What sounds like the title of an old Stahlnetz crime novel is a prime example of the work of a research archivist.

At the beginning of the 1920s, association members who referred to themselves as “Altlandsberg” after their place of residence at the time submitted a “Halberstadt” family tree for publication; it was then published in 1926 in newsletter no. 8.

A few years later, research in Halberstadt Cathedral revealed that the ancestors came from the small village of Ampleben in what was then the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
These findings remained unpublished in the records for over 90 years.

During a routine review and revision of family records, I recently came across this case.
A quick internet search immediately yielded many hits, especially in a local family history book relevant to Ampleben.

Was this going to be a quick success?

Local family history books are a practical tool, as they can assist with research and even provide structure and context.
Nevertheless, they should be treated with caution, as they are usually (only) secondary or tertiary sources.

In the case of Ampleben, I was able to access a filmed baptismal register for Ampleben from 1703 to 1751 via the ARCHION church register portal.
This gave me the opportunity to verify the information in the local family history book.
At first, everything seemed plausible; the original church register even allowed me to expand the family tree further.
Until I came across a mystery in 1739:

On 27 May 1739, Hans Heinrich Schrader is said to have had a baby daughter, and on 12 October of the same year, a healthy baby son. Something couldn’t be right here!

I was able to rule out the classic cases such as illegitimate births or second marriages.
Could there have been two different Schraders with the first name Hans Heinrich in Ampleben?

I then took another close look at all the baptism records; sometimes Hans Heinrich Schrader was listed as the father, sometimes Hans Heinrich Engel Schrader. In retrospect, this no longer seemed to me to be sloppiness on the part of the sexton or pastor, but rather an indication of different families. If the mothers had been mentioned at each baptism, as was already practised in other parishes, then it would be clearly verifiable. Without any references to the mothers, all that remains is the initial suspicion that there were indeed different fathers.
And then the rule is: when in doubt, leave it out.

If the source situation for Ampleben does not improve, the next newsletter will only contain a short article with a correction of the origin. The various collateral lines will remain in the family file until their assignment can be precisely proven.