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Re: Accuracy of birth records



A similar thing happened in my family history. My father was listed as P.L. without a name. According to family lore, he was later assigned names to go with the initials. He was the 10th child in the family and his father died two years later of a heart condition.  The family dispersed within a few years with the older children getting married, moving out-of-state, etc. His mother, who was left in the mid-1930s with a small farm and doctor bills, allowed my father to live with various family/friends so what really happened with this is up for grabs.

My son, who is 17, now has a middle name that was his father's and the spelling is incorrect because the person typing the birth certificate made a mistake that wasn't corrected. My son's grandfather's middle name was Ervie (and his father was named Ervie). The person typing the birth certificate for my son's father wrote "Erive." That family's records and relationships disintegrated because my son's great-grandfather was killed when the grandfather was a toddler. My son's father thought his name was spelled ERIVE. Only a few years ago did we find out from my son's grandfather that the name was spelled Ervie on his birth certificate. He didn't know the mistake had been made on his son's birth certificate. So now this name which has at least four generations has a name change due to a typo made in 1952. I wish I'd checked the previous generations. My son would appreciate it!

I agree with Linda:  Be skeptical.

-- Arlette Copeland
Special Collections
Jack Tarver Library, Mercer University
Macon, Ga.
(912) 301-2968
 

Linda C. Morrison wrote:

 Paul Bergeron has some good points about the accuracy of birth records.
When I went to Dummerston, VT and asked to see my grandmother's birth
record, I was shown an entry that read "Elise" instead of "Elsie." {A.
Barrett] By the time of my childhood she didn't like the name Elsie, but she
was always known by that name.  The misspelling is a legitimate name,
though, and someone correcting obvious mistakes wouldn't catch it.  It was a
handwritten record; 1888.
    You can't assume anything is accurATE, always  be skeptical!!
Linda Morrison, Boston area.