Am I reading death year correctly (1837), others say 1835.

Question

I have been studying findagrave's photo of the grave of Magdalena (Eleanor, Lena) Hornbeck, wife of Daniel Ennes.  The death year is listed as 1835 by findagrave, and 1839 by others.  I don't it is either.  Looks like 1837 to me. especially when I compared the 7 in "1837" to the 7 in "7 DAYS".  Am I reading that number correctly?

https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2009/108/9335375_124015645837.jpg

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9335375/magdalena-eleanor-ennes

Comments

I see it as Feb 14 1837.  Aged 91 years, 1 month, 7 days.

So the date on Find a Grave is doubly incorrect, as they have the date as the 17th Feb.  (How they got 17 Feb from 14 Feb I cannot begin to think.)

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Did some research and found a transcription of the cemetery.  Look like you are correct, from this, as to 1837..

https://www.cayugagenealogy.org/cem/cem155.htm

OWASCO RURAL CEMETERY
Burial Information for the period thru about the 1980s
For information on more recent burials thru early March 2007, click HERE

Although this cemetery is known as 'Owasco Rural Cemetery' and the Town of Owasco, NY
is located within Cayuga County NY, this cemetery is physically located just across the
county line in the Town of Skaneateles - Onondaga County NY (Cemetery #155) 

This file is taken from a transcript done in purely chronological order. It’s been sorted by surname, and then chronologically within those names - obvious family groups have been recorded as shown. NOTE: * indicates cause of death known but not listed here - contact Cayuga County Historian’s office for more information. ** = Additional information from transcriber - personal knowledge.
Some E-Mail containing information about burials in this cemetery can be found at the bottom of this website.
This listing was obtained from The Secretary Record Books of Burials for the Owasco Rural Cemetery Association.  Note:  This list does NOT contain the date of death....The date cited is the "Date of Burial".

ENNIS			
	Daniel				Dec 24, 1838	94
	Eleanor, his wife		Feb 14,1837	91

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This transcription says Feb 24 1837, not Feb 14, 1837

Ennes, Daniel d. Dec. 24, 1838, ae. 94-0-24
Ennes, Eleanor Hornbeck d. Feb. 24, 1837, ae. 91-1-17, w/o Daniel

OWASCO CEMETERY

Town of Skaneateles, New York

Submitted by Kathy Crowell

The following list appears in Inscriptions from Cemeteries in Onondaga Co. taken from notes by William Martin Beauchamp. 1998

https://sites.rootsweb.com/%7Enyononda/CEMETERY/OWASCO.HTM

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If she was buried on the 14th, she cannot have died on the 24th.

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Just posting what I found. the first transcription  then a second, two different transcriptions,

.

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Yep, saw that, hence my comment.  The first transcription says what I see, the second disagrees with