Person talk:Betsey Newton (10)

Birth date [23 September 2011]

The Pomfret Vital Records published on americanancestors.org gives the birth date of 10 Apr 1795. 10 vs 16 is an easy transcription error to make. Which is right? It is hard to know.

The familysearch collection says it is an index put together by volunteers from films of Vermont records. The image for Betsey which says 16 Apr 1795 indicates it is from microfilm 27639: General index to vital records of Vermont, early to 1870. The description is "Microfilm of original records in the Office of the Secretary of State, Montpelier, Vermont.Index includes births, deaths and marriages. Some cards filmed out of sequence."

The webmaster at americanancestors.org says their records are based on a typed transcript of Vermont records. This suggests to me that the above record showing the 10th is probably more likely to be correct. However, the webmaster adds that systematic collection of vital records in Vermont was not universal until second half of 1800's, that many records are reconstructions required by a 1919 law. So while the index cards pictured in the familysearch collection are official records, they are secondary at best.

Which doesn't change the fact that it seems to be the best available. --Jrich 13:50, 23 September 2011 (EDT)