Tracing a person who appears to have not existed

[carold]

Is there any way of finding a persons date of birth if there appears to be no birth certificate or baptism record and the age appears different on different sites.
I have an ancestor who appears on the census as from 1861 as 9, 1871 as 18 then from 1881 on as 29, 39 etc, on her marriage certificate in october 1872 is listed as 18, on her death certificate of January 1934 as 81. Her sister born immediately before her and the brother born immediately after are registered with the GRO and have been baptised.

If she has been wrongly recorded or adopted, then any ideas as to how to locate that
carold

[MarkJ]

Do you have the details of her name and place where she is likely to have been born?

Mark

[Astoria]

Welcome to the forum

Can you give us a name for the elusive lady?

[Browneyes]

I thought at first it might be if her birthday was on the 3rd April and if the census was taken on the 7/8th April 1861 (9 years), 2nd April 1871 (18 years), 3rd April 1881 (29 years) and 5/6th April 1891 (39 years). But that doesn't explain why she was 18 in October 1872 nor why she was 81 in January 1934! Mind you my maths might be wrong! And I'm sure I read somewhere on enumerators notes about how they worked out ages?

[Jan1954]

Welcome to Brit-Gen, carold

Marriage certificate: the age recorded is that which was given - not neccessarily correct.

Death certificate: this is only as good as the knowledge of the person registering the death.

Census: not always accurate - to say the least. I have one who, by 1901, had 20 years knocked off her age.

Not very helpful, I'm afraid.

[carold]

The lady in question is: Eliza Allen/Ellen* Hocking born in the North Country/Illogan area of Cornwall to Hoseph and Elizabeth Hocking nee Woolcock circa 1851 - 54. Her immediate elder sister was born 9.6.1850 in Nancekuke Cornwall the brother after her born February 1854 in North Country. Therefore by this information she must have been born March 1852 and May 1853. The * means that on the early records she is listed as Eliza Allen Hocking and on the later material as Eliza Ellen Hocking. I would say her marriage certificate is definetley wrong as her husband was born in 1853 and it says he is 18 when in fact i know from his birth certificate that he was in fact 19 at time of marriage. Two options are that she was taken in from another family who had a large one and looked after as a Hocking or in fact she was adopted. I know it's also possible that she could have been registered under a different name that sounded the same but how is it possible to trace that?

[brentor boy]

Any chance this might be her? Eliza Hocken born March quarter 1852 . Registered Redruth. I recognise no second name given, but my grand mother had a second name that was not recorded on registration.

[dawn/karen]

also on checking free bmd there are several births in the same area for the husbands birth, in fact every year for the 20 yr span i looked at had the same name used, i.e. what makes you sure that the wedding certificate is in fact incorrect, as there is a birth of his name registered for the correct age on the wedding certificate in the correct area

[carold]

Hi Brentor boy, that could be her and i will check with GRO later as this would fit in many thanks

[carold]

dawn/karen
Her husband was born in lancashire on 30.8.1853 so i know his age.