Cheryl, We've all struggled with the date of birth when given tombstone readings such as: DIED May 6, 1889, AGE 71 years, 7 months, 9 days. In March 1976, the Genealogical Helper included the "Formula 8870," and it was repeated in the July/August 1988 issue. Here's how it works: Enter on a calculator 18890506 (death on May 6, 1889); subtract 710709 (age); Result-- 18179797. Subtract 8870 to correct the months/days Answer: 18170927, or 1817 September 27. If the last two digits are greater than 30, subtract 30 from it, and the remainder is the days. Then you add that 30 days/1 month, to the next two digits, which is the number of the months. If there are more than 12 months, subtract the twelve months, and add them (as 1 year) to the years. Julie, IBSSG Flock Mistress