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❧ How We Got Here The Paulson Family

Referenced in the family

Mary Catherine Dafoe

b. 1932

Life

4 Jan 1932Born
22 Mar 1951MarriedtoDonald Howard PaulsonMaryland

Records & Research living · limited

Mary Catherine Dafoe is documented in the New England Ball Project, a sourced one-name genealogy, as the wife of Donald Howard Paulson (born 14 May 1924 in Flint, Genesee Co., Michigan; died 22 January 1983 in Mansfield, Ohio; buried Bellville Cemetery, Bellville, Ohio), son of Raeburn Iver Paulson and Esther Eunice Bills. The source names six of their children — Lawrence (spelled "Lawerence") Raeburn, Richard Alan, Victoria Kay, Sandra Ann, William Thomas, and Mary Elizabeth Paulson — all matching the family report. The spouse-plus-six-children match is an unambiguous multi-anchor identity confirmation. The genealogy gives no birth date, parents, or birthplace for Mary herself, and no marriage date/place; her own 1932 birth and the 1951 Maryland marriage could not be independently confirmed, consistent with her likely still being living. No obituary or grave for her was located, also consistent with a living person. (Auditor note: this dossier's husband-page claims were directly verified against the archived source; all checked out.)

  • Mary Catherine Dafoe is recorded as the wife of Donald Howard Paulson in the New England Ball Project genealogy, where she heads the couple's family of six matching children; the identity is anchored by the matching spouse plus six matching children and is unambiguous.

    genealogy ↗genealogy ↗

  • Mary Catherine Dafoe's husband, Donald Howard Paulson, was born 14 May 1924 at Flint, Genesee Co., Michigan, son of Raeburn Iver Paulson and Esther Eunice Bills; he died 22 January 1983 at Mansfield, Ohio, and was buried at Bellville Cemetery, Bellville, Ohio. He served in the Third Division, U.S. Marine Corps in WWII, held a B.A. from Michigan State College and an MBA, and formed a management consulting firm.

    1924-05-14 / 1983-01-22 · Flint, Michigan (birth); Mansfield, Ohio (death); Bellville, Ohio (burial) genealogy ↗

  • Six children of Donald Howard Paulson and Mary Catherine Dafoe are named in the genealogy: Lawerence [sic] Raeburn Paulson, Richard Alan Paulson, Victoria Kay Paulson, Sandra Ann Paulson, William Thomas Paulson, and Mary Elizabeth Paulson — matching six of the seven children in the family report, in the same order.

    genealogy ↗

Differs from the report

spouse's prior children (not in report or known facts): report says “Not mentioned.”, records indicate “The genealogy lists an additional child of Donald Howard Paulson, 'John Clifford Paulson', by a different partner 'Mary Helen Chick' (i.e., a relationship/marriage prior to Mary Catherine Dafoe). This child is NOT a child of Mary Catherine Dafoe.”. Surfaced during direct verification of page p2201 and not previously flagged in the dossier. Does not affect Mary Catherine Dafoe's identity or her own children, but is relevant context: Donald Howard Paulson had a prior partner (Mary Helen Chick) and a son John Clifford Paulson outside this marriage. genealogy ↗

Open questions (7)
  • Mary Catherine Dafoe's own birth date (report: 1932-01-04) could not be independently confirmed; the genealogy gives no birth date, parents, or birthplace for her. This remains unconfirmed (not downgraded from any finding — it was never claimed as confirmed).
  • The marriage date (report: 1951-03-22) and Maryland marriage place could not be independently confirmed in any public record; the genealogy lists the couple but gives no marriage date or place.
  • No parents are identified for Mary Catherine Dafoe in any source consulted.
  • Carol Marie Paulson (1961) is in the family report but absent from the New England Ball Project's list of children (verified) — is she genuinely a daughter of this couple (source incomplete) or is there a discrepancy to resolve?
  • Donald Howard Paulson had a prior child, John Clifford Paulson, with Mary Helen Chick (per the verified genealogy). Worth confirming whether Mary Helen Chick was a prior wife of Donald, for completeness of the family record.
  • No grave, obituary, or other vital record for Mary Catherine Dafoe herself was found, consistent with her likely being alive; her current status/whereabouts were not investigated (light-touch for a living person).
  • A FindAGrave memorial for Donald Howard Paulson at Bellville Cemetery, Bellville, OH was not located and could not be checked for a spouse listing; worth a direct FindAGrave search later.
Sources consulted (7)