Certain genealogical publications, when a date of an event is not supported by any direct or indirect evidence, will use the word “say” when giving the date
James Rampley was born say 1750 and went on to reproduce so many times that his descendants number in the millions.
The part about reproducing all those times isn’t usually included, but many times there is something missing after the “say.”
What makes you say it?
It is allowable to not have a document that gives the date, but if some record causes you to arrive at that “say date,” then say so. Perhaps it was because:
- the person married in 1771
- the person bought land in 1771
- the person’s age was estimated using census records
- his tombstone indicated he died in his 85th year
But give some reason when you guess or when you say.
If you say a “say” date, say a reason.
Don’t just sashay around.
Spellings in the census should not be taken too seriously–don’t change how you spell your own name because of how your paternal great-great-grandfather’s name was spelled in the census. If it “sounds like” his name, consider the person possibly yours (look at location, age, place of birth, other household members, occupation, etc.) and go from there.
One of my ancestral families and all their children and their children’s spouses are buried in the same rural cemetery. The only exception is their daughter who died in her teens and is buried in a separate cemetery. The parents died in the 1880s and the other children died between 1895 and 1920. The daughter died in the 1860s before the cemetery where the others are buried was established.
