Something to Ponder; Our Ancestors Ages.

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 Disclaimer.

I haven't looked into this, these are just my thoughts.


Chatting to a friend, a fellow Genealogist, we were discussing our ancestors ages, when I pondered this question.

Did our Ancestors actually celebrate their birthday?

We all have Ancestors that changed their ages, frequently. Changed the date, month and place of their birth, and we go off on tangents looking for the records in a new place.


BUT  

What if they really didn't know the full details of their birth? While the parents might have had them baptised, registered the birth, would they have kept a paper copy of such documents? Families might have had the Family Bible, with such information but what if they were so poor that they didn't? 

Think of this, as children our parents told us it was our birthday, we didn't have the proof, until we needed it later. Would our Ancestors have done the same thing?


Some of us have Ancestors that could neither read or write, so any documents with such details could have been seen as just a sheet of paper.


I can't see our Ancestors having the parties that we tend to have or even having a special meal, as their lives were so different from ours, that luxuries like that would not have happened.

So next time an Ancestor gives a different age, date or place of birth, ponder this, Did they really know their correct date and place of birth? 



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