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Archiver > INMONROE > 2001-07 > 0994451603


From: Randi Richardson <>
Subject: [INMONROE] Record Evaluation
Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2001 15:33:23 -0500


Hi,

I'd thought I'd share with you my recent experience with a Monroe County
marriage record. The marriage was in June 2001. A review of the document
indicates why it is so important to NOT take everything at face value, that
marriage records are NOT primary documents for information other than the
date of marriage, and errors are just as likely to occur today as they were
a century ago.

I only have information about the bride. At the time I did not know the
groom, except by an alias, and cannot attest to the accuracy of the
information he provided on the marriage application.

According to the marriage application, the bride provided her legal
name. Her address and date of birth were taken from an expired driver's
license. The date of birth was correct. The address was not. At the time
of the marriage, she had NOT resided at the address on her driver's license
for more than three years and was not, at the time of the marriage, a
resident of Monroe County. The surname of her father was spelled
incorrectly and reflected a phonetic pronunciation; I don't know her
mother's surname so I don't know if it was correct or not. It was noted
that both parents were dead; in fact neither parent was dead. It noted that
she had never been declared of unsound mind when, in fact, she was a
resident of a nursing home and had a guardian because she was
incompetent. Her language skills have been impaired through injury, and
she cannot say the month, day and year of her birth, the days of the week,
or provide her address.

I share this information to illustrate that if this can happen in an
academic community like Monroe County in 2001, imagine how and why
inaccuracies occurred in early records.

Randi Richardson

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