PROOF

Grandpa Gilbride being himself, 1989.¹

31 Days of Writing Family History Challenge

January 4, 2022:   Paternal Grandfather - Joseph John Gilbride (1910-1990)

By Nancy Gilbride Casey

Grandpa—Joseph John Gilbride—didn't have a birth certificate. I discovered this fact when I was trying to prove our family's lineage to James Gilbride, who settled in Wayne County, Pennsylvania in 1850. The only record I had to prove Grandpa's birth was a baptismal certificate, created in 1973, from his church in Scranton, Pennsylvania.²

In genealogical terms Grandpa's baptismal record was a "derivative." It was not the original record, but a copy: a church staff member recorded the highlights of his baptism from a larger register kept at the church, onto a pre-printed form. 

In the world of genealogy, the holy grail of proving any event like a birth or death is to get the most original record available. Pennsylvania began recording births on a state-wide level in 1906. It would seem then, that finding Grandpa's birth record would be easy, given that he was born in 1910. But not so fast: The only Gilbride listed in the 1910 index of Pennsylvania birth records was an Elizabeth Gilbride.³ A request to the state, too, turned up nothing, and they provided me with a certificate stating as much.⁴

Fast forward to this year and the discovery of an original record of Grandpa's birth. Among items passed down through our family is the wonderful original affidavit below, signed by Grandpa's mother Margaret Gilbride. It attested to Grandpa's name as Joseph John Gilbride, his date of birth as 9 April 1910 and his place of birth as Scranton, Lackwanna, Pennsylvania. It was witnessed by a notary and bears a notarial seal for Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Grandpa Gilbride's Birth Affidavit. ⁵

Notarial Seal for Cuyahoga County.

 

The affidavit has many of those elements which make it a "holy grail" of an original record. The information was given by an eyewitness who had first-hand knowledge of the event—Grandpa's mother. The only drawback is that it was not created at the time of Grandpa's birth, but rather 32 years later, in 1942. The reason why it may have been needed at that time is not clear. 

Still, the fact that Grandpa's own mother swore the details of his birth make the affidavit a highly reliable record. Added bonuses: It also includes her 1942 address, as well as her signature. 

BONUS post about Grandpa Gilbride:

Happy Birthday Grandpa Gilbride

NOTES

¹ Joseph John Gilbride, photographer unknown, photo taken at wedding of Joseph Gilbride and Valerie Avgeris, November 1989. Digital image of original photo, location unknown.

² Holy Rosary Church, Scranton, Pa., Certificate of Baptism for Joseph John Gilbride, attested 14 November 1973. Private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022. Notes date of birth as 9 April 1910, baptism as 12 April 1910.

³ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Birth Indices, 1910, letter G, negative search for Gilbride, Joseph; digital index image, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r11_089_BirthIndexes/Birth_1910/1910%20-%20G.pdf : accessed 3 January 2022). 

⁴ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, No Record Certification of Birth for Joseph John Gilbride (1910), 15 September 2018; citing Vital Records, Harrisburg.

⁵ Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Affidavit of Birth (1942) for Joseph John Gilbride, born 10 April 1910; private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022.