I'm Using Ai, and don't know if this Obit is real.....

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I'm Using Ai, and don't know if this Obit is real.....

Alee7457
In theory Ai found an obituary for my ancestor, but I do not have access and I can't read German script anyway. Can anyone tell me if this is a real obituary? (The information cited is correct to my knowledge, but I don't know if Ai just repeated the information I plugged in and made up an obituary for my ancestor. Crazy times!)

This is where it claims the obituary is: Kasseler Zeitung, No. 170, 19 June 1859, p. 4 (obituary notice)

I am looking for Ferdinand August Dommerich

Thank you so much,
Alexandra
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Re: I'm Using Ai, and don't know if this Obit is real.....

BobGreiner
You did not include a copy of the obituary or a link to it.
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Re: I'm Using Ai, and don't know if this Obit is real.....

Alee7457
Hello Bob - that's just it. I can't find it, so I don't know if it is real. I can't get a link to it. I asked Ai again, based on your question and this is what I got:

The obituary for **Ferdinand August Dommerich** published in *Kasseler Zeitung*, No. 170, dated **19 June 1859**, page 4, is indeed referenced in scholarly and biographical databases, but the full newspaper text is not currently digitized or publicly accessible online.

However, the **Hessische Biografie** entry confirms key details from that obituary and surrounding records:

- **Name**: Ferdinand August Dommerich  
- **Born**: 8 November 1807, Obernkirchen  
- **Died**: 17 June 1859  
- **Career**:
  - 1832: Rektor and second pastor in Obernkirchen  
  - 1836: Teacher at the Gymnasium in Hanau  
  - 1838: Teacher at the Gymnasium in Kassel  
  - 1848: Earned doctorate (Dr. phil.) from University of Marburg  
  - 1859: Retired in January, died in June  
- **Affiliations**: Member of the Literarischer Verein zu Hanau, Wetterauische Gesellschaft für Naturkunde, and the Hanau branch of the Verein für hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde  
- **Family**:
  - Father: Hessen-Kasselischer Obrist Dommerich  
  - Mother: Heusinger von Waldegge  
  - Partner: Fröhlich (likely Caroline Dorothea Wilhelmine Fröhlich)

You can view the biographical summary on [LAGIS Hessen’s Hessische Biografie entry for Dommerich](https://www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/bio/id/1070).

If you're seeking the *actual newspaper page*, I recommend contacting the **Staatsbibliothek Kassel** or the **Universitätsbibliothek Marburg**, which may hold microfilm or archival copies of *Kasseler Zeitung* from 1859. I can help you draft a formal inquiry in German or English if you'd like to request a scan or transcription.

I was hoping that maybe someone had access to that newspaper and time. Even if I could find it in Newspapers.com, I wouldn't be able to read it.

Thank you.
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Re: I'm Using Ai, and don't know if this Obit is real.....

BobGreiner
I clicked through some of the links on the page referenced in the biographical summary on LAGIS Hessen. I found on this page Dommerich's actual death date of 17 June 1862 in Hanau.

https://personen.niedersaechsische-bibliographie.de/person/gnd/1034235435/

I then looked through the evangelical church records on Archion and found his death and burial entry in the Hanau Johanneskirche.

Since it is difficult to attach formatted files here, I found your contact information on the GGG member pages and sent you an email with the image of the record and a translation.

Bob
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Re: I'm Using Ai, and don't know if this Obit is real.....

Alee7457
I have asked Ai again why there are two dates for his possible death and this is what I got. Hence why I want to see the original obit if there is an obit, because that would make more sense if it were published in 1859. I confess to being very puzzled.

There are two reported death dates for Ferdinand August Dommerich—**17 June 1859** and **sometime in 1862**—because of a likely discrepancy between **contemporaneous public records** and a **later church book entry**, which may reflect one of the following:

---

### 🧭 Possible Reasons for the Conflict

#### 1. **Clerical Error or Misattribution**
- Church books were often copied or updated retrospectively.
- A scribe may have misread or misrecorded the year, especially if the entry was added years after the death.

#### 2. **Delayed Burial or Reinterment**
- If Dommerich was buried in a different parish or reinterred, the church book might reflect the **burial date**, not the actual **date of death**.
- This is common when clergy die away from their final resting place.

#### 3. **Confusion with Another Individual**
- There may have been **another Dommerich**—possibly a relative or namesake—who died in 1862.
- Without a first name or profession attached, the church record could be conflated.

#### 4. **Secondary Source Error**
- If the church book was transcribed into a database or cited in a later genealogy, the 1862 date might stem from a **modern indexing mistake**.

---

### 🧾 Why 1859 Is More Reliable

- **Obituary**: *Kasseler Zeitung*, No. 170, published **19 June 1859**, confirms death on **17 June 1859**.
- **Biographical Authority**: *Hessische Biografie* and CERL Thesaurus both cite **1859**, likely based on primary sources.
- **Retirement Record**: Dommerich retired in **January 1859**, and died shortly after—consistent with the obituary timeline.

---

And this source says 1862: https://personen.niedersaechsische-bibliographie.de/person/gnd/1034235435/

This source says 1859: https://data.cerl.org/thesaurus/cnp02074492
As does this source: https://www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/bio/id/1070

Thank you.