diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/pel_types.hpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/pel_types.hpp
index b836942..3d9e457 100644
--- a/extensions/openpower-pels/pel_types.hpp
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/pel_types.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 namespace pels
 {
 
+/**
+ * @brief Useful component IDs
+ */
 enum class ComponentID
 {
     phosphorLogging = 0x2000
@@ -35,11 +38,33 @@
     extUserData = 0x4544         // 'ED'
 };
 
+/**
+ * @brief Useful SRC types
+ */
 enum class SRCType
 {
     bmcError = 0xBD,
     powerError = 0x11
 };
 
+/**
+ * @brief Creator IDs
+ */
+enum class CreatorID
+{
+    fsp = 'E',
+    hmc = 'C',
+    hostboot = 'B',
+    ioDrawer = 'M',
+    occ = 'T',
+    openBMC = 'O',
+    partFW = 'L',
+    phyp = 'H',
+    powerControl = 'W',
+    powerNV = 'P',
+    sapphire = 'K',
+    slic = 'S',
+};
+
 } // namespace pels
 } // namespace openpower
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
index fc62df1..2265497 100644
--- a/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "private_header.hpp"
 
+#include "log_id.hpp"
 #include "pel_types.hpp"
 
 #include <phosphor-logging/log.hpp>
@@ -11,6 +12,42 @@
 
 using namespace phosphor::logging;
 
+PrivateHeader::PrivateHeader(uint16_t componentID, uint32_t obmcLogID,
+                             uint64_t timestamp)
+{
+    _header.id = static_cast<uint16_t>(SectionID::privateHeader);
+    _header.size = PrivateHeader::flattenedSize();
+    _header.version = privateHeaderVersion;
+    _header.subType = 0;
+    _header.componentID = componentID;
+
+    _createTimestamp = getBCDTime(timestamp);
+
+    auto now = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
+    _commitTimestamp = getBCDTime(now);
+
+    _creatorID = static_cast<uint8_t>(CreatorID::openBMC);
+
+    // Add support for reminder and telemetry log types here if
+    // ever necessary.
+    _logType = 0;
+
+    _reservedByte = 0;
+
+    // the final section count will be updated later
+    _sectionCount = 1;
+
+    _obmcLogID = obmcLogID;
+
+    _id = generatePELID();
+
+    _plid = _id;
+
+    // Leave _creatorVersion at 0
+
+    _valid = true;
+}
+
 PrivateHeader::PrivateHeader(Stream& pel)
 {
     try
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp
index 66126a0..9c522a2 100644
--- a/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp
@@ -12,6 +12,11 @@
 struct CreatorVersion
 {
     uint8_t version[8];
+
+    CreatorVersion()
+    {
+        memset(version, '\0', sizeof(version));
+    }
 };
 
 static constexpr uint8_t privateHeaderVersion = 0x01;
@@ -42,6 +47,17 @@
     /**
      * @brief Constructor
      *
+     * Creates a valid PrivateHeader with the passed in data
+     *
+     * @param[in] componentID - the creator's component ID
+     * @param[in] obmcLogID - the corresponding OpenBMC event log ID
+     * @param[in] timestamp - the creation timestamp, in epoch milliseconds
+     */
+    PrivateHeader(uint16_t componentID, uint32_t obmcLogID, uint64_t timestamp);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Constructor
+     *
      * Fills in this class's data fields from the stream.
      *
      * @param[in] pel - the PEL data stream
diff --git a/test/openpower-pels/private_header_test.cpp b/test/openpower-pels/private_header_test.cpp
index de16ac6..ebb515c 100644
--- a/test/openpower-pels/private_header_test.cpp
+++ b/test/openpower-pels/private_header_test.cpp
@@ -5,12 +5,16 @@
 
 using namespace openpower::pels;
 
-TEST(PrivateHeaderTest, SizeTest)
+class PrivateHeaderTest : public CleanLogID
+{
+};
+
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, SizeTest)
 {
     EXPECT_EQ(PrivateHeader::flattenedSize(), 48);
 }
 
-TEST(PrivateHeaderTest, UnflattenFlattenTest)
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, UnflattenFlattenTest)
 {
     auto data = pelDataFactory(TestPelType::privateHeaderSimple);
 
@@ -29,7 +33,7 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(ct.yearLSB, 0x30);
     EXPECT_EQ(ct.month, 0x05);
     EXPECT_EQ(ct.day, 0x09);
-    EXPECT_EQ(ct.hour, 0x011);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.hour, 0x11);
     EXPECT_EQ(ct.minutes, 0x1E);
     EXPECT_EQ(ct.seconds, 0x01);
     EXPECT_EQ(ct.hundredths, 0x63);
@@ -78,7 +82,7 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(newPH.creatorID(), 0x55);
 }
 
-TEST(PrivateHeaderTest, ShortDataTest)
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, ShortDataTest)
 {
     auto data = pelDataFactory(TestPelType::privateHeaderSimple);
     data->resize(PrivateHeader::flattenedSize() - 1);
@@ -89,7 +93,7 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(ph.valid(), false);
 }
 
-TEST(PrivateHeaderTest, CorruptDataTest1)
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, CorruptDataTest1)
 {
     auto data = pelDataFactory(TestPelType::privateHeaderSimple);
     Stream stream(*data);
@@ -101,7 +105,7 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(ph.valid(), false);
 }
 
-TEST(PrivateHeaderTest, CorruptDataTest2)
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, CorruptDataTest2)
 {
     auto data = pelDataFactory(TestPelType::privateHeaderSimple);
     Stream stream(*data);
@@ -113,7 +117,7 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(ph.valid(), false);
 }
 
-TEST(PrivateHeaderTest, CorruptDataTest3)
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, CorruptDataTest3)
 {
     auto data = pelDataFactory(TestPelType::privateHeaderSimple);
     Stream stream(*data);
@@ -124,3 +128,52 @@
 
     EXPECT_EQ(ph.valid(), false);
 }
+
+// Construct a PrivateHeader from scratch
+TEST_F(PrivateHeaderTest, ConstructionTest)
+{
+    tm time_tm;
+    time_tm.tm_year = 125;
+    time_tm.tm_mon = 11;
+    time_tm.tm_mday = 31;
+    time_tm.tm_hour = 15;
+    time_tm.tm_min = 23;
+    time_tm.tm_sec = 42;
+    time_tm.tm_isdst = 0;
+
+    // Convert the above time into a uint64_t in ms since the epoch time
+    auto timepoint = std::chrono::system_clock::from_time_t(mktime(&time_tm));
+    auto timestamp = std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::milliseconds>(
+                         timepoint.time_since_epoch())
+                         .count();
+
+    PrivateHeader ph(0x3300, 42, timestamp);
+
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ph.valid());
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.header().id, 0x5048);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.header().size, PrivateHeader::flattenedSize());
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.header().version, 0x01);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.header().subType, 0x00);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.header().componentID, 0x3300);
+
+    auto& ct = ph.createTimestamp();
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.yearMSB, 0x20);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.yearLSB, 0x25);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.month, 0x12);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.day, 0x31);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.hour, 0x15);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.minutes, 0x23);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.seconds, 0x42);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ct.hundredths, 0x00);
+
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.creatorID(), 'O');
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.logType(), 0x00);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.sectionCount(), 0x01);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.obmcLogID(), 42);
+
+    char expected[] = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
+    EXPECT_TRUE(memcmp(ph.creatorVersion().version, expected, 8) == 0);
+
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.id(), 0x50000001);
+    EXPECT_EQ(ph.id(), ph.plid());
+}