Twin Josephine Smith

Regarding twin Josephine, I have decided that Josephine Holub (GHM6-RVH) probably is twin Josephine.

In 2024, When I discovered the existence of twin Josephine Smith, these were the only records of her existence that I found:

1. "Utah, County Birth and Death Records,1892-1951"[1]

2. "Utah Births and Christenings, 1892-1941"[2]

3. "United States Social Security Death Index,"[3]

On March 9, 2024, I e-mailed the following inquiry to Glenn Alvin Smith:

I've been looking at our genealogy pretty hard today. I discovered that, apparently, Rasmus Julius Smith and Josefina Bernhardina Beckman had twins, on August 10, 1898. One of them, Emma, died fifteen days later. The other, named "Josephine," just like an elder sibling, lived to adulthood. The records of her birth leave no doubt she was born to Rasmus and Josefina, in Brigham City, on August 10, 1898 - the same day as Emma, so she is not to be confused with their elder sister, Josephine, born in 1887.

However, the twin is not listed among Josefina's offspring on the the back of her and Rasmus' tombstone.

The twin died, apparently, in an unspecified county, in California, in the month of March, 1981. The U.S. Social Security Death Index does not specify which county she died in, or which day of March, 1981 she died. It also makes no mention of any family, and identifies her by her maiden name, "Josephine Smith," and her date of birth, August 10, 1898.

Why was she not listed on Rasmus and Josefina's tombstone?  Why did she have the same name as one of her elder sisters?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Since then, dd_777 has added the first two records, of twin Josephine's birth, to Emma's profile on FamilySearch; the third record, of her death, dd_777 has added to Josephine Holub's profile. dd_777 insists that Emma and her twin are the same person, and that the record of her death applies to Josephine Smith, née Holub.

Several people have added eleven other records to Ms. Holub's profile, including two additional death records.

One of the records of her death[4] indicates that Josephine Holub Smith, alias "Josephien Smith," was born, to William Holub and Emma Jira, in San Francisco, California, on August 10, 1898, and died, in California, presumably, in March of 1981. dd_777 would have the world believe that Josephine Holub was born to the Holub couple, in San Francisco, on the day Emma Smith was born to Erastus and Josephine Smith, in Brigham City, Utah, and that the same dates of birth, and the same names, "Josephine" and married name "Smith," are mere coincidences.

The other death record attached Ms. Holub's FamilySearch profile [5] indicates that 

Sources:

1. "Utah, County Birth and Death Records,1892-1951", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8ZR4-BNPZ : Wed Oct 04 23:45:50 UTC 2023), Entry for Josephine Smith and Julius Smith, 10 Aug 1898.

2. "Utah Births and Christenings, 1892-1941", FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F82C-HYM : 28 January 2020), Josephine Smith, 1898.

3. "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V3GM-6JD : 11 January 2021), Josephine Smith, Mar 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

4. "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K49-513C : Sat Apr 26 09:38:11 UTC 2025), Entry for Josephine Smith and William Holub.

5. "California, Death Index, 1940-1997", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPV9-QY3 : Tue Feb 25 20:10:39 UTC 2025), Entry for Marilyn Josephine Smith and Holub, 25 Feb 1986.

Post by William Mortensen Vaughan