Referenced in the family
Mary Elizabeth Paulson
b. 1964
Life
Records & Research living · limited
Mary Elizabeth Paulson, born 4 March 1964, is a daughter of Donald Howard Paulson (1924-1983) and Mary Catherine Dafoe (b. 1932). The family's own primary-source genealogy ("Paulson's how we got here," compiled Oct 2006) directly lists her as a child of that marriage and confirms her parents' details, the 1951 Maryland marriage, and the father's Flint, Michigan birth and Bellville, Ohio burial. A FindAGrave memorial (ID 74803409) for the father is a CONFIRMED multi-anchor match — identical death date (22 Jan 1983) and burial place (Bellville Cemetery, Bellville/Richland County, Ohio), matching "H" middle initial and 1924 birth year. As a living person (~62 in 2026), Mary Elizabeth herself does not appear in any accessible public record, which is expected; no record names or describes her directly beyond the family's anchor facts.
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Mary Elizabeth Paulson (b. 4 March 1964) is documented as a daughter of Donald Howard Paulson and Mary Catherine Dafoe in the family's primary-source genealogy 'Paulson's how we got here' (compiled 13 Oct 2006), which lists 'Paulson, Mary Elizabeth, 19640304' among the children of that marriage. This agrees with the known facts on birth date AND both parents.
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Her parents, Donald Howard Paulson and Mary Catherine Dafoe (b. 4 Jan 1932), married on 22 March 1951 in Maryland, per the family genealogy. This corroborates the mother named in the known facts.
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Her father, Donald Howard Paulson, died 22 January 1983 and is buried at Bellville Cemetery, Bellville (Richland County), Ohio. A FindAGrave memorial (ID 74803409) for 'Donald H Paulson' matches the family genealogy on death date and burial cemetery exactly, plus the 'H' middle initial and 1924 birth year — a confirmed, multi-anchor identification of the father.
Not yet confirmed — probable matches and family lore, shown for research. Treat with caution.
likely father.birth.date: report “Donald Howard Paulson born 14 May 1924 (19240514) per family genealogy; born in Flint, Michigan” vs. found “FindAGrave memorial 74803409 gives birth as 4 May 1924”. One-digit day discrepancy (4 vs 14 May); same month and year. Almost certainly a transcription difference on one side. The exact match on death date and burial place makes this the same individual; not a wrong-person flag.
likely father.military: report “Family genealogy notes: 'He was in the Third Division of the US Marine Corps in World War II.'” vs. found “FindAGrave memorial 74803409 inscription reads '1ST LT US AIR FORCE / WORLD WAR II KOREA'”. Genuine source conflict on military branch (Marine Corps per family vs. Air Force per gravestone inscription) and service period (the gravestone adds Korea). Worth resolving before publishing any military-service claim for the father; it does not undermine the identity match. The dossier's claim of 'WWII/Korea Air Force' rests only on the gravestone and conflicts with the family record.
Open questions (5)
- Mary Elizabeth Paulson (b. 1964-03-04) does not appear in any accessible public record, and that is expected for a living person (~62 in 2026). Her birth place is unknown; given the parents' 1951 Maryland marriage and the father's later Ohio residence, a Maryland or Ohio birth is plausible but unconfirmed. Do NOT publish private/contact details for her — only the family-supplied birth date and parentage are appropriate for the archive.
- Military service of the father is unresolved: the family genealogy says US Marine Corps (3rd Division, WWII), while FindAGrave memorial 74803409 inscribes '1st Lt US Air Force, WWII/Korea.' These should be reconciled (e.g., via NARA/AAD WWII enlistment or a military headstone application record) before stating a branch in the published archive.
- No independent record was found for the mother, Mary Catherine Dafoe (b. 1932-01-04). The Dafoe surname has Ontario/New York Loyalist roots, but no documented link to this specific Paulson family was located beyond the family genealogy itself.
- Surname variant 'Paulsen' was checked; no additional matching record found.
- Several same-name individuals were reviewed and correctly REJECTED as different people: a Mary Paulson obituary (2025, Menasha/Neenah, WI) for a woman born 1955, and Donald A Paulson (1924-1958, Mabel, Minnesota) — neither matches the subject's family on date or place. These rejections are sound and retained for audit transparency.
Sources consulted (7)
- Family report (2006) · report
- Donald H Paulson (1924-1983) - Find a Grave Memorial (ID 74803409), Bellville Cemetery, Richland County, Ohio (FETCHED & VERIFIED: death 22 Jan 1983, burial Bellville Cemetery, inscription '1st Lt US Air Force WWII Korea') — confirmed match for the father · findagrave
- FindAGrave search - Donald Paulson b.1924 d.1983 (2 matching records: Donald H Paulson, Ohio; Donald Lee Paulson, Minnesota) · findagrave
- Mary Paulson Obituary (2025) - Menasha, WI - Westgor Funeral Home (REJECTED: born 1955, different person) · obituary
- Donald A Paulson (1924-1958) - Find a Grave Memorial, Mabel, Minnesota (REJECTED: wrong death year/place) · findagrave
- WikiTree Dafoe Genealogy (consulted for mother's Dafoe line; no link to this family found) · other
- WikiTree Paulson / Paulsen Genealogy (consulted for surname variants; no match found) · other
Ancestry
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