John was my 2nd Great Grandfather on my dad's side. This is where the tiny bit of German sneaks into my blood! I was shocked when I first located this Death Certificate. Cause of Death: "Gun Shot Wound of Head. Suicide while temporarily deranged" Wow! He was a Philadelphia Police Officer who lived in the Port Richmond, maybe hovering on Kensington section of Philly.
I found this a couple years ago. I remember Aunt Grace telling me that she remembered that Tillie's last name had been Dingler. She remembered eavesdropping on a conversation that she wasn't supposed to hear. The fact that they had a German background had been hidden from them. I never heard about it. My dad didn't know until Aunt Grace shared it with me. This was during the World War II era, they were afraid the kids would be called nazis. But, knowing that Tillie's name was Dingler, I was able to locate this document. While it is morbid, it provides good information. Both of his parents are listed, including his mother's maiden name.
It also states that he is buried at North Cedar Hill Cemetary. I wanted to add him to my cemetary visitation list, so I contacted the cemetary. After they looked it up they had no record of him. I plan to call again. My Aunt has mentioned that she thinks that Tillie is there as well!
