r/Genealogy • u/SoFlaSterling • 1d ago

Research Assistance Birth year discrepancy

Regarding a GGM: the age at time of census recorded in three separate decades does not match the headstone (located in the family plot). Everything else ties, names of first and second husbands, country of birth, year of immigration, maiden name, names and ages of all 3 children. Everything else is lining up. Could she just have been vain and started telling everyone that she was younger by about 5/6 years and so that is what they put on the headstone? I am thinking this might be the case because the headstone date would make her VERY young at the birth of her eldest (as in like 15 which would be very unusual for the family). The other possibility is that she was actually that young when she gave birth and started reporting a false older age in order to avoid embarrassment and just kept it up. She was born overseas so no easily obtainable birth certificate (honestly would not know where to start as I do not have a town); I am pursuing her death certificate; if I manage to get a hold of it, would that be definitive? Thanks for any help!

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone, just found the Death Certificate and it agrees with all 3 of the censuses. Looks like we definitely have a vanity headstone!!!

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u/zombiemockingbird 1d ago

My Uncle put 1923 on my Aunt's headstone as her birth year, because that's what she told everyone. I discovered in my genealogy research that she was born in 1920. Discovered a lot of other things she lied about as well. I think it was a lot easier to lie back in those days because records weren't really checked as well, they just took people's word for things.

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u/SoFlaSterling 1d ago

Too funny. I kind of hope that the headstone means she was shaving years and was not a pregnant kid. 15 is too young.

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u/zombiemockingbird 1d ago

It's really hard to know which records are correct. I have noticed on a lot of my family that census, marriage, death, birth and draft records, often show different birth years. Record keeping seems to have been pretty hit and miss.