Just because it’s written in stone doesn’t mean it’s correct. This is so true of misprinted headstones.
Rudolph Rogalla von Bieberstein was born on March 11, 1880 to Hermann Rogalla von Bieberstein and and Adele (née Hagedorn) Rogalla von Bieberstein. He was the pitcher for Brenham baseball around 1905 and later played for Beaumont, in the Texas League. He moved from the family homestead in Washington County to Port Arthur, sometime in his mid 20s to work for Texas Company (later called Texaco) as a pipe fitter. He lived with several other men in a boarding house run by a family whose name appears in the 1910 U.S. Census as “Pevrnez.” Rudy, as he was called, served as a member of the Company A Pioneer Signal Corp. of Brenham. He married Estelle Britton sometime between 1923 and 1925 and worked his way up to foreman with Texaco. He and Estelle’s only child, a boy, was born prematurely on July 8, 1926 and lived just over an hour. Rudy died on August 4, 1933, in Port Arthur at the age of 53 from a cerebral hemorrhage and his remains were brought back to Brenham for burial in the Hagedorn-Witte Cemetery (later renamed the Jaeger-Witte Cemetery).
Rudy’s headstone was purchased after he died, around the same time that his parents’ headstone was placed. His death reads August 4, 1935, two years after his actual death. Headstones are often referred to as the “phonebooks” of centuries old rural cemeteries. We use them to learn who the neighbors were, who was related to whom, and when people were born and died. Concerning Rudy’s entry in the local phonebook, perhaps the foundry misread the information when the family ordered the headstone. Or maybe the person placing the order had the wrong information. This misprint underscores the importance of at least two of the elements of the Genealogical Proof Standard: the need for reasonably exhaustive research and to resolve any contradictory evidence.
Sources
Billy McMeans (1942, May 7). Baseball Way. Brenham Banner Press
Muster Roll-1898 Texas State Archives–Texas Adjutant General’s Military Records. Oversize Folder 401-774
That is so true: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone off on the wrong trail in doing genealogical research, or come in contact with another researcher who states some details as incontrovertible fact, which then turn out to be a wrong lead. Genealogy is harder than it looks! Thanks for setting the record straight on Rudie’s death year.