Genealogy Chat

I've just gone back to a branch that I really haven't looked at in any detail for a number of years. I am checking census entries and BMD details on Ancestry. BUT I also have some family bible pages for them. see the rest below .....

now, on these pages are the parents' names dob and marriage date, the kids names and date/place of birth, and a few deaths. I have only just noticed that the mothers birth is shown as April 16th 1842, but I have her cert and she was actually born June 4 1845 !! I have checked on Ancestry and there is no-one with her name registered in 1842 (wondered if there would be a cousin). all but one other of the dates listed is correct. a couple of the names are spelt wrong (Allis for Alice, Fredrick, Arnest etc) and one I can't find registered (or on a census). so what I wondered is, do you think I need to be worried about the discrepancy on the mother's dob or not??!! sorry to be so long-winded!!! Maz. XX

Maz I wouldnt worry about it as you say youve checked the details. Chances are the date was filled in a fair time after her birth possibly even after her death. Memory again. Info is only as good as you known told or remembered. Sue

thanks Sue! my hair stood on end in shock when I realised the discrepancy - I don't think I could bear to find I had been researching the wrong family all this time! I am trying to convince myself that it is ok! Maz. XX

Maz who did the bible belong to? If it wasn't her then I wouldn't be surpried at a discrepancy - look at how we're always told to give leeway for ages on death cecrtificates. or maybe the mother always told her children she was older than she really was ! Z xx

Hi Zo not really sure who wrote the entries, I only have 2 pages. It does look as if all the entries from 1842 to 1885 seem to have been written in the same hand and ink. then the last child's birth sept 1887 and the mother's death nov 1887 are written, still in the same hand, but with different ink. the last entry is the father's death, in a different hand, presumably one of the children or the new step-mother. Maz. XX

Hi Maz. I also have a couple of pages of names, dates and relationships. All information matches up exactly with IGI parish information except one date of birth (it's off by one year). My information is written by one person -- perhaps in both of our cases, someone took the time to write down information, trying to remember it all (and didn't quite get it all correct). A friend of our family went for decades thinking he was born in August and when he was 40 or 50 years old found out (don't remember how) that he was born in July! I guess mistakes can happen, eh?

thanks Lisa, all this reassurance is making me feel heaps better! Maz. XX