Ages in a census which are just one year different from what you expect can be the result
of someone "translating" the age at the time of the census into a birth year,
without considering when during the year the census was taken, nor when the person was
born. It can also be the result of whoever gave the information being wrong - eg by
forgetting a recent birthday made the child a year older - or deliberately adding or
subtracting a year from the actual age. Adding or subtracting more than a year is usually
done for adults, who either want to appear younger or older, for various reasons - old
enough to marry, to enlist or to vote, or to appear younger than one's husband, etc.
----- Original Message -----
From: Gabriela Novak
To: CAMP-L(a)rootsweb.com
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 2:58 PM
Subject: [CAMP-L] RE: Nancy and Joseph Camp (married 1849)
Hello,
I have a Camp dilema nad I am hoping that one of the more experienced Camp
researchers may have an answer or an suggestion for me.
My husband has a 'Family History Book", compiled around the 1900's for one
of his ancestors. I was trying to confirm the data in his book through
actual records, but that brough up more questions than answers. You can find
the records form the family history book transcribed onto rootsweb at:
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=robbgalloway&id=I22
My problem is that I could find Minnie Olive (nee Camp) and Charles Amery
Campbell in the 1900 census (my husband's great grandparents), together with
their children (Charles A, Elizabeth and Helen Roselle, who was my husband's
grandmother), and Minnie's parents (Joseph and Nancy, born in Aug 1828 and
Sep 1827 respectively, as noted in that census record). Up to that point the
records agree (more or less, our Joseph is listed as born in jan 1829).
The problem started when I saw that both Joseph and Nancy listed their
parents as being born in England! They were both supposed to be from a long
line of Conn and Mass ancestry. On top of that, even though Nancy's birth
date agrees with our records, Joseph's birthday is listed as Aug 1828, but
our records show Jan. 2, 1829, yet the place is correct (Norfolk, Conn).
I wish I could find Nancy and Joseph in another census, but that is not the
case. There is a Nancy, but listed as widowed, in 1880 cnsus, with son
Frank, born in the same year as "our" Frank (1856)and a hard to read name of
a daughter, born in 1867 (our Minnie O. is in 1866), but other children
would be missing (Anna 1852, James 1856, George 1858 and Joseph 1860). I am
suspecting tha this is not the same family.
I do have Joseph Camp and Nancy in 1850 census, married within a year (our
pair married on aug 22, 1849), both birthplaces coincide, but based on age,
the birth dates would be 1829 for Joseph and 1828 for Nancy. (Our dates are
jan 1829 for Joseph and sep 1827 for Nancy, so not that far off).
I did find a marriage record for Joseph Camp (b 1829, Conn.) and Nancy
Warren (b 1828 Mass.), married in 1849. This is through Ancestry's US and
International Marriage Records (1560-1900).
I also found in Mass. Marriages (1633-1850) from Family History Library in
Salt Lake City, Joseph Camp and Nancy M Warn married in Aug 22, 1849 in
Scheffield, Berkshire.
Is there anyone out there who could help me with this tangled situation?
Thank you,
Gabriela