Most biographies of Josh Hartnett state that he was born 21 Jul 1978 in San Francisco. However Houston we have a problem.
The California Birth Index is online at Ancestry.com. It covers all births in California from 1905 to 1995. Great so let's look for Josh.
First, let's try a search for "any person born on 21 Jul 1978 named Joshua". There are no Hartnett's listed or anything close to that. Thinking that maybe he was illegitimate, I also find no listings where the mother's maiden name matches the child's surname. So all these mother's were apparently married. I suppose he could be the product of an affair where Daniel Harnett got some married woman pregnant and then she gave him the child?
Second, let's try a search for "any Hartnett born in 1978". Thinking that maybe it's just that his birthdate is wrong. But again we get no good matches.
His father's name is supposed to be Daniel. So let's check the California Marriage Index for that name. Several possibilities. So let's check the California Divorce Index for that name. But again, after checking the birth index for these mother's maiden names, I come up empty.
So what's the real story?
The California Birth Index is online at Ancestry.com. It covers all births in California from 1905 to 1995. Great so let's look for Josh.
First, let's try a search for "any person born on 21 Jul 1978 named Joshua". There are no Hartnett's listed or anything close to that. Thinking that maybe he was illegitimate, I also find no listings where the mother's maiden name matches the child's surname. So all these mother's were apparently married. I suppose he could be the product of an affair where Daniel Harnett got some married woman pregnant and then she gave him the child?
Second, let's try a search for "any Hartnett born in 1978". Thinking that maybe it's just that his birthdate is wrong. But again we get no good matches.
His father's name is supposed to be Daniel. So let's check the California Marriage Index for that name. Several possibilities. So let's check the California Divorce Index for that name. But again, after checking the birth index for these mother's maiden names, I come up empty.
So what's the real story?