Genealogy Chat

Can anyone help with this problem?

My gt gt grandmother was born in Melbourne, Australia and I have obtained a copy of the birth entry. It gives her name as Janet Rees born 11th October 1853. I have now got a picture of her grave which states that Janetta Melbourne Altree was born 26th September 1853. I have verified that they are one and the same person through various records, census, marriage and birth certificates so know that Janet later became Janetta and I know she married the person who is also named on the grave. Quite confident it is the same person - but the dates of birth are different!! I have emailed the Victoria Regsitry where I obtained the entry and they have said that it is likely to be a mistake on the headstone. Anyone come across this before?

When you say you have a copy of birth entry - is that the same as birth certificate? I mean (I know you may have all this) but was it her actual birth date or the date of registration on the info? I dont know about Aus, but they had 6 weeks to register kids over here.

If the rules in Australia were the same as those in England at the time, there would have been a time limit on registrations and a fine for late registration. So the mother might have brought the date of birth forward while registering the birth, to avoid having to pay a fine. In that case, the date on the headstone is probably the right one. Andrew.

Several times and quite recently too!! Hubby's dad thought his birthday was 13th Jan 1917. Also thought he had two first names, Miguel Carlos. When we got a copy of his birth cert we discovered he had both wrong!! It is 100% def the right cert, but his dob was 24th jan and his names, Miguel Enrique José. lol!! My g-uncle has the wrong dob on his grave memorial, but that was back in 1840. Merry

That is very useful thank you. I was also confused about the birth entry and asked them whether they also had a copy of the birth certificate. They said it is one and the same thing. Very odd document as it has other people's birth on too. I even wondered whether the registrar had made a mistake and copied the entry above it!! It even has the names of the brothers and sisters on it.

Just had another look and it was registered on 10th November 1853...

So that's more than the limit of 42 days from the September date! Merry

I was just checking the calender.....the cheeky little relatives.... So as far as documenting this relative's DOB, how would you go about it? Would I use the one on the gravestone and put a note against my records?

Tixy, those dates carved in stone can be wrong. My uncle in Australia sent me a photo of a headstone commemorating two of our rellies, and in both cases the date of death was a year out! Kate.

On my husband's grandads gravestone it says he died in 1936, age 36. He was born in 1896 and was 39 when he died. We think the reason may be that a gravestone was not put up straight away, and it was left until after his wife and mother went into the same grave with him. Then a stone would be put up naming them all. By this time his age and dates may have been forgotton by the person instructing the stonemason. See if the design of the gravestone seems too new for the era in which your person died. Dianne xx

Victorian birth certs seem to be copies of the register page which means you get the births also on that page. I don't know the time to register in Victoria but in New South Wales we get 60 days. I've seen graves wrong and also have known people to have the wrong birthday. My friend's sister got her birth cert when she turned 16 so she could apply for a learners permit and found out that her birthday was a week earlier than she thought. My aunts and uncles had a fight over my grandmothers headstone as they couldn't agree on her date of death. They had to get a calendar out to check. If they were determined to prove each other wrong then ... You may never know for sure which is the correct date. Good luck Toni

Thank you all. Janetta died before her husband who later entered the same plot, so to speak! Being quite new to all this not sure whether the gravestone was typical of one that would have been erected in 1909 or not?