Our family history research depends heavily on finding dates for our ancestors’ births, marriages, deaths, residences, and more. Tracking down those dates can be challenging when the original records with primary information simply do not exist. Before a jurisdiction mandated birth certificates, family Bible records, church records, a newspaper notice, a letter, or other non-governmental source may have recorded the birth of a child. However, through time, those sources may not have survived, even if they were initially created. We often rely on sources created later in a person’s life that can help pin down a birth date. What do we do when those do not agree? We analyze each record and attempt to correlate the evidence to the best of our ability.

In my ongoing research on Cynthia (Dillard) Royston and Thomas Beverly Royston, I have yet to find their marriage record. I’m relying on estimates based on their oldest daughter’s birth. Mary Elizabeth (Royston) Slagle was born on various days and in various years, depending on the source. Let’s look at each one and analyze for source type, informant, and reliability. Each provides direct evidence of her birth, but they all can’t be accurate.

Census Records

Census records are original sources created when the US Federal Marshal or, later, the enumerator, scoured the area and recorded information about each household. Before 1850, only the household head was named on the census page; tick marks indicated others in the appropriate age and gender columns. The residence can be considered primary information since the person recording the census knew what county, township, or district he was assigned to. All other household information, though, remains undetermined because we don’t know the informant’s identity. Only in the 1940 census do we have a mark that indicates the informant.

1840 Census, DeKalb County, Alabama

The 1840 census is the first that names the Thomas Beverly Royston household. The census day was 1 June 1840. The U.S. marshals were to count everyone in a household who was present on that day. They initially had nine months to complete the task, but it was extended to eighteen months. As the only female child in the household, Mary Elizabeth can be identified as age 5-10, her birth between 1830 and 1835.¹ Based on later census records, I’ve added the names of the household members

Males
0-5 :        2  Ulysses born 1837 and Charles born 1839
30-40:    5  Thomas born 1806, and likely four boarders or farm workers
Females
5-10:        1  Mary Elizabeth
20-30:   1:    Cynthia

1850 Census, Chambers County, Alabama

By 1850, the Royston family had grown to include seven more children. Mary Elizabeth Royston, the oldest child, was noted only as “Mary.” Her age of 15 gives her a birth year of 1835. The census day in 1850 was 1 June 1850. The U.S. marshals had five months to conduct this census, and Britton Stamps, Assistant Marshal, visited the Royston household on 5 November 1850. Mary had attended school within the year. ²

Thomas B Royston 47
Syntha Royston 35
Mary Royston 15
Ulissus Royston 13
Baldwin Royston 10
Adaline Royston 8
Sarah Royston 6
Joseph Royston 4
Benjamin Royston 4
Robert Royston 3
Thomas B Royston 0

1855 Marriage, Chambers County, Alabama

Mary E. Royston married Joseph Slagle on 30 January 1855 at the home of her father, Thomas B. Royston. Her marriage license shows that a bond for $200 was posted betweenJoseph Slagle and Thomas B. Royston. ³

Joseph Slagle To Mary E Royston

Be it remembered that on the 29th day of January A.D. 1855
Joseph Slagle made application for Marriage License and
filed in this office of Judge of Probate Court the following Bond
“The State of Alabama, Chambers County.
Know all men by these presents That we Joseph Slagle
and Thomas B Royston, are held and firmly bound unto the
State of Alabama, in the penal sum of Two Hundred Dollars, for
payment of which well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, and
each and every of our heirs, Executors or Administrators, jointly and sever
-ally, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals, and dated the
29th day of January A.D. 1855.
“The condition of the above Obligation, is such, that if there be no
Lawful cause why Joseph Slagle and Mary E Royston Should
not be joined together in the holy union of Matrimony, then this ob
-ligation to be Void, otherwise to remain in full force and Virtue
Signed Sealed and delivered
in presence of }                         Joseph Slagle {Seal}
Saml Pearson }                       Thos B Royston {Seal}
Judge of Probate } 

“Where upon the following Licens [sic] was Issued
“The State of Alabama Chambers County
To any Ordained or Licensed Minister of the Gospel, Judge
of Probate or Circuit Court, or Justice of the Peace, in and for
Said County_ Greeting:
You are hereby authorized to Celebrate the Rites of Matrimony
between Joseph Slagle and Mary E. Royston,
And this Shall be Your Sufficient authority for so doing
Given under my hand and seal this 29th day of January
A.D. One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty five, and of Amer-
-ican Independence the 79th Year.
                              Saml Pearson
                              Judge of Probate
I certify that I celebrated the Rites of Matrimony between
Joseph Slagle at the House of Thomas B Royston
on the 30th day of January A.D. 1855
                                      Wm Graggs J.P.

Curious about the marriage bond and if it could provide any information about Mary’s age at the time of her marriage, I chatted with the AI model, ChatGPT 5.1. I gave it the text of the bond and asked it to look for the Alabama law on marriage bonds. I also provided Mary’s age of 20 at the time of marriage. The response gives some food for thought.

1. What the law said vs. what the record shows

• Alabama’s 1852 code did require parental consent and a $200 bond for minors (16–17) marrying.
• But your example shows Chambers County using that same $200 “no lawful cause” bond form even when the bride was already 20, so clearly the form was used more broadly than just for minors.

