In response to: "As to the IGI, I believe that is just a collection of various things people have sent to the LDS, so it is filled with all kinds of mistakes, includin dates, and even names. Some folks are careful about the data they collect, and some are not." Although the "Ancestral File" is extremely unreliable, and full of unsubstantiated guesswork, the IGI is mostly composed of transcriptions of original church records, and is generally reliable. There are errors of course, and the transcripts should be verified by reading the originals, of which microfilm copies are available through the LDS. Recently the integrity of the IGI has been compromised, however, by "entries of birth" surmised from marriage entries. Perhaps the rule is to subtract 25 years from the date of marriage, for an approximation of the couple's birth year. This is clearly marked as an approximation, and relatively harmless, but the dummy birth entry also gives the place of marriage as the PLACE of birth. This is misleading, in my opinion. People moved a lot in the past, just as today, to excape unpleasant and forgettable conditions. Dummy birth entries also do not allow for occasional changes in surname, after moving and assuming a new role in a new community.