Does the information entered on "find a grave" not have to be sourced?

Question

The only place I am able to find the exact birthdate is on findagrave. Does this site not require proof of the information being entered? I have found no birth records for her. I have a personal account story from a sibling that shares a little insight but have hit a brick wall for her biological father. I'm running on census records and what I can gather of her known family, which isn't much. Most all research I find being done for her is incorrect. Suggestions?

Comments

I see on her profile that you do not have a mother attached. Do you have that information? Beulah was in the household of her grandfather in 1900 with her mother. Sourcing her mother might provide clues as to her father. Then again, her mother might have taken the name of Beulah's father to her grave without ever sharing it.

I was going to add the 1900 census for Beulah but you have a draft saved. I did not want to disrupt your work. See: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M356-6WT

Update: Just informed by Linda this one does not totally match the person's profile, Best of luck in your search!

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Hi Nancy, YES! I am so excited I was just updating her profile to add her mother and I actually just found her death cert. This is a major breakthrough for me. If you happen to run across anything else please let me know. I have a bio written by her sister I am going to transcribe and add this evening.

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Remember that the 1900 census has the birth month and year, which is unique to that US census year.

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Nancy, the 1900 census that you linked is for Andy Farmer, b 1842 in Georgia.  Her grandfather Andy was born in Tennessee, so that might be a different one or the Location is wrong in census or on WT Profile.

Answer 1

FindaGrave should not be considered a reliable source by itself. Unless there is an actual headstone or other source attached, that information might have just come from someone's personal tree. That tree, like many on Ancestry and FamilySearch may be correct or may be totally false. Anyone can create a FindaGrave page based on whatever they think is correct.

Even if there is a headstone, I've also had a few instances where the birth date on the actual headstone is actually incorrect based on a birth record because the person giving the information to the person making the stone gave them the wrong information.

Comments

"Allah alone is perfect," say the Muslims; and findagrave.com is not Allah.  In my mind, something is better than nothing so long as the something is identified.  Whenever I add a person to Wikitree.com, I seek at least two sources because I have found inaccuracies in FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.  Oddly enough, I have found findagrave.com more accurate than either of these other sources.  It's greatest failing is not giving the place of birth or death because, I suspect, it wants to be certain before entering that information.  So, please do not dismiss findagrave.com out of hand; and, when a Wikitree entry is believed to be inaccurate, please speak up and provide the correct information and source for that information.

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I completely agree! I have found nothing but false information for this person. The closest thing I have found for an actual birthdate is find a grave but have had no luck discovering the source for the information. I have emailed the person that entered it, with no response. Nothing on ancestry or any other family tree site is correct and it isn't hard to realize that if people would just pay attention but they don't. But then here I sit knowing the information is wrong with no way to prove what the correct information is. Honestly, I don't know the correct information but I can easily see the connections that no one else is seeing, just no way to prove them so they are about as solid as everyone else's misinformation. Is it possible that her birth wasn't legally recorded at all during that time? (Turn of the century 1800's)

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Texas did not require birth registration until 1903. And you believe the 1900 census is NOT her with her mother?

Answer 2

Susan Mittie Bell Framer Prindle findagrave ID 41516725

Also, I added sources to her profile

Comments

Not all the information on find a grave is correct. I am sorting through it a little at a time but it gets pretty jumbled and confusing. I just found Susan's and Beulah's death certificates which is what I have been looking for. I also have a bio written by her sister I will be adding soon. Thank you so much for all your help!