestone that he served in WWI and even received the Purple Heart, but did you know that Karl claimed exemption from service on that draft card citing tuberculosis?  Another nice piece of info gleaned from his draft card was that he was single in 1917 when filling it out.  That will help someone narrow down a marriage date.

A possible match for Karl can be found in the 1930 US Federal Census with his wife listed as Irene.  Living next door to a Philip and Katharina Morgenthaler who this Karl lived with in previous censuses.  If this is the right Karl, then he was born in Illinois and lived there through the 1940 census.  This Karl is marked as a veteran of WWI, but that doesn't mean it's him.  There were lots of veterans for that war. By the 1940 US Federal Census this couple had one child, a son, name Karl.  Is this the correct Karl?  Probably, but more research to confirm this would need to be done.

Always keep in mind that just because someone filed for an exemption from military service didn't mean that they didn't serve, especially when Soldiers were in demand.  Thank you for your service, Karl and rest in peace.