Week 3: Vital Records and Documentation Quiz
Question 1: You're researching an ancestor born in 1847. In which census would you expect to find the most detailed information about all household members?
1840 census (shows only head of household by name)
1850 census (first to name all household members)
1860 census (includes additional occupation details)
1870 census (first post-Civil War enumeration)
Question 2: A death certificate lists the deceased's father as "John Smith" but the informant was a neighbor who may not have known the family well. How should you evaluate this information?
Accept it as accurate since it's on an official document
Consider it unreliable since the informant was not family
Treat it as a clue but verify with other sources
Use it only if it matches information you already have
Question 3: You find a marriage record from 1895 that conflicts with a family Bible entry dated 1920. Both give different birth years for the same person. Which source is likely more reliable for the birth year?
The family Bible because it was kept by the family
The marriage record because it's closer in time to the person's birth
The family Bible because it was written specifically to record family information
They're equally reliable since both are primary sources
Question 4: You're looking for your great-grandmother's parents' names. She died in 1934. Which type of record would most likely contain this information?
Her marriage certificate from 1898
Her death certificate from 1934
The 1930 federal census record
Her children's birth certificates from the early 1900s
Question 5: You want to research an ancestor who lived in a small rural community in 1820. Civil vital records weren't kept in that area until 1880. What's your best alternative source for birth, marriage, and death information?
Local newspaper obituaries and marriage announcements
Church registers and parish records
Federal census enumerator notes
County courthouse land deed records
Question 6: You find a birth certificate that shows your ancestor was born in 1923, but the 1930 census lists his age as 9 (suggesting birth in 1921). What's the most likely explanation for this discrepancy?
The birth certificate is wrong because it was issued later
The census enumerator made an error or the family provided incorrect information
The birth certificate was falsified
These records refer to two different people with the same name