Is this the right family? (age discrepancy)

[zoejg]

I have just received a marriage certificate:

Francis Pearson / 20 / Bachelor / Labourer / Lichfield St. / Francis Pearson / (cannot read profession)

married

Ann Whitehead / 22 / Spinster / Machinist / Lichfield St. / James Whitehead / Labourer

at St. Editha's Church, Tamworth, Staffs, on 28th September 1874

Witnessed by Joseph Pearson (probably Francis's brother, found them on census records) and Eliza Whitehead.

I was initially really pleased to find out the name of Ann's father - my 3 x great grandfather, but I'm now a bit frustrated because I can't definitively find them in the census records.

The problem is that the only Ann Whitehead in the area with father = James was, according to the 1871, 1861, and 1851 census, born several years earlier. It can't be a mistranscription issue because this Ann appears on the 1851 census when my Ann shouldn't have been born yet.

1851: Class: HO107; Piece: 2013; Folio: 481; Page: 19;
1861: Class: RG9; Piece: 1971; Folio: 16; Page: 1;
1871: Class: RG10; Piece: 2912; Folio: 73; Page: 9;

Note the presence of an Eliza in the household in the 1871 census, cf. witness to marriage. In addition, the father's occupation matches.

I'm not concerned that the address is not Lichfield St. - this is where Francis lived before his marriage, and in the same parish as the church where he and Ann were married.

The age is really bothering me though. Did she maybe knock 5 years off her age because Francis was several years younger? The census records for 1881, 1891, and 1901 show her DOB as 1852 / 1854 / 1852 respectively.

In addition, I can't find a birth that fits for either the Ann Whitehead born in 1847/48 or the Ann Whitehead born in 1852.

Please can someone help me get my head round this?!

[Janet in Yorkshire]

"The age is really bothering me though. Did she maybe knock 5 years off her age because Francis was several years younger? "

Quite possible - I have several instances of a bride bringing down her age when marrying a younger man.

Jay

[Rachel Scand]

also the numbers 2 and 7 can be confused

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I don't have the ancestry anyomore so i can't check the census

Re the witness Eliza, would she be a sister to the bride?
Does an Eliza appear in the same household on the census returns you have looked at for Ann/James? just seen you mention the 1871 :o

As for "Did she maybe knock 5 years off her age because Francis was several years younger? "

It's perfectly possible and she wouldn't be the first, older brides have been known to knock a few years off to make things look a little more "decent" shall we say.

It could be she was illigitimate (been registered under her mothers maiden name?). James may be a fictitious name and there is always the possibility she was never registered at birth.

[Little Nell]

People did tell lies or make mistakes. Or others, writing down information, made mistakes.

My husband has a branch of his family who appear to have aged 20 years between censuses and a gt x lots aunt who aged only 7 years in 3 censuses!

I think it quite likely your bride lost a few years to be nearer her groom's age.

[zoejg]

Thanks for all the input. I've taken a closer look at the 1871 census and discovered that Eliza's age has been mistranscribed - she is down as 14 but it looks like 17 to me. This is important, because if she had been 14 in 1871, she would NOT have been of age to witness her sister's marriage in 1874.

In addition, although I can't completely read the occupation of the Ann Whitehead I found in the 1871 census, it begins with 'Tailor's...', which would fit in with her occupation of 'Machinist' on the marriage certificate I have.

I'm not sure how I can prove that this is her family, though...

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I'm not so sure about the age of the witness, i have a couple of marriage certs where the witnesses were sibs to either the bride or groom and were only 14-15 years old,

[zoejg]

Really? That's interesting. I'd assumed that you had to be of age to witness a marriage.

[Rachel Scand]

I'm not so sure about the age of the witness, i have a couple of marriage certs where the witnesses were sibs to either the bride or groom and were only 14-15 years old,

A witness to my gt grandparents' marriage was a 12 year old