If your relative’s “place of birth” is incorrect in a document, consider if anyone in the record creation process (either your relative or the clerk) confused:
- where born;
- where from;
- and where living.
It’s possible that your relative giving the information confused some of these pieces of information. It is possible the clerk got confused with the information your relative provided. Always transcribe a document exactly as written, but if things don’t make sense or are inconsistent, consider that inadvertent confusion could have taken place.
And…that information that’s wrong, could be a clue as the incorrect location could have significance in your ancestor’s life, even if it is “wrong” for the question it answered.
6 Responses
In a couple of instances, the census enumerator has put a place of birth which is the nearest town or village to the actual place of birth. I read that as being “ xxxx? Where’s that’s? Ah, near YYY”. And that is what was recorded.
That’s another common problem. Some of my German immigrants used the nearest big town as their place of birth in official records instead of the actual village.
If I am not sure of where the relative is from, I look at where the parents were born of died and then I put any and put the state where the parent was born or died, and that often works.
When searching databases this is a good approach.
This means that I’m going to have to go back and verify exactly all of the places my 3x great grandmother was “born”, to see if I can find out who her parents were and if she had any siblings! Thank goodness the family staying in MA from 1833 until 1866…
Those “wrong” or inconsistent places can sometimes be good clues.