Certain dates

Question

So, what does the 'Certain' birth date mean?  I've always assumed it was meant to be an exact date ... day/month/year ...

I've had a couple of profiles that were modified recently and the birth/death date changed from a year I marked as approximate to a year that was marked as 'Certain' ... and, of course, without a source ... grrrrr!

So, is 'certain' applicable to day, date, and year?

Comments

I have only used ʻcertainʻ when I had a birth registration or copy of birth certificate. Is that right?

Answer 1

I would interpret 'certain' as meaning that there is a reliable source or sources that confirms the birth date.

It wouldn't necessarily mean that you have the full day/month/year, there could be situations where you are certain of a year only.

Answer 2

Certain is marked when there is a PRIMARY Source attached that proves the date, or the location, of the fields where the Certain button attached.

Certain applies to all the fields where that button is an option and all those fields can be marked certain if there is a primary source included in the profile.

So, Kristina, that would be correct.

Thank you for this question.

Best,

Sheryl

Answer 3

I have church books where part of the date (usually only the day, but sometimes the day and month) are obscured by tight binding of the book, or by smudges, tears, ink spills, etc. Are those resulting dates then uncertain? I have treated them as certain, but they are supported with a link to the original record.