So in practice, in this county:

• The bond looks like a standard license bond, not a special “minor-only” form.

2. What her father as bondsman actually tells us

Given that Mary was 20, her father’s role as surety means things like:

• He was a financially responsible man the court was willing to accept as surety.
• He was alive, present in the county, and in some ongoing relationship with her (almost certainly her resident father).
• He was effectively endorsing the marriage, even if the law did not require his consent at her age.

What it does not tell us:

• It does not prove she was under 18 or under 21.
• It does not establish any precise age bracket for her.

At best, without outside age evidence, you might have cautiously said, “The combination of a standard marriage bond and the bride’s father as surety could suggest she was still a young, unmarried daughter in his household”—but your independent evidence that she was 20 shows why we have to treat that as weak, not determinative, evidence.

In this specific 1855 Alabama example, a marriage bond signed by the bride’s father does not demonstrate that she was underage. It’s circumstantial evidence of relationship and social context, but not reliable age evidence on its own.

Additional Census Records

1860 Census, Chambers County, Alabama

The 1860 census shows Mary Elizabeth Royston in the household of her husband, Joseph Slagle. Her age of 26 gives a possible birth year of 1834. The Assistant Marshal, Jasper Harris, was to take the count of the household as of 1 June 1860, and he reached the household on 7 September 1860. The Slagles lived next door to the Thomas B. Royston household. Joseph, as the head of household, was to provide the information, and although we don’t know for certain if he gave Mary’s age, it does provide a possible alternate year of birth.⁴

Joseph Slagle 38 M, Farmer, S. Carolina
Mary E Slagle 26, F, Alabama
Wm K Slagle 5, M, Alabama
Sarah T Slagle 3 F, Alabama

1870 Census, Chambers County, Alabama

In 1870, the Slagle family had grown considerably with four additional children born to Mary, age 35. Again, we don’t know the informant, but her birth year of 1835 is consistent with earlier census records. Assistant Marshal B. Hawkins visited the household on 15 August 1870 and the census day was 1 June 1870.⁵

Joseph Slagle 51
Mary Slagle 35
William Slagle 14
Lula Slagle 12
Julia Slagle 10
Cordelia Slagle 8
Tommie Slagle 3
Adeline Slagle 1

1880 Census, Chambers County, Alabama

The 1880 census again provides the alternate birth year of 1834 for Mary. The census day was 1 June 1880, and Enumerator C. C. Davis visited the household on 14 July 1880.

Joseph Slagle 58
Mary Slagle 46
W. Lula Slagle 22
Julia Slagle 20
Cadelia Slagle 18
Thomas Slagle 13
Adeline Slagle 11

1900 Census, Chambers County, Alabama

The next census we have for Mary is 1900, where, as a widow, she is the head of household. Interestingly, her name is written as Mary M. Slagle. This census asked for many more details; her birth date is clearly listed as May 1834, and her age is 66.  Enumerator, Fredirck Johnson, visited the household on 14 June 1900, just two weeks after the census day of 1 June 1900. ⁶

Mary M Slagle 66, widowed, mother of 6 children, 5 living
Julia Slagle 40
Cordelia Slagle 36
Addie Slagle 31

1910 Census, Chambers County, Alabama

In 1910, the census day was changed to 1 April, and Enumerator Zachariah A. Kitchens visited the household on 21 April 1910. Unlike the other censuses, which were taken after Mary’s birthday in May, this one was taken a month before. Her age of 73 is clearly off. The informant is unknown, and even if it were a household member, they might not have remembered exactly how old Mary was at the time.⁷

Mary Slagle 73
Delia Slagle 45
Addie Slagle 40

Death Records

Mary died on 23 December 1915 in Chambers County, Alabama, her home for almost her entire life. Three records give birth information: a newspaper death notice, her death certificate, and her headstone. Determining the informant can help analyze the conflicting dates.

Death Notice

Five days after Mary’s death, The LaFayette Sun published an obituary written by C. E. Higgins. The obituary states her birth as 20 May 1835. From the text, it seems that C.E. Higgins was a neighbor and a friend. Further research could discover more about Higgins. ⁸

In Memoriam.
At four o’clock on the morning
of Dec. 23rd, as the moonbeams
shed their sombre light over
earth’s hill and vale, and as the
old year smiled back as it took its
parting adieu, the sweet spirit of
our neighbor and friend—Mrs.
Mary Slagle—took its flight to its
eternal home and the God who
gave it. She was born May the
20th, 1835; she was married to
Mr. Joseph Slagle, and resided
in this community all her life;
she was a kind and affectionate
wife, a loving mother of six chil-
dren, whom she raised to man-
and womanhood. She will be
missed by hosts of neighbors and
friends, one of whom is
C. E. Higgins.
Roanoke, Ala., Route 1.

Death Certificate

Mary’s death certificate provides some birth information in the form of her age at death of 81 years. She died in 1915, so the calculated birth year is 1834. The “Reporter” was John P. Tiles, who was not a family member. Further research could discover more about him. ⁹

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH.
1. Full name of deceased Mary Slagle
2. Date of death: Month Dec; day 23; 1915; Hour: 4 A. M.
3. Place of death (county) Chambers; beat 2
4. City or town…; ward…; street and No…
5. Place of birth of deceased (state or country) Ala.
6. White or colored? White Male or female? Female; Occupation –
7. How long did deceased reside at place of death? 45 years
8. Where was disease contracted? at home Duration of illness Several years
9. Principal disease causing death Organic Heart Lesion
10. Contributory disease causing death Senility
11. If homicidal, suicidal, or accidental, state definitely how accomplished…
12. Did deceased undergo a surgical operation, and if so, when and of what nature? no
13. Age: Years 81; months…; days…; single, married or widowed? widowed
14. Full name of father of deceased –
15. Birthplace of father (state or country) –
16. Full name of mother of deceased –
17. Birthplace of mother (state or country) –
18. Place of interment Chambers Co
19. Remarks: …
                                                         Reporter John P. Liles
Date of Report Jan 1 – 1915 [should be 1916]  Post Office Roanoke

Cemetery Gravestone

The final record stating a birth date for Mary Elizabeth (Royston) Slagle is her gravestone. The informant is unknown, but most likely her family. Given time to consult, they reported 4 May 1834 as her birthdate. ¹⁰

Mary Elizabeth Slagle

May 4, 1834

Dec. 23, 1915

 

Final Conclusion

All the census records give a birthplace of Alabama for Mary, and tracing her father, Thomas Beverly Royston, shows he resided in Cass County, Georgia, in 1834, where he was the deputy sheriff, advertising “Cass Sheriff’s Sales” in newspapers from March through May 1834.¹¹

On 14 April 1835, Thomas B. Royston was listed under the “R” section as someone with letters left at the post office in Cassville, Georgia. ¹² The Roystons likely moved across the state line from Cass County, Georgia, to DeKalb County, Alabama, between June 1834 and May 1835 when Mary was born. Thomas applied for a land patent in 1842, and a witness statement indicates he had lived on the land with a family since before January 1837. ¹³

Analysis and correlation gives the best date for Mary Elizabeth (Royston) Slagle’s birth as 4 May, 1835. Her birthplace was almost certainly DeKalb County, Alabama, Thomas B. Roystons residence per the 1840 census and the land application file.

If you have a similar circumstance, hopefully this mini case study provides some ideas for looking carefully at each source, information, and evidence then correlating it all to come up with the best conclusion.

Best of luck in all your genealogical endeavors!

1. 1840 U.S. Census, DeKalb County, Alabama, population schedule, Northern District, S.C. Newnan, p. 7 (penned), line 31, F.B. Royston household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 December 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 4.
2. 1850 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, 19th District, p. 318 (stamped), dwelling 749, family 749, Thomas B Royston household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 August 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 2.
3. Chambers County, Alabama, “Marriage Records v. 5 1853-1866,” Slagle-Royston 1855, p. 218, Judge of Probate, FHL microfilm 1,290,837, item 2.
4. 1860 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, Northern Division, Milltown Post Office, page 130 (penned), dwelling 914, family 894, Joseph Slagle household; database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 12 November 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 roll 4.
5. 1870 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, Beat No 2, p. 20 (penned), p.29 (stamped), dwelling 155, family 155, Joseph Slagle household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 December 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 6.
6. 1900 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, Precinct 2 Bloomingdale, enumeration district (ED) 3, sheet 10B (penned), dwelling 189, family 189, Mary M Slagle household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com :  accessed 7 December 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 6.
7. 1910 U.S.Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, Precinct 2 Pearsons Crossroads, enumeration district (ED) 16, sheet: 5B (penned), dwelling 71, family 74, Mary Slagle household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com :  accessed 7 December 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 5.
8. “In Memoriam,” The LaFayette Sun (Chambers Co., Al.), 29 December 1915, p. 8, col. 2, para. 2; image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/253216256/ : accessed 5 December 2025).
9. Center for Health Statistics – Department of Public Health, Certificate of Death, Mary Slagle, 23 December 1915, Document 443, Montgomery, Alabama.
10. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 November 2016), memorial 43662594, Mary Elizabeth Royston Slagle (1834-1915), gravestone photographed by Bennie Gross, member 47013847.
11. One example:”Cass Sheriff’s Sales for June,” Miners Recorder and Spy in the West (Lumpkin County, Georgia), Thomas B. Royston DS, 10 May 1834, p. 4, col. 2 para. 6; digital image, Georgia Historic Newspapers (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/2019233476/1834-05-10/ed-1/seq-4/#words=B+ROYSTON+THOMAS : accessed 19 July 2025).
12. “List of Letters,” Cassville Gazette (Cassville, Georgia), Thomas B. Royston, 14 April 1835, p. 4, col. 4, para. 3; digital image, Georgia Historic Newspapers (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/2020233304/1835-04-14/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 17 July 2025).
13. Thomas B. Royston (DeKalb County) cash entry file, 1842, state volume patent no.5969, Lebanon, Alabama, Land Office; Land Entry Papers 1800-1908, Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.