It's taken several years of joyful enterprise to build a genealogy of 2600+ souls that will continue to be a never ending hobby. The many challenges have appealed to my affinity toward solving puzzles and organizing information as I eagerly await new databases to become digitalized.

For those passionate about genealogy there are many challenges, among them being correct birth dates. As I’m sure others have encountered, multiple birth dates can be frustrating. Finding 3-5 different birth dates for what is believed to be the same individual is not uncommon as some families and individuals were obviously less attuned to accuracy than others.

These are my own guidelines for applying a particular birth date to a Find A Grave Memorial ranked in my order of persuasion.

1 – a birth certificate showing parents names including mother’s maiden name
2 – baptismal records that also list a birth date
3 – a WWI or WWII draft registration in which the registrant lists his own birthday
4 – immigration/naturalization documents wherein the immigrant lists their own birth date
5 – a marriage license application stating birth date
6 – birth date shown on a death certificate
7 – the inscription on a gravestone
8 – military pension or grave stone application
9 – newspaper death notices or obituaries
10 – the US Census closest to the birth year
11– the 1900 US Census that added the birth month to the year (if applicable)

Those sources most believable originate from the actual person or from a time closest to their birth, while others are often second-hand information. In addition, each birth date variation is source documented for future reference and/or modification. Any suggestions for changes to birth dates, death dates or bios are genuinely welcomed and will be seriously considered provided those changes include a viable source.

It's taken several years of joyful enterprise to build a genealogy of 2600+ souls that will continue to be a never ending hobby. The many challenges have appealed to my affinity toward solving puzzles and organizing information as I eagerly await new databases to become digitalized.

For those passionate about genealogy there are many challenges, among them being correct birth dates. As I’m sure others have encountered, multiple birth dates can be frustrating. Finding 3-5 different birth dates for what is believed to be the same individual is not uncommon as some families and individuals were obviously less attuned to accuracy than others.

These are my own guidelines for applying a particular birth date to a Find A Grave Memorial ranked in my order of persuasion.

1 – a birth certificate showing parents names including mother’s maiden name
2 – baptismal records that also list a birth date
3 – a WWI or WWII draft registration in which the registrant lists his own birthday
4 – immigration/naturalization documents wherein the immigrant lists their own birth date
5 – a marriage license application stating birth date
6 – birth date shown on a death certificate
7 – the inscription on a gravestone
8 – military pension or grave stone application
9 – newspaper death notices or obituaries
10 – the US Census closest to the birth year
11– the 1900 US Census that added the birth month to the year (if applicable)

Those sources most believable originate from the actual person or from a time closest to their birth, while others are often second-hand information. In addition, each birth date variation is source documented for future reference and/or modification. Any suggestions for changes to birth dates, death dates or bios are genuinely welcomed and will be seriously considered provided those changes include a viable source.