This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/7aB.2ACEAE/4936.3 Message Board Post: You are right in saying that civil registration in the early days (after 1869) was far from universal and many in that timeframe are missing. Also, tell your sister not to bother with the films from the LDS. They are a complete copy to what is available online at ancestry, and will not provide any additional information. That said, why are you convinced that the James born in April 1873 is not your James? Birth dates were notoriously incorrect from one record to another, but usually the one written closest to the actual event was usually the most accurate. The birthdate given on his death registration, and/or marriage registration may be been miscalculated or simply a mistake when he wrote down the year.