This 19th-century baptismal record of Julius Henry Vollmer notes him as “the illegitimate son of Henrietta Vollmer (nee Hensing),” a practice then used to shame unwed mothers by documenting their “sin” in church records.

A 20th-century marriage may appear in church records but not civil ones due to filing oversights. In Thomas Florence and Catherine Prelli's case, Rev. Peter Engel never returned their marriage license, likely to avoid late fees, showing the value of checking multiple sources in genealogy.