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Subject: Re: [PHLY-RTS] Doctor's Returns & Midwives' records
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 14:49:15 EDT

A doctor's return was a doctor's return and a midwife's return was a
midwife's return. There were female doctors practicing in Philadelphia at that time.
Most doctor returns I've seen don't add the word doctor to the name since its
understood they're a doctor.

You have a Joseph, misspelled, and a Henry. You say proof of birth was given
to Girard College, I would question that if you don't have a record of what
that prove was. People were not as document laden in their lives as we are
today. It was not a rare practice to use a middle name in life.

You also have a possibility that you have two people. What documents do you
have a later in life? This Joseph/Henry would have died after death
certificates were required so you should be able to get a copy of that, as well as a
marriage registration. Its also possible you'll find military records for the
Spanish American war given his age.

If none of these refer to a Joseph anywhere or in other records of his life
its a strong probability that the birth register you found is not for the same
man that used Henry as a name. Birth registrations being required doesn't
mean they all were registered. If adding up all the facts, two first names,
different last names, no use of Joseph in later life, etc., that probability
becomes the most likely answer.

Liz Harrison

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