Truth or fiction

[ptjw7]

Following on from the Cornwall link to BMD data I trawled through the Liskeard data for what felt like years till the headache appeared and I gave up but my far far distant relative must have lied on the census as his birth just wasnt there, plus the year of birth seems to vary a bit.
I begin to wonder if there is some mystery about the birth and is there something to hide! Mind you he certainly had an eye to the future as he gave up watch making and went into local government and obviously made a few bob.

Peter

 

[pejay]

I think sometimes people were not 100% sure where they came from. Sometimes they just remembered a place from Childhood - but he may not have come from there, sometimes it could also be the enumerator having a bad day!. If you notice - the place of birth may be different with each census!

 

[duckweed]

Sometimes the Mum went to her parents for the birth but may not have mentioned it. Sometimes the ennumerator misheard and put some other town or county on. There are lots of non dodgy reasons for the birthplace being wrong. Sometimes they didn't register the birth. Also illiterate respondents don't know their birthdates so generally its a guess.