Are the Kids Really Clueless?

I’ve encountered instances in my research where children have provided maiden names of mothers that were inconsistent with information provided with the mother and that were completely wrong.

I’ve also encountered instances where the children gave a last name for the mother that I thought was “wrong,” only later it turned out to be right.

While information children provide about their mother’s maiden name is secondary, don’t assume the children are clueless. Sometimes they are…but sometimes they are not.