On Sun, 5 Jan 2003 10:02:21 EST RH128212@aol.com writes: > I know census records can have errors, but how often is an error made on a > death certificate as to Birth Place? Also, the DC had his parents as unknown. Errors are made all the time. The only piece of information, they say, that is totally reliable is the date of death. (However I do have a family certificate that may be wrong on that too!) I have another one where the deceased's name is wrong. And the other extraneous info about the parents names and birthdates is only as good as the informant's knowledge. So who was the informant? How much could they know firsthand about the event? If they did not know the parents names, how much credibility do you give to the birth place? All this must be weighed with other evidence such as the census and other records. I would hazard a guess that he may have been born in PA to Irish parents who then moved to Ohio when he was a young boy. Therefore different informants (and that is what you have on census too) would have different views of his early life, according to what they heard or remembered. Further research would be in church records (if you know the denomination) or court records (land and probate). Did he inherit any land? You can tell this by tracing *all* land purchases. Tracing his life (and his siblings) backwards one step at a time might yield that the parents were living with him or one of his siblings at some point. Or they all sold land to one brother to settle an estate. I hope that your ancestors left a paper trail, and that you are able to find it. Best wishes, Elissa ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com