And the Real Birthdate is . . .?

or How to use a Systematic Approach to Determine a Date of Birth

My husband’s great-grandfather was Norwegian Peter Tourval Nelson (aka Nielson or Oleson) who immigrated to America in 1863.  Finding his death certificate with his age at the time of his death would be the most likely way to determine his real birthdate.  Peter died on September 2, 1942, at the age of 87 years and 19 days, son of Olie Nelson and Ingbar Johnson.  This would place his birthdate as August 14, 1855.   However, using more than one document to verify dates in genealogy is part of the GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard).  So I researched as many documents that I could find to prove or disprove August 14, 1855, as his date of birth, from the earliest known records to the most current.  These are my findings:
1. Norway Baptisms, 1634-1937 for Peter Thorvald Oleson :  Born April 20, 1854 and baptized 25 June 1854 in Hurum, Buskerud, Norway, son of Ole Nilsen and Ingeborg Torgersdr.  The maiden name of the mother, Torgersdr,  differs from the maiden name recorded on the death certificate, Johnson, but agrees with the names of the parents recorded on Peter’s older brother’s death certificate (see Niels Nielson below).  (1854)
2. Immigration Records:  Peter T. Nielson was eight years old in July 1863.  Assuming his birthdate was April 1854, Peter would have been nine in July 1863.  If the birth date derived from the death certificate is accurate, Peter would have turned eight in August not July.  His age on the immigration record does not correspond to either the recorded birth date on the baptism record or the estimated birth date from the death certificate.   (1854 or 1855)
3. 1870 Census:  Age is recorded as 15 in July 1870.   Assuming his birthdate was April 1854, Peter would have been sixteen in July 1870 not 15.  If the August 14, 1855 birth date is correct, Peter would have turned 15 in August not July.  His age on the census record does not correspond to either the recorded birth date on the baptism record or the estimated birth date from the death certificate.   (1854 or 1855)
4. 1880 Census:  unable to locate in 1880 Census.
5. 1900 Census:  Birth date is recorded as August 1854 and age is recorded as 46 in June 1900, which means he would turn 47 in August, placing his date of birth as 1853.  (1853)  
6. 1910 Census:  Age is recorded as 53 in early April 1910, which means he would have turned 54 on the April 20 birthdate, placing his year of birth as 1856.  (1856)
7. 1920 Census:  Age is recorded as 64 in February 1920, which means he would have turned 65 on April 20, placing his year of birth as 1855.  (1855)
8. 1930 Census:  Age is recorded as 74 in April 1930, meaning he would turn 75 on April 20, placing his year of birth as 1855.  This census also stated that he was 25 when he married.  (Family records indicate that he married in October 1880, placing his year of birth as 1855.)  (1855)
9. 1940 Census:  Age is recorded as 85 years old in April, meaning he would turn 86 on April 20, placing his year of birth as 1854.  (1854)
10. Obituary Record:  Birth date is recorded as August 14, 1855.  (1855)
11. Findagrave Record:  Birth date is recorded as April 20, 1854.  (1854)
12. Gravestone Inscription: Birth year is inscribed as 1855.  (1855)


   ___x____________xxxxx_______________________xxxxxx______________x_________
 1853          1854            1855          1856

Using these records, averaging the years of birth and implementing some statistical interpretations,  the birth year is most likely 1855.  However, the baptism record should be the most accurate record of all because it was the only record from the twelve documents that I researched that was recorded around the time of his birth—unless there were two Peter Tourval Nielsons born in Norway in that time period.
It was easy to see that  I needed to dig a little further by researching  Peter’s older brother and sister, Niels Nielson and Anne Martine Nielson, as well as their parents, Ole Nilson and Ingeborg Torgersdr.  These are my findings:
1. Norway Marriages, 1660-1926:   Ole Nilson and Ingeborg Torgersdr were married on 17 March 1850 in Hurum, Buskerud, Norway.  (This is the same date as the baptism date of Nils Oleson (aka Nielson.)
2. Norway Baptisms, 1634-1937:  Nils Oleson (aka Nielson) was born on 11 February 1850 and was baptized on 17 March 1850 in Hurum, Buskerud, Norway.
3. Norway Baptisms, 1634-1937:  Anne Martine Olesdatter was born on 14 July 1852 and was baptized 12 September 1852 in Hurum, Buskerud, Norway.
4. Death Certificate of Niels Nielson:  The death date is recorded as January 4, 1939, age 88 Years, 8 months, 19 days, placing his date of birth as 15 April 1850 rather than 11 February 1850 as recorded on the baptism record.  Parents names on his death certificate were recorded as  Eingbur Turgeson and Olie Nielson which corresponds to the baptism record above.      
5. Anne Martine Nielson:    I could not locate a death certificate for the sister, Anne Martine Olesdatter and could only find her in one census record, the 1880 Census, taken in July 1880 at which time she was age 27.   She would have turned 28 in the middle of July and so this census record corresponds with her baptism record.

After reviewing these findings, some interesting assumptions from the above documents are:

1. The marriage record of Ole Nilson and Ingeborg Torgersdr and the christening record of Niels NIelson  occurred on the same day.
2. The place of marriage of Ole and Ingeborg and the place of birth of Niels are the same—Hurum, Buskerud, Norway.
3. The second child, Anne Martine Olesdatter, was born two years after Niels also in Hurum, Buskerud, Norway.

Because the older two siblings were born two years apart and in the city of Hurum, Norway, it seems likely that Peter Tourval Nielson would have been born two years after his sister in Hurum, Norway; hence, the April 20, 1854 seems to fit into the pattern.  However, the mother’s maiden name of “Johnson” on Peter’s death certificate and the maiden name of “Torgersdr” on the baptism record, leaves some room for doubt.  Can the question, “And the real birth date is . . . “ ever be answered with 100 percent accuracy?  Probably not but family history research, like science,  uses analysis and methodology to come up with a conclusion.  Based upon a review of all of the documents, that contain both indirect and direct evidence, of Peter Nelson and that of his two older siblings, it is my belief that the real birth date is April 20, 1854.