“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
Originally posted 21 Feb 2013. What matters is what a source is communicating and when it was created. What is less important is whether it is primary, secondary, etc. But, you say, what about sources called birth certificates, for example. They’re a great primary source.
Or, are they…
Everyone knew that my grandmother, Rita Hall, was one year older than my granddad, Louis Rockett. She was born in 1911, and he was born in 1912. No big deal. He was taller, so it evened out.
I never saw her birth certificate until years after she’d passed away, and I was documenting my lineage so I could get in the Daughters of the American Revolution society (D.A.R.). Her birth certificate shows her name as Rita Hall and that she was born March 13, 1911. Great! I have a primary source documenting the dates and info I need from the state Health Department. This is etched in stone. Right?
Upon further inspection, though, I noticed at the top it said “Delayed Certificate of Birth”. Hmmm. I don’t remember all the details, but it seems like some states didn’t require birth certificates until a certain year or some birth certificates had been destroyed or damaged. Anyway, this certificate was notarized and filed in 1959. Forty eight years after her birth. Hmmm. I also noticed that it has her signature, her mother’s signature, and her sister-in-law’s signature (the latter was the notary). Totally cool. Very different. But, it’s from the state Health Department, so it’s all good.
As I got more serious about documenting sources, and joining more societies, I started hanging out at the MS Archives. That’s where I discovered census records, a wonderful primary source. I love census records! My first discovery with a real source was with a census record. Good times! So, I’m looking up every surname I have on the 1910 U.S. Census, and I get to the page showing my grandmother’s Hall family. Hey look! Here’s her dad James, her mom Vienna, her sister Nona, her brother Cecil, and an infant named Xylda Marie who wasn’t even 1 year old. Hmmm. There were only 3 kids in her family. When I started asking my family what they knew, turns out grandmother always hated her name Xylda Marie and insisted everyone call her “Ree” or Rita. OK. Name solved.
BUT LOOK AT THE YEAR! It’s 1910. Grandmother was born in 1911. Right? Maybe, the census taker was wrong. So, I’m combing over this document and noticed who the census taker was: James N. Hall. That’s right. Her dad!
Now, I’ve got 2 primary sources with conflicting information. Which one do you think is right? The census or the birth certificate? The lesson here is that the document or source is usually more reliable if it was created closest to when the event occurred. The census is the correct answer.
New example of this below.
“...mine eyes deceive me.” Adriana in Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare
While exploring BAC’s Powell ancestors, I was making good progress updating my software database back to the late 1700s with this line:
9) Mary Nancy Whatley b. 28 Feb 1770 Orange Co., NC d. 10 Nov 1852 Lincoln Co., MS m. Randall Huckaby Pierce b. 27 Apr 1769 NC d. 30 Aug 1853 Lincoln Co., MS
8) Mary M. Pierce b. 3 Sep 1798 Franklin Co., GA d. 22 Oct 1871 Lincoln Co., MS m. Henry Furr b. 15 Mar 1790 Moore Co., NC d. 26 Jun 1880 Lincoln Co., MS
7) Benjamin Franklin Furr b. 18 Apr 1826 Lincoln Co., MS d. 11 Dec 1902 MS m. Sarah C. Smith b. 27 Jun 1827 Lawrence Co., MS d. 1906 MS
6) James Henderson Furr b. 18 Jan 1857 Lincoln Co., MS d. 26 Nov 1935 Picayune, Pearl River, MS m. Ella Ann Farmer b. 30 Apr 1868 Neshoba Co., MS d. 7 Feb 1903 Picayune, Pearl River, MS
5) William Franklin Furr b. Jun 1890 Lincoln Co., MS d. 1953 m. Annie Inez Johnson b. 15 Aug 1894 Lumberton, Lamar, MS d. 5 Jul 1967 MS
4) Della Gay Furr b. 22 Oct 1921 Picayune, Pearl River, MS d. 1 Jul 1977 Picayune, Pearl River, MS m. Roddie Pearson Powell b. 25 Jun 1920 Kiln, Hancock, MS d. 5 Feb 1998 Pearl River Co., MS
3) Douglas Eugene Powell b. 22 Aug 1947 MS d. 14 Aug 2011 Biloxi, Harrison, MS m. Catherine Diane Watkins b. 23 Mar 1952 Picayune, Pearl River, MS d. 1 Feb 1993 Picayune, Pearl River, MS
2) Private (information withheld) and Private (information withheld)
1) BAC, my son-in-law (living - information withheld)
I was entering Mary Nancy Whatley’s information based on her tombstone inscription:
Born Feb. 29, 1770 Died Nov. 10, 1852
Henry Furr Randall Pierce Cemetery, Lincoln Co., MS
(FindAGrave.com Memorial ID 18114286)
As I entered her birth date, my software wouldn’t take the information stating there was an error. I paused a moment, then it hit me. Feb 29th is Leap Day! So, what’s the problem? After researching the leap years throughout history, turns out that 1770 was NOT a leap year. However, the year she died, 1852, WAS a leap year. I can only imagine the following:
Bubba is carving away on a cold autumn day probably ready to leave work. Rather than leave his work, he yells, “Hey, anyone know when was this lady born?”
Some guy responds, “Last day in February.”
Since Bubba had just experienced a leap year, he assumed it must be Feb. 29.
Now, IF 1770 had been a leap year and IF she had been born on Feb. 29, she would’ve gone through life using March 1st as her birthday (like most people do). Clearly, the tombstone is a good primary source for the death date but not the birth date.
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