Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Check those gravestones.

Options
  • 15-05-2018 9:39pm
    #1
    oceanclub
    Registered Users Posts: 3,411 ✭✭✭


    So it turns out even if you have access to cemetery records, it's worthwhile checking gravestones. There was a mystery woman buried with my great-grandfather - same name as his mother but only 10 years older (76 at death). Only when I found the actual grave today in Deans Grange did I see that her age on the grave is 92 - which is spot-on for his mother's age.

    EDIT: It actually looks like both her death cert _and_ cemetery record have her as 76, while the gravestone is 92. So is it possible the age was given incorrectly when registered, the cemetery used that age for the records, but then when the family got the headstone done they used the right age?

    P.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    tabbey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,943 ✭✭✭tabbey


    oceanclub wrote: »
    So it turns out even if you have access to cemetery records, it's worthwhile checking gravestones. There was a mystery woman buried with my great-grandfather - same name as his mother but only 10 years older (76 at death). Only when I found the actual grave today in Deans Grange did I see that her age on the grave is 92 - which is spot-on for his mother's age.

    EDIT: It actually looks like both her death cert _and_ cemetery record have her as 76, while the gravestone is 92. So is it possible the age was given incorrectly when registered, the cemetery used that age for the records, but then when the family got the headstone done they used the right age?

    P.
    Yes, quite possible.

    It is always best to look at all available sources.

    But beware, gravestones, like other records, can also be erroneous.

    When somebody dies, the informant to the registrar is often upset and cannot think straight, thus giving the wrong age, or other detail. By the time the gravestone is being erected, the family have had the chance to think about the deceased's age.

    On the other hand, some gravestones date from many years, even decades, after the deaths of the grave occupants, and have been arranged by someone who never met some of the deceased.
    This is often the case where a new stone is being erected in place of an older stone, which someone thinks is not good enough. The relative means well, but it is often best to let sleeping remains rest in peace, undisturbed by the grandiose ideas of future generations.


Advertisement