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Author Topic: How reliable are peoples ages at death from GRO / on Gravestones.  (Read 3333 times)

Offline StanleysChesterton

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Re: How reliable are peoples ages at death from GRO / on Gravestones.
« Reply #18 on: Wednesday 25 July 18 18:12 BST (UK) »
My great-uncle's death just gives his birth as "about 1915" - as he'd been married to my great-aunt for well over 30 years I thought that was pretty poor form!

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Mostly Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, some Kent and Dorset.
 
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Seeking: death year/location of Albert Edward Morgan, born Cambridge 1885/86 to Hannah & Edward Morgan of 33 Cambridge Place.
WW1 soldier, service number 8624, 2nd battalion, Highland Light Infantry.

Offline groom

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Re: How reliable are peoples ages at death from GRO / on Gravestones.
« Reply #19 on: Wednesday 25 July 18 19:15 BST (UK) »
Quote from: StanleysChesterton on Wednesday 25 July 18 18:12 BST (UK)
My great-uncle's death just gives his birth as "about 1915" - as he'd been married to my great-aunt for well over 30 years I thought that was pretty poor form!

Is that on the actual certificate? I don't think people were that bothered about ages years ago, they weren't constantly having to fill in forms etc giving their date of birth, so it was probably quite easy to lose track of exactly how old you or your partner was.
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Online BumbleB

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Re: How reliable are peoples ages at death from GRO / on Gravestones.
« Reply #20 on: Wednesday 25 July 18 19:21 BST (UK) »
Be very thankful that you were not searching for gravestone records in the area of France I visited this year.  Our campsite was opposite the cemetery, so I, of course, had to go and have a look  :o  There were numerous burial chambers, but the only information on the majority of them was the family name.  On top of each were lots of individual memorials - my father, grandfather, uncle, etc. etc. but NO details for any of them!!!

Transcriptions and NBI are merely finding aids.  They are NOT a substitute for original record entries.
Remember - "They'll be found when they want to be found" !!!
If you don't ask the question, you won't get an answer.
He/she who never made a mistake, never made anything.
Archbell - anywhere, any date
Kendall - WRY
Milner - WRY
Appleyard - WRY

Online BushInn1746

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Re: How reliable are peoples ages at death from GRO / on Gravestones.
« Reply #21 on: Wednesday 25 July 18 19:56 BST (UK) »
Quote from: emeltom on Wednesday 25 July 18 13:58 BST (UK)
Why do families have to be so complicated? It's almost as though they knew we would come searching for them so decided to make things as difficult as possible.

Emeltom

Agreed.

My unconfirmed birth ancestor, even had three 1845 newspaper Death Notices, but rather than say Son of, it went on that he was liked by everyone who knew him.

Yes, "known by" means the reader of the document probably doesn't have his name, or full name, but an alias name, or partial alias.

Agreed, our Ancestors havn't always made things easy xinia.

The age in the Census can be very approximate and vary from one Census to the next (age rounded down in the 1841 Census for some) and dying before the 1851 Census can be another nuisance.

Mark
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