my gggreat uncle obit in paper says he died 1908 tombstone says 1910?

Question

what does this mean? he is buried and named on large family stone relatives would have noticed if there was a mistake.

news paper is dated 1908

Answer 1

Have actually run into this situation 3 times - where documentation did not match tombstone dates and the documentation occurred BEFORE the date on the tombstone. Each of the three cases had the same "solution".

Now I assume the "obituary" you mention is a true obituary, not a simple death notice [someone died on somedate in somewhere from some condition]. That it provided enough information that you are sure it is about your gggreat uncle.

In all three of my cases, there was gravestone replacement. One was a result of a flood that washed away and destroyed existing gravestones -- the other two, for whatever reason, existing gravestones were replaced to match that used by a family member who subsequently died (probably was an "upgrade" from the original stone).

You indicated it was a large family stone. Did this stone have multiple family members identified on the SAME stone? OR, if there are individual stones for family members, are many the same style? In each case, look at the latest date on the tombstone.

Chances are, the tombstone(s) were all "created" after the latest date.

Another check is to find a common letter or letters in the names. Are they the same in style? Stonecarvers all had there own templates. Thus if multiple names were carved at the same time, the common letters would be pretty much identical in style. Note that this "check" cannot be used on tombstones created from the late 1970s. At that time, stonecarving became mechanical/computerized and standard fonts were used.

What sometimes happens when gravestones are replaced or upgraded, often at a much later date than a person died, you will find mistakes in dates. Especially if the original didn't include a date - not all do. The person contracting the new headstone might not be certain - making their best guess as to a date. OR it could have been a mistake in "ordering" or "carving" and just wasn't caught.

So see if there is any evidence that the tombstone in question might have been upgraded or replaced some time after your gggreat uncle's death. If so, that could explain the discrepancy.

But given you have the obituary and you are SURE it is applicable to your gggreat uncle, I would definitely go with the obituary date.

Answer 2

I would always go with the printed record before the tombstone. As was mentioned, sometimes the tombstone isn't erected until years after the fact. My great grandfather has a tombstone that is wrong as well as my husbands grandfather.

It is very unlikely that an obituary ran in 1908 if he wasn't really dead, so that right there lends more "credibility" to the 1908 date over the 1910 date. I would try to get the actual death certificate (if there is one.) There are some states whose vital records didn't start at a statewide level until after that. (Arkansas comes to mind) If you can't get a death certificate, I would try to see if there are funeral home records available or contact the cemetery and request copies of the cemetery records. Both of these places keep records and can likely confirm or deny the dates that you have.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

The obit is more likely to be right, as this should have been put in the paper at the time of death. Gravestones are much more expensive, and sometimes were not erected or details added until some years later, at which point the family may have got confused about the year of death. Find the official death record to confirm.

Answer 4

If the obituary was published in 1908, then it's more likely to be right. Tombstones are often erected years after the death, and the possibility of a wrong date there is stronger than that of a wrong date in an item published at the time.

Answer 5

Were both death and birth info given? Could it be possible that it is a nephew or son that died young and was named for him? Child deaths may not have left any record, especially with burial in a family plot. Look for a death record and probate record for the uncle, and you might check for a death of a child of (Head of Household). Often babies were buried next to their mother's future plot, or in an innocents' section.

Also if stone cutters make a mistake (be it family or mortuary that may have misinformed) it was often too expensive for the family to have one recut. Dual headstones often have more mistakes, especially if there is a good length of time before the stone was placed.

Answer 6

Sometimes obits are wrong! Could be same name, different guy? Try to find a death certificate with state or local government agency. Do you know the funeral home? Are they still around?

The date could be wrong on the stone....maybe the stone was added several years later? Maybe all of the dates on the stone are not added...just names?

Answer 7

I assume newspaper obit? What is the date of the newspaper? That should give you a good start.

Also, if the mortuary he was buried from is still around, they might have old records.

Check at the courthouse for public records.

There are also places online that you can find out that info, but I believe most of them require membership or some kind of fee.

Answer 8

I would seek out some paper work, either a death certificate or a Burial register, or better still both, that would give you a answer, this all adds to the fun of our Hobey.

Good luck and good hunting

Answer 9

I don't have the solution, but checking further alternate records may clear it up.
things like this are 1/2 the fun of research, to me. It's almost boring if there is no challenge to overcome.
Any chance he died elsewhere, and it took 2 yrs before being removed "home"??