Thoughts on Sophia (Derle) Trautvetter’s 1807 Birth

In “Was Sophia Derle Born in 1807 or 1808?” three sources providing her date of birth were analyzed because they varied. To summarize the discussion, it was concluded that her tombstone and death entry in the church records were not as reliable for her date of birth as was her baptismal entry in the records of Helmershausen, Germany. The baptismal entry was contemporary to the birth and the information it contained was probably provided by those who had first hand knowledge of the event.

But.

There’s always a but.

A reader raised the possibility that Sophia’s parents had two children with the same name and that the first one could have died. That’s a distinct possibility as in some cultures names of deceased children were frequently reused. For those who say that the 1807 and 1808 births are too close together, well that’s a possibility as well. And, it’s always possible that if the 1808 dates of birth are incorrect that they are incorrect in the sense that they are too early instead of being a year too late. That would make the gap between children even more plausible.

The church records make it pretty clear.

When Sophia Derle married Johann George Trautvetter in Helmershausen in 1832, the marriage record from church indicated that she is the oldest daughter of Heinrich Derle and Regine Dreißgacker of Helmershausen. The Helmershausen church records indicated that they married on 15 July 1806.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t other Sophias born to Heinrich and Regine after the 1807 one. However, the listing of their children from the church family register indicated that they had six other children, none of whom were named Sophia Elisabeth.

Perhaps the best indicator that Sophia born 1807 did not die young was that there was no notation of her death in her baptismal entry. A reading of several other baptisms from the Helmershausen church during the time period in question revealed that the pastor would make a notation on the baptismal entry if the child died young.

It’s always good to think outside the box and contemplate all options. In this case it was also advised to look at records that had nothing to do with the family in question to get a broader perspective on the records.