Anyone prepared to hazard a guess?

[roycymru]

Hello

Frustratingly, in the attached entry from the 1921 census the months entry for the head of the house J(ohn) T(homas) Jones is unclear it is 60 yrs and ? Months. Hoping we might be able to come to a concensus as to what it might be. I have an idea, but I don’t want to say yet in case it influences others’ thoughts. Thank you

[Andy J2022]

My guess is zero. I don't think it's an ink blot, I think it's a deliberate crossing out. Given the fairly obvious solid horizontal line at the bottom of the character the only figure which normally has that feature is a 2, but as we can see from the next line he forms his two's with swirl so that isn't what was originally, not what he tried to change it to. It is possible to form a 1 with a bar across the base, but again as we can see from other ones on the page, that's not how he does it.
I conclude that he was born somewhere between 19 Jun 1861 and 18 July 1861. Either that or he didn't know which month he was born in, which seems unlikely.

[Andy J2022]

Do you know anything else about JT Jones? He says his birthplace was Carnavon, but I can't find anywhere with that name in South Wales. Could it have been Carmarthen? Clearly it can't be Caernarfon in North West Wales.
If it was Carmarthen, there were 61 birth registrations for a John Jones in Carmarthen in 1861, none of whom had the second name Thomas recorded.

[oldfashionedgirl]

Was he still alive when the 1939 register was taken as that lists age in years and months ?

[Flattybasher9]

Contrast adjusted.

Malky

[roycymru]

Thank you for all the feedback, much appreciated. I hadn’t considered it could be an “X” but that is a strong possibility. I was leaning towards an 8, but no longer am convinced by this. He doesn’t appear in the 1939 register (I can’t find him anyway) but have no definite date of death. He was originally from Carnarvon but settled in Tylorstown, Glamorgan.  In 1871 he is 9, 1881-19, 1891-28, 1901-39, 1911-49, 1921-60 and ? Months. So a birth year of abt 1861-1862. He was married to a Frances Jane Morris 1876-1912. In 1901 he gives his birth place as Rhosgadfan, Carnarvon and also stated that it was the birth place of their first 2 children Thomas Lazarus Jones 1895 and John Idwal Jones 1899, later children were born Tylorstown, Glamorgan. His first child Thomas Lazarus was actually born Penffridd/Penyffridd, Carnarvon which is around 0.2m from Rhosgadfan. In Carnarvon he was an engine driver in a slate quarry but in Glamorgan was Coal Miner.

[manukarik]

There is this entry in the 1939 Register for a John Jones (widower) b. 8 July 1861. Living at Bryn (something), St David's Road, Caernavon.

[roycymru]

There is this entry in the 1939 Register for a John Jones (widower) b. 8 July 1861. Living at Bryn (something), St David's Road, Caernavon.

Thank you for this. Not entirely convinced. None of the people at the same address seem to be related and if still alive in 1939 would he have returned to his birth county age 78 rather than living out his days, in Glamorgan. Although I don’t think he was born John Thomas Jones he does refer to himself as John Thomas Jones in later census records. Not helped by Jones is such a common surname and John Jones is very common. There are deaths registered in Pontypridd of a John T Jones in 1923 (age 62) and in 1929 (age 66), which may be him.