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Is it normal for year of birth to be wrong on cens
Profile | Posted by | Options | Post Date |
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Frances | Report | 2 Aug 2010 13:43 |
I'm trying to find the birth of my great grandmother, Minnie Naylor. |
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Jonesey | Report | 2 Aug 2010 13:46 |
Incorrect birth year on census records are very common. |
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Researching: |
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Frances | Report | 2 Aug 2010 13:48 |
Thanks Jonesey, I thought they might be. |
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Stephen | Report | 2 Aug 2010 15:36 |
Just to confirm what Jonesey has said, the census returns can only be viewed as a guide. People's vanity also got in the way of giving exact ages plus many people could not read or write so no documents would be kept at home to record events. The 1841 census is very inaccurate as to ages because the ages were rounded down to the nearest 5!! |
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Frances | Report | 2 Aug 2010 16:16 |
It could well be vanity, over 20 years she seems to have made herself 2 years younger. |
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Gwyn in Kent | Report | 2 Aug 2010 16:28 |
Although generally a good guide, census can show wrong birthplace too. |
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Thelma | Report | 2 Aug 2010 18:05 |
The birth year does not appear on a census image. |
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AllanC | Report | 2 Aug 2010 22:30 |
Ages can be wrong on death certificates as well as census returns. People often falsified their ages at marriage (upwards or downwards depending on the reason) and even their spouse didn't know their true age when it came to giving information fot the census or recording a death. |
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Frances | Report | 3 Aug 2010 08:35 |
Thanks for the replies, I'm pretty sure that each of the records I've found is correct now. |