Interpretation of age / birthday

[Sandymc47]

Have I read it wrongly Graham.  It deffo says 1837 when i did my search engine.   Is it a certain form of the calendar then???

Sorry for misinformation that I found I will seek them out and
wrap their knuckles lol 

regards Sandymc

[coombs]

I sometimes have interprited an age or month of birth or week in the month of birth for an ancestor.

In the 1900 US census my ggggrandad says he was born december 1827. He was baptised 23 December 1827. Some of his siblings were baptised in a nearby church which unlike for my ancestor gave the date of birth and they all seemed to be baptised at 3 weeks old. So my ancestor was probably born in the first week or first few days of December 1827.

[Marmalady]

"But often you find "in their hundredth [or eighty-fifth or whatever] year" and I don't know if this person had already celebrated his 100th birthday or not. "

Attained their hundredth year -- already had their 100th birthday

In their hundredth year -- would be 100 next birthday

[MariaB]

I think I go with you, Marmalady.
The way you expressed it sounds clear and logical.

So when he writes
" .....from the time we were in our eighteenth till we attained our twenty-first year"
he started [as team captain] when he was seventeen, before his 18th birthday until he turned twenty-one, right?
Question is, was he so sure or honest about the time frame himself? :-)

I guess this we will never know.

Thank you all very much for your helpful suggestions.

Maria