My ancestor was born in Kentucky, most likely in 1818 or 1819. I’m not certain of the year. I may never be certain of the year and there is actually little chance that I ever find a reasonably reliable record containing his precise date of birth.
And that’s just fine. It’s also the reality of this time period and location. There were no civil records of births when he was born in Kentucky. No bible record has been located. He was not in the military so there’s no service record, enlistment papers, or benefit application that could be helpful either. The family was not a member of a church that kept any sort of records of dates of birth–or even ages. The ancestor died in the 1880s in Missouri and no death certificate can be located–it likely would not give date of birth any way. No tombstone is known to be extant.
I’m not really that concerned that I have no precise date of birth. Census records are relatively consistent with an 1818/1819 year of birth. My bigger concerns are: tying him to his parents, his spouse, and his children–all of which has been done with a variety of original records containing primary information.
Sometimes it simply is not possible to get a date of birth for some individuals. That’s not a “brick wall.” It’s reality.
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And that is why, when I started on my family history journey, I didn’t follow the genealogical standard. My ancestors always settled in the most remote area possible at a time when records were unheard of. Obviously they existed or I wouldn’t be here. I”m not writing a text book or filing for government compensation so telling the story as best as I can will have to do. Don’t like it? Don’t read it!
I have an inferred birthdate and parents for a 3g grandmother born in 1826 in Washington DC but no other connections to her parents or siblings. I shall keep looking!
It becomes a big issue when applying for a lineage society. Sometimes there is a workaround and sometimes not. I have spent 30 years+ trying to verify family recollections. Sometimes it’s just not there and you have to rely on indirect evidence and trot on down the road.
To be really honest, some of the lineage societies are a little too persnickity about having dates for events. I helped a cousin on one and the sticking point was the date of death for an ancestor in Ohio in the 1820s. There are not death records during that era and we were lucky that the probate initiation combined with other records allowed me to get a range of dates for when he died.