Hi List & Libby, Here's another confused individual but not by your family. However, I'd suggest that the earlier dobs are more likely to be correct since it was common for people to either make out they were older or younger according to the circumstances and their perceptions of their employability at various ages. Younger people in e.g. the 1841 census often pushed their ages up because they could earn slightly more as an older person. However, with shipping and the Assisted Immigration it was advertised that Australia was looking for fit, healthy younger workers .. (note the comments on the state of health of those on the 'New Zealander') . Sometimes specific skills were mentioned and therefore many claimed to have those skills. They probably did but I have one instance of the occupation given on Baptisms as handloom weaver & on shipping records as mason & farmer. This is not to say that these people did not possesss those skills. The clearances did not help here as many who would previously have had a rural occupation had to resort to weaving when they were replaced by a couple of shepherds. Anne Maye