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From: "Richard A. Pence" <>
Subject: Re: [APG] Birth / Death Question
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 15:12:19 -0500
References: <082801c87ad4$148f7320$3dae5960$@com> <47C8767B.3030101@verizon.net><002501c87b38$35a3c750$0201a8c0@YOUR58BA15CF1B> <087701c87b41$d08b9b40$71a2d1c0$@com><003c01c87c72$8a35b270$0200a8c0@NankiPoo><000b01c87c8a$b76e2840$264a78c0$@com>


"Elissa Scalise Powell, CG" <> wrote:

> I also have this same problem in the same county in Ohio. Not until Cheryl
> posted did I think that mine was more than just an anomaly. Now I am more
> wary that whatever system was used to record this information in Wayne
> County may not have been perfect.
>
Elissa:

For my one-name PENCE study, I am currentlychecking cemetery records for
Shenandoah County, Virginia, as posted on RootsWeb. A couple of years ago
someone had posted the birth records for that county at her web site and I
downloaded and saved these.

Now I lam discovering quite a few tombstones with birth that don't agree
with the county birth records.

Initiallly, I was inclinded to accept the birth record as the correct date -
it presumably being "primary" information (reported near the event by
someone who had direct knowledge of the event).

Now I am second-guessing myself on this as I have an idea that the birth
records were a low priority with the clerks who posted them in the registers
and sometimes they would enter the date the birth was reported rather than
the date of the event or they looked at the wrong slip of paper while
entering the births and got the wrong date. I am thinking that perhaps more
care was taken to be sure of the date before "carving it in stone" and the
tombstone date may be the correct one, even though the date is provided long
after the fact of birth.

I think I know what the "right" answer on this is, but I would be interested
in what others think.

Richard P.
Fairfax, Virginia





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