How accurate is age on death certificate?

[IgorStrav]

Even in recent times, not everyone is clear about their relatives' dates of birth.

I was saying to a relative the other day - "had he still been alive it would have been your Dad's 99th birthday tomorrow", and he replied "how do you know what year he was born in, because I don't".

That's because he doesn't think like we do. 

I know.     But I have to say, even before starting all this family history malarkey, I knew the years of my Mum and Dad's births.

[Pennines]

I didn't actually know my Dad's birthdate - or even birthday. My parents separated when I was quite young and he died when I was still at school.

When I started Family History - I was surprised to discover that he was quite a bit older than my Mum. Also really surprised that HIS mother, my grandma, was Irish. (We had kept in touch with my grandma).

[Genetta]

I have one death cert where the man died in the workhouse infirmary and in the margin it reads
For Clayton read Cleaton,
For 63 read 57 years
 For General Labourer read Gunmaker
Corrected on the 16th June 1893 by me
George Shread registrar on production of a statutory Declaration by  Catherine Cleaton and Henry Walter Deeley 

 

[Pennines]

Genetta -- that's hilarious!

As his christian name isn't mentioned - presumably they got that right first time.

[clairec666]

Strangely, I have one lady in my family who lies about her age when she married and on every census (perhaps because her husband is several years her junior), yet on her death certificate her age is spot on. Either she stopped pretending to be younger, or someone found her birth certificate. ..

[coombs]

One ancestor was born in May 1813. He was baptised that month. Unless he was aged 3 when he was baptised, unlikely as he had a sister born late 1809, he said he was 21 in 1831 when he joined the army. He left in 1856, his age said he was 46 and 5 months. He was 47 in 1861, 58 in 1871, and 68 in 1878 when he applied for poor relief, that age tallied with his army records age, maybe he showed them to the poor law. Yet when he was admitted to the workhouse in 1885, 1887 and 1889, dying that year, all refs said he was born in 1813. His death cert said he was 76 in 1889. I think he added 3 years onto his age to join the army. Even though 18 was a acceptable age, he may have said he was 21 to get a better chance of being recruited. Or he was unsure of his exact age. Man of mystery was Tom in the regard.

[carol8353]

My mother in law was born in Aug 1917 and died in Feb 1997.
Her sister took 17 away from 97 and told everyone that Maggie was 80 when she died.
And so had that age put on the memorial cards she had made up in Ireland.
Luckily I do family history and knew that she was only 79 so when my husband and I registered her death we told them that she was 79 

[Pennines]

I'm allowed to say the following because my grandmother was Irish and so is my husband!

I have discovered that my Irish ancestors and those of my husband seemed to have no real idea of how old they were --- their birth years differ considerably from census to census and record to record.

My mother in law (and the family) - celebrated her birthday on the wrong date for absolutely years. We only discovered the error after my father in law died and we had to contact DHSS about her pension. They couldn't find her with the information we were providing!

[panda40]

My great grandmother lied about her age when she got married. She is listed on her wedding certificate as being over 21. When in fact she was only 17. I had trouble locating her on the 1939 register until I widened the birth year catorgory to 5 years+/-. I found her away from her husband picking hops still with the wrong age recorded. When she died in 1948 her correct age was put on the death certificate.
Regards panda