If possible, obtain as many official records as possible that reference that place of birth, maiden name of mother, parental relationship, etc. One reference can be incorrect–either because the informant was unaware of the actual information, was intending to deceive for one reason or another, or something in between.

It can be tempting to go with the piece of information given in one record, but that one record and one piece of information can easily be incorrect. Obtaining as many records as possible allows you to evaluate information given by individuals over their entire lifetime and by other members of the same family. For one reason or another those details may not be entirely consistent and obtaining all those records and clues gives you the best chance of determining what really happened and getting past what seems to be a brick wall in your research.

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