The problem is that a birth at 1848 doesn't agree with the marriage certificate with Bridget
or with the 1891 census
We discussed on the other thread that many people (especially Irish people) either didn't know their real age or gave an estimate or were "creative" when asked.
Bridget said she was 20 when she married. James may have decided it would seem better if he was under 30 and therefore less than 10 years older than his bride.
A "rule of thumb" where there are age discrepancies is to consider the earliest record to be the one nearest a person's real age. It would be the enlistment record in this case.
As James said he was 17 when he joined the army would permission of a parent or guardian be needed?
