Taking Down More Brick Walls, Part 2

Eureka!  I found another reference to the address on Harold Olson's birth certificate, and the rest of the wall came tumbling down.

After the post of Part 1, I went online and made a comment on Ancestry about the wrong address for the 1910 census related to my family member. I hope that will help others.  I felt good after my bit of detective work to determine that 6000 Hachmuch should be 6050 N Hermitage.  Yesss!

I went back to looking for the address on Harold's birth certificate.  I couldn't seem to go any further.  I looked at the 1920 census for Howard and Gertrude, the parents of Harold.  They had moved between 1916 and 1920.  I thought I had reached a dead end that lead to that small pile of bricks and mortar around my dad's birth certificate.  I was so close.

One last try at something.  I got out my green "Vitals" binder.  That's where I keep an extra copy of  important documents such as birth certificates.  They are sorted alphabetically by last name then first.  It's easier to look through that one binder than a dozen or so binders for various individual family members.

I went to the 'Os" for Olson.  Right off the bat I found a death certificate for Irving Olson, my dad's brother.  He was born in 1914 and he died in 1916, just a few months after my father was born. The address given on his death certificate was the same as the address given on Harold's birth certificate.  Finally!  I was 100% sure that Harold Olson and my dad were the same person.

One problem solved.  One wall entirely knocked down.  Now, however, I'm left wondering why my father's name changed and when it changed.  I may never know.  I think anyone who may have known is gone.  I have a theory.  My grandfather's uncle was Harry Gerold Jensen.  The first 3 letters of Harry and the last 3 letters of Gerold = Harold.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  I doubt that I'll ever find out for sure.

I'm not too concerned though.  I can comfortably move on to another brick wall.  I can't get beyond my dad's maternal grandfather. Who were his parents? That will be the next wall I tackle.