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| New Haven Register, Sunday, December 17, 1978 (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) |
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Obit Mis-Information Not Uncommon
Chief Spencer's 1978 obituary, published in The New Haven Register, erroneously gives his birthdate as May 14, 1895. According to newspaper articles published at the time of his 1960 retirement, the Chief's birthdate was actually November 19, 1895.
The birthdate in the obituary is refuted by the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, which gives the month and year of his birth as November 1895.
Obituary errors like this are not uncommon. The surviving relatives of older individuals often do not actually know the correct information being requested.
Obituaries can provide good leads for genealogists, but they are the least accurate sources of vital statistics for searching family roots.
Birth certificates and marriage licenses are better for providing the correct birthdate and birthplace (obviously), and the parents' names.
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