Change of DoB and birthplace after emigration

[Donna190]

Hi all

I am trying to find my great uncle Mylan Clegg Watson who was last in Hull, England on the 1911 census.

I have found a Mylan Clegg Watson in the USA after this date but the DoB is different and their birthplace was Scotland.

Has anyone had any of their ancestors change information after leaving the UK?

I am drawing a blank for him but Mylan Clegg Watson is not a common name!

I have found Mylan to be interchangeable with Milan but could this be the same person?

Thank you
Donna

[brigidmac]

Sometimes the question wherefrom was understood as 'where;arrived from shipping records may help maybe hesailed from Scotland   also other censuses may have different information .
Naturalization documents can give details. Ages canbe rounded up or down so differences are common

[ShaunJ]

Luckily you have lots of signatures to compare - he twice enlisted in the militia in the UK in 1908 (in each case born Southcoates, Hull circa December 1889) and we have his US draft registration in 1917 and his naturalisation in 1918 (born Leith,Scotland in December 1886).

[ShaunJ]

One more  - his application for a US seaman's protection certificate in 1920 (which also has a photo)

[oldohiohome]

Besides what has been mentioned, if you are looking at censuses - the person didn't always provide his own information. It could have been his wife, child, or someone else in the household. And people didn't always know or remember their exact birth.

The signatures would convince me though, they look to be written by the same person.

[KGarrad]

Luckily you have lots of signatures to compare - he twice enlisted in the militia in the UK in 1908 (in each case born Southcoates, Hull circa December 1889) and we have his US draft registration in 1917 and his naturalisation in 1918 (born Leith,Scotland in December 1886).

From FreeBMD:

Birth, March qtr 1889
Sculcoates Registration District     vol 9d, page 169
Watson, Mylan Clegg

[ShaunJ]

Born Southcoates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southcoates

Presumably he was born 10 December 1888.  Made himself a year younger when enlisting in the militia, and two years older when arriving in the US.

[ShaunJ]

There's a record of a 23 year old Mylan Watson arriving in Brisbane on 24 Sep 1911 on the Kaikoura - an assisted immigrant.

[Donna190]

Thank you all for confirming my suspicions that they are one and the same person!