If the person is alive at say 9.30pm when they went to sleep and was found dead the next morning - then - which date did they die? The death cert may say one of the dates due to the convention at the time (first date?) but, who really knows. Sometimes the death cert here will say overnight between the 3rd and the 4th June, for example. Certainly I would take the death cert in preference to burial, probate or gravestone - and note, there could be an error in transcription too. We do not have the English system of the GRO transcribing from a list sent every so often from the local registrar offices, but even so, there is the odd person being buried before they died! Usually the month is wrong and you can guess, but.. Dawn (Melbourne Australia) -----Original Message----- From: oxfordshire-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:oxfordshire-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Catherine Hitchens Sent: Friday, 24 June 2011 4:52 AM To: oxfordshire@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [OXF] Date discrepancy In my many years experience as a registrar, I would say that the informant told the registrar that she disagreed with the doctor's certificate (this often happened particularly with deaths around midnight, but also because doctor's are quite likely to be wrong when writing out the medical certificate and the registrar would take the information from the informant. The informant had another chance to amend the date when asked to read the entry and confirm its accuracy before signing. All good wishes Catherine ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Quineys" <ftree@quineyclan.force9.co.uk> To: <oxfordshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 5:56 PM Subject: Re: [OXF] Date discrepancy > > I know that my grandmother's headstone doesn't agree with her death > certificate by one day. She died overnight at a care home and my > grandfather disagreed with the exact date ... was it evening of one day > or early morning of the next? It's hard to tell. > Heather > > > > On 23/06/2011 12:14, Chris Howes wrote: >> Has anyone any thoughts on a date discrepancy, as to why it might occur >> or >> which should be taken as the more accurate? >> >> I have a record of a death of Archie Dunkley in Long Hanborough. The >> death >> certificate states 3 August 1918, informant his daughter on the 5th; he >> died >> of cancer at only 46. The gravestone and probate both state that he died >> on >> 4 August. I'm taking a guess that the gravestone is most likely to be >> correct, backed up by the probate record, though of course the death >> certificate I guess should be the definitive record but I can see where a >> mistake might be made. Informant a 14 year old daughter named Lillian, a >> registrar in Witney making a mistake ... >> >> Would this have required travel by Lillian to Witney? What was required >> to >> register a death in those days; the doctor pronouncing death helping? >> Someone came to you, you sent a letter, what? >> >> Thanks for any thoughts. >> >> Chris Howes >> > > _____________________________________________ > > Oxfordshire Surname Interest list - www.oxsil.org.uk Have you entered your > names of interest? > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message _____________________________________________ Oxfordshire Surname Interest list - www.oxsil.org.uk Have you entered your names of interest? ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6234 (20110623) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6234 (20110623) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com

A belated thanks to everyone who offered suggestions for the date of death discrepancy between gravestone, family records, probate and the death certificate. There were some good suggestions there, particularly relating to overnight deaths. Although I accept the definitive record should be the certificate (and I could record a note about the discrepancy along with that entry), I've chosen to stay with the gravestone, probate, newspapers and family material (and put a note in about the discrepancy the other way round). In the end, my reasoning was simple: the family at the time believed one date of the two, so I'll go with what they thought rather than overruling them nine decades later. I did find the many discussion points of value, so thanks again. Chris Howes