I've always tried to follow the advice I've heard repeatedly of using the centralized Vermont vital records with caution- using them as clues for further research rather than as final proof. Having just returned from Vermont I have an example to help encourage others to exercise caution in using such records. As you are probably aware, the centralized Vermont vital records are copies that the state requested to have sent to them a number of years ago- the originals are to be found in the towns themselves. I was researching in the town of Barre and using Barre's indexed cards- themselves transcribed from original records. I was looking for early information on the Nichols family (pre-1850). I found several cards with data on the family that I was researching, the family of Reuben Nichols. These records were all transcribed, it turned out, from grave markers in the Elmwood Cemetery in Barre- transcribed in 1919. Some of the markers can no longer be read, so in some cases this may be the only record of a particular person's dates. There were three cards that were of particular help to me. I took down the information from the cards, and then on a whim decided to go find the cemetery in question and see what more I could learn about the family. I was fortunate to locate the graves of this particular family rather quickly, but was greatly surprised to find that ALL there of the records I'd jotted down from the transcription cards on file were transcribed incorrectly! These records are the ones that most people will get when going either to the city of Barre or the centralized Vermont vital records. What were the nature of the errors? On one the card gave a death date of 1854 for Reuben's wife Betsey, listing her as the wife of Reuben. The stone showed that this Betsey was his daughter, not his wife. There was an index card with the record of his wife's death, but the card did not list her relation to Reuben, though the stone clearly labeled her as "consort" of Reuben. Reuben's death date was given on the index card as 1853, but the stone was clearly 1863- which matched his age at death when compared to his birth record. Three out of three...all mistranscribed. It certainly gave me pause once again and caused me to repeat to our lists the advice we hear so often- don't trust centralized, transcribed records; make every effort to verify with the original when possible! John Leidy