When a document gives the name of an informant, consider how likely they are to know the information they are providing. Sometimes the informant may not be all that informed.<\/p>\n
A daughter-in-law who is the informant on a death certificate probably does not have first hand knowledge of the deceased individual’s parents. And yet, she may be the only person who is available to give the desired information.<\/p>\n
Remember that even you are not a truly primary source for your date and place of birth. Your knowledge of that event is because you were told it or you read it on a document. It is not because you were aware of the event at the time it took place. Not being a primary source does not mean you are wrong, just that your knowledge of the information is not direct.<\/p>\n
On most death certificates for someone who died and the end of a typical lifespan the informant is not someone who was around at the beginning of the person’s life. That can make a difference in how accurate that information is, especially if the informant only knew the person during the last few years (or months) of their life.<\/p>\n