Hello Listers, I have been following with interest the commentary on incorrect data on the various "certified" documents. My personal experience was a real eye opener. In 1953 when I graduated from high school, the county decided to give each graduate a laminated wallet size diploma and birth certificate in addition to the traditional diploma. The birth records were sent from Raleigh, NC to the school so that each student could verify the information (thank goodness!!). My given name on the official form was Joyce Marlene Edwards. I had always gone by the name Bonnie Jean. When I asked my mother about this, her comment was she had liked both names but when she got me home from the hospital, she decided to call me Bonnie Jean rather than Joyce Marlene. My official birth certificate now has a line drawn through Joyce Marlene and above it written my present name along with a change date and an official stamp. What a mess this could have been for a future researcher and what a disappointment to me - I could have died and no one would have ever know that I had lived!!! My two cents worth! Have a good day folks! Bonnie Edwards Carder - researching Shaffers