Searching RootsWeb for Henry John Faller

Today, I'm searching for Henry John and Ella L Faller, grandchilren of Alpheus M. Rote, in multiple one online database, RootsWeb*; as noted in previous entries, I've found evidence indicating that Henry John Faller and his sister are the children of Alpheus' daughter, Mabel Rote, and her husband Henry J Faller. While I've already done some searching on Ancestry.com and checked out Geni.com to see if my connections to Geni's World Tree can shed any light, my intention today is to check out other databases and to record the various results I've found on each site.

Note: I've updated my first entry about my search for the children's lineage, Fallers, The Mystery of John H (Henry J) and Ella L Fuller or Faller, to acknowledge that my documentation of my research efforts in this blog was inspired by certified genealogist Judy Kellar Fox' blog, Pinpointing Dennis Buggy's Irish Origins. I also want to acknowledge here that I am borrowing much of the organization of her blog, using the steps she's taken in her search as a template for my own search.

RootsWeb

My search from the main page on RootsWeb for Henry John Faller results in 19 matches in 1 database, the Rootsweb Surname List.

Surname	From	To	Migration
Faller	1700	1850	Germany>Phila>Western PA
Faller	1767	1833	Hanner,BAD,DEU
Faller	1800	1900	DEU
Faller	1800	1920	PRU,DEU>SD
Faller	1803	1881	BAD,DEU>Scioto Co,OH
Faller	1803	1946	DEU>PA
Faller	1811	1909	FRA>IL>IN>MO>KS,USA
Faller	1811	now	FRA>IN>IL,USA
Faller	1822	now	ELS,FRA>IN>IL,USA
Faller	1823	----	DEU>OH,USA
Faller	1823	1961	DEU>ARG>ENG
Faller	1824	now	DEU
Faller	1842	now	Germany, Scotland, Lancashire, Australia.
Faller	1846	now	Baden-Baden,DEU>OH>WA>CA,USA
Faller	1850	1900	DEU>SCT
Faller	1885	1977	BAY,DEU>NY,USA
Faller	1900	c1950	DEU>NYC&PA>AtlanticCity,NJ,USA
Faller	1950	present	US>MLA,PHILS
Carolino Faller (Pampanga,Phils)
Faller	c1850	1900	DEU>PA,USA

As you can see, only the surname is listed for all but a single entry, but for the moment, none of these appears a likely match, based on the dates and migration information. However, there are a few links preceding the results table, one to information on alternate surnames (important, given that my starting point in the 1920 census was for the surname Fuller) and a "resource page" on the Faller surname.

The alternate surnames suggested are Faller, Toller, Fulle, Fowler, and Fuller. Just glancing at the results for Fuller, I see that there are many more individuals listed on Rootsweb with this surname. But, for the moment, I'm going to set that trail aside and focus more directly on the Faller surname. The link to the resource page takes me to a set of searches, with the Faller surname already completed; possible databases I can search include WorldConnect Family Trees, the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), the RootsWeb Surname List, and Primary Records at RootsWeb (identified as the USGenWeb Archives).

WorldConnect Family Trees

I'm starting with an Exact search on the surname Faller, with the first name Henry John, and birth place Pennsylvania, which returns no results, followed by a Soundex search. The Soundex returns 15 results, none of which look likely. I repeat my search, this time with the Metaphone option; there are 14 results, this time, many of them apparently duplicates of my prior search, but once more none appear to be the individual I'm trying to find.

Social Security Death Index

The SSDI, as it turns out, is only available through Ancestry.com, but has the advantage of allowing me to connect the search to the Henry John Faller in my tree. Of the 2,397 records returned (most of which have nothing to do with this individual, Ancestry identifies 7 as the most likely matches:

Name	Birth Date	Death Date	Last Residence (City,County,State)
Henry C. Faller	13 Feb 1914	21 Aug 1993	Lake Mary, Seminole, Florida
John H. Faller	30 May 1914	15 Nov 1995	Bridgeville, Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Henry E. Faller	8 Aug 1918	24 Jul 2004	Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri
John E. Faller	10 Apr 1916	11 Aug 1988	Beaver, Beaver, Pennsylvania
John A. Faller	13 Dec 1916	30 May 2001	Toledo, Lucas, Ohio
Henry D. Faller	19 Sep 1920	11 Jun 2006	Flint, Genesee, Michigan
John E. Faller	23 Jun 1911	18 Feb 1993	Marinette, Marinette, Wisconsin
John Faller	24 Sep 1910	Nov 1981	Newport, Campbell, Kentucky

Since the birth place is not included in any of these records I can't directly rule any of these men in or out of my search on that basis. The most likely, based on this information is the second in the list, John H. Faller, who died in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, but there's no real reason to feel that this man is truly the one I'm looking for; I've saved this to my shoebox, but I'm not ready to attach it to Henry John Faller in my tree. I could request a copy of his original social security application, but this would require an expenditure that I'm not willing to make at this time. I'll put this information aside, for inclusion in my formal searches on Ancestry.com.

Primary Records/USGenWeb Archives

Since I've already obtained a list of Fallers in the Rootsweb Surname List, it's time for a primary record search. There are only two results for an exact search for Faller; neither is useful.

So, for now, I seem to have exhausted the resources available on RootsWeb, and my search is over for the moment.

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* One individual at a time! And, one database. Taking the time to give a full description of the steps I'm taking is proving to be exceedingly time-consuming.