Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Maria von Trapp in the Social Security Death Index

Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born matriarch of the famous singing von Trapp family, passed away in Vermont in 1987, and she can be found listed in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) ...Name: MARIA TRAPPBirth: 26 Jan 1905Death: Apr 1987Last Residence: 05672 (Stowe, Lamoille, VT)Last Benefit: (none specified)Social Security Number: 009-32-2317Issued: VermontNote that her surname lacks the "von" part and her death date is given as April 1987 without a specific day. Maria actually died on 28 March 1987 as can be seen in this listing from Ancestry's Vermont Death Index -- See: Vermont Death Indexes and Records ...Given, Middle Name, Surname: Maria A VontrappBirth Date: January 26, 1905Death Date: March 28, 1987Place of Death: Morristown, VTResidence: Stowe, VTGender: F; Age: 82; Race: WhiteMarriage Status: WidowedBirthplace: OTHERWhen using the SSDI if you come upon a month and year only for the death date you can usually get the correct date from other sources such as the person's death certificate. Try the online death records directory for some online indexes and sources.Also, when searching for surnames that contain more than one word you might try different variations like... Trapp, Vontrapp or von Trapp.Photograph of Maria von Trapp of the Sound of Music fame, 1944.Maria von Trapp is buried in the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, along with her husband, Georg Ritter von Trapp, who died on 30 May 1947, and Hedwig von Trapp (1917–1972), daughter of Georg and his first wife, Agathe. (The photo at left: Maria von Trapp, 1944.)Georg and Agathe (Whitehead) von Trapp had seven children, all born in Austria: Rupert, Agathe, Maria, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina. Agathe von Trapp died in 1922 of scarlet fever. Georg and Maria (Kutschera) von Trapp, who married in 1927, had three children: Rosmarie, Eleonore, and Johannes. The first two were born in Austria. Johannes was born in Philadelphia while the von Trapps were visiting Pennsylvania on a singing tour. The family later settled in the United States.Sound of Music with Julie Andrews on DVDSuggested ReadingThe Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp - this is Maria's book that inspired the Sound of Music Broadway musical and movie.Sound of Music FunIn the Sound of Music movie the real Maria von Trapp, along with one of her daughters and a granddaughter, did a "walk-on" and can be seen briefly in the "I Have Confidence" segment behind Julie Andrews.More von Trapp GenealogyFor more information on genealogy records related to the von Trapp family see: Immigration Records for the Singing von Trapp Family

March 2007

yes, i am recording the account of the single most embarrassing moment in this 33 year old life and it is being released on the world wide web for the whole world to see (or the 2 people who have seen this blog).it was a regular old thursday. for the most part it had been a boring day. two letters to draft for the texas book festival, supplies to order, emails to the texas library association for conferece badges. and the gray skies gave this boring day a quintessential backdrop. i had just received my paycheck and the first thing i wanted to do with it was to buy my niece's birthday present. i said good-bye to my boss, ran to the bathroom, and hopped in my car. sitting there in the driver's seat something did not quite feel right with my skirt. it was my all time favorite skirt. when one is poor, one wears the same clothes over and over again. this skirt had seen the outdoors many a time; with that it had seen some premature aging. i stepped out of my car to head to old navy in search of some summer sandals for aiden. my skirt felt quite loose. i thought it had loosened some but not enough for great significance. i thought it would be a good idea to look for something to wear for the rest of the day though, just in case. i looked and looked for something and then decided to pick up aiden's shoes and call kara to make sure i had the correct ones. one hand held my cell and the other held aiden's shoes. everyone in the world fears losing clothing in public places. my childhood nightmare from our years in south america was riding my bike to school only to find that i had forgotten to get dressed. i was not a child anymore. and the elastic broke and the skirt fell past my knees. of course this day of all days the only pair of underwear i could find happen to be the purple leopard print ones, not the boring black ones or the pink. it is my hope that the lady who laughed at me and stared at my underwear is the only person on the planet that witnessed the horrifying sight. if so, may i never see her again. and never again can i walk into the hancock old navy. (that makes two stores i can't walk in to. a month ago i accidentally walked into the men's restroom in borders books, my second most embarrassing moment and another person i hope never to see again.)needless to say, i have a new pair of black pants.