Myths debunked when doing family histroy.

[Erato]

US median age at first marriage, 1890 to present:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01t4p/

[sylvia (canada)]

I have one who wed in Norwich in 1725 and she only had 2 known children, maybe she was about 35 when she married. I found a likely burial in 1768 aged 80, so born c1688. Then again we should never wholly rely on ages given in records, especially ones that have a "landmark" figure age at burial like 70 or 80, maybe the informant estimated their age.

Even now, you cannot trust ages, or many other "facts", on death certificates, as they are only what is known to the informant.

My grandfather died in 1963, he had always told us his birthday was on Christmas Day, and he was a certain age. That is what his son declared to the Registrar.

Nope, he was born on January 9 and his age was about 2 years out! But that was only found out later.

I believe that all you can expect to be true on any death certificate, up to the present day, is .....

Date of Death
Place of Death
Cause of Death
Doctor's Name
Coroner's Name (if there)
Name and Address of Informant (hopefully)

All else is only what is known to the informant, and must be checked out very carefully, if possible.

[coombs]

I have one who wed in Norwich in 1725 and she only had 2 known children, maybe she was about 35 when she married. I found a likely burial in 1768 aged 80, so born c1688. Then again we should never wholly rely on ages given in records, especially ones that have a "landmark" figure age at burial like 70 or 80, maybe the informant estimated their age.

Even now, you cannot trust ages, or many other "facts", on death certificates, as they are only what is known to the informant.

My grandfather died in 1963, he had always told us his birthday was on Christmas Day, and he was a certain age. That is what his son declared to the Registrar.

Nope, he was born on January 9 and his age was about 2 years out! But that was only found out later.

I believe that all you can expect to be true on any death certificate, up to the present day, is .....

Date of Death
Place of Death
Cause of Death
Doctor's Name
Coroner's Name (if there)
Name and Address of Informant (hopefully)

All else is only what is known to the informant, and must be checked out very carefully, if possible.

Very much so. I have one ancestor's cousin who died in 1985 and the DOB was given as 30 January 1915, but the birth cert says 27 December 1914.

I even have a step uncle born 8 November 1964 whose funeral service card says born 1 September 1964. However he said his birthday was in November and his birth was registered in the last quarter of 1964. He was of Jamaican parentage and the first of the children of the couple born in England, and his mother born 1 June 1929 and older sister 1 Feb (about 1959 or 1960), so bit of a coincidence they all had birthdays on the first of the month. I would go with the 8 Nov date, and more reliable than a funeral service leaflet, especially as he said his birthday was 8 November.

[Johnf04]

My Scottish grandmother, whose surname was Cairns, claimed to be descended from Rob Roy McGregor. Unfortunately, I found both her parents were of Irish descent.

There were a couple of stories associated with my wife's second great grandfather, John Anthony. He was Irish, and fought in the Crimean war. He was said to have had a baby's bonnet which had been knitted by Queen Victoria or one of her ladies in waiting, and this was supposedly still in the family. We haven't been able to find who has it, though...
John was also supposed to have been "a guard for Queen Victoria". He was in the army, in two infantry regiments, but not a guard. Interestingly, On his death registration, in Victoria, Australia, his occupation is given as warder.

[Mike in Cumbria]

US median age at first marriage, 1890 to present:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01t4p/

Similar figures and trend for England and Wales (mean, rather than median this time though)

[HughC]

"Mean average": what means that?

Also of interest, perhaps, is the average age of the menarche (first menstruation):
figures from Germany give 16.1 in 1900, falling to 13.1 in 1960, with the steepest fall in the post-war years.  I don't know whether that average is the mean, mode, or median, but I rather dread to think how low it must be now if the trend has continued.

The average age of the menopause changed less, from 47 or 48 until the war, rising to somewhat over 49 by 1960.  I couldn't find later figures, or for earlier centuries.

[DianaCanada]

"Mean average": what means that?

Also of interest, perhaps, is the average age of the menarche (first menstruation):
figures from Germany give 16.1 in 1900, falling to 13.1 in 1960, with the steepest fall in the post-war years.  I don't know whether that average is the mean, mode, or median, but I rather dread to think how low it must be now if the trend has continued.

The average age of the menopause changed less, from 47 or 48 until the war, rising to somewhat over 49 by 1960.  I couldn't find later figures, or for earlier centuries.

Average age of menarche is thought to be tied in to general good health and nutrition (a certain proportion of body fat is need for healthy reproduction cycles) so it is not surprising the age fell after WW2.  Probably still higher in areas of the world where nutrition is a problem.
I don’t see it falling a lot lower, but I suppose it’s possible.  Girls generally not far off their adult height when they begin menstruating.  Can’t imagine a baby reaching adult height within five years, for instance!
Menopause is also likely affected by nutrition. What I have read is that the average age is now 51.

[coombs]

Another myth debunked is that "Everyone should be on the censuses, and if you cannot find them at first, they will be there somewhere". Missing pieces in census records, or the enumerator missed a house or two etc.

I have a story of my Quilter family Nathan Quilter born 1808 and Elizabeth born c1813 in Leigh On Sea Essex, who had their twin children Jabez and William Quilter baptised on 30th March 1851 at St Clement, Leigh, Essex, and that day was also the day of the night of the 1851 census. Yet they are nowhere to be found on the 1851 census at all.

[MollyC]

I have commented elsewhere that I had found two instances of a person missing from his family at censuses, 1851 and 1901.  A long while later they were each found staying in hotels with surnames mis-spelled, presumably because the proprietors were not taking care filling in the form.

One was discovered in London on business.  The other was at the seaside, while wife and daughters (found previously) were staying with the mother-in-law.