Ages & names can often vary in a dramatic way from census to census. Keep in mind the following: 1) The census information was not always gathered from the head of household, from the spouse or even the children. It was collected from whomever was there on that day, including the hired help or a nearby neighbor. The family might even have moved away if the enumeration date had passed. 2) Ages were supposed to be those ages at the enumeration date. However, the actual census might very well be taken several months/weeks before or after the enumeration date. I would suspect that few of the enumerators remembered to caution the respondents on this. 3) Birthdays were not celebrated in the same context that we know them today, so a person might very well not know their own age in an exact fashion. 4) Names could vary simply because a first name could be given on one census, a nickname on the next, a middle name on the next. 5) The census itself was taken at time under adverse conditions, weather and travel conditions. I have seen several censuses where it is apparent that the enumerator filled in some of the information after he had been at the door of the dwelling. It's too bad, as these variations only complicate the researcher's task further. Margaret Ernest