Reports of various state boards can contain unexpected genealogical information. Many of them have been digitized and are online in sites like GoogleBooks, Hathitrust, Archive.org, etc.

Like any genealogical clue, whether it’s a “big” or a “small” one depends upon your problem. William G. Trautvetter was a pharmacist in Chicago, Illinois, and is referenced in this 1912 directory. When the native of near Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois, moved to Chicago is unknown. It’s possible that he’s mentioned in other publications related to the pharmacy industry as well and they may shed light on his pharmacy career and may mention his educational training.

Sometimes information in a report of this type can be evidence that a person was in a certain place at a certain point in time.

This entry also mentions a more famous Chicago area pharmacist: Charles Walgreen.

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William George Trautvetter was a first cousin of George Adolph Trautvetter (1869-1934) , my great-grandfather.