Could the Death Certificate date be wrong?

[tawny75]

Hi all

I know this sounds silly but is there any way the Birth on a death certificate can be wrong?

My Grandmother Louisa Maud Smith was born on 20th May 1907 in Buckingham, this is the same as is on her death certificate. She was baptised according to Parish Records in January 1908.  However the Birth index has her birth as May 1908.  I am guessing that that the Birth index can't be wrong so it must be her death certificate and the Parish Record.

I have applied for her birth certificate but thought I would see if anyone had seen this before.

Many thanks

Nicky

[casram]

Assuming you are referring to an English or Welsh death certificate the date of birth is only as good as the information given by the person registering the death. When my father registered his father's death he got the dob wrong by one year.

Carolyn

[casram]

Having re read your post - she cannot have been baptised before she was born so the birth index must be wrong - are you sure there is not more than one Louisa Maud Smith born around that time.

Carolyn

[DudleyWinchurch]

Also, have you checked through the parish records to see the date sequence on nearby records?  It's very easy to mistake the year on January date entries.

The birth index should be listed under the date of registration, not the date of birth.  If it's England and Wales that we're talking about then the birth should have been registered within six weeks of when it happened.

[tawny75]

I can't find another. But I was thinking that perhaps because it was near the beginning of the year when she was baptised that they may have put the wrong year down.  (I know I was writing 2010 up until a couple of weeks ago.

I think a trip to the family studies centre is in order!

Nicky

[tawny75]

Thank you for your reply dudley,  The birth is registered in the third quarter of 1908 volume 3a page 1031

It is strange, I can understand Granny Lou wanting to be a year younger but not older.

[ScouseBoy]

The May 1908 birth was perhaps another subsequent child born to those parents, they may have given the same name to the next baby.

[tawny75]

I don't think it could be Scouseboy because on the 1911 census, she is listed as being 2 and there are no children who have died.  it is all very confusing!

[ScouseBoy]

Thank you for your reply dudley,  The birth is registered in the third quarter of 1908 volume 3a page 1031

It is strange, I can understand Granny Lou wanting to be a year younger but not older.

Could the 1908 entry be an amendment, correction  or an additional name.  The middle name may have been added later, possibly.