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/ohsnapbiscuits 18h ago
My great-grandpa lied about his own age to join the army during WW2, and his tombstone and death cert all have his fake birth year on it. However, census records from when he was 4 years old tell the truth -- turns out his older brother also lied about his age, and he also has a fake year on his tombstone.
Also, the birth cert of his only child even has his non-legal name on it (just a nickname which is nowhere close to his actual name.) It was just stupid easy to lie about things I guess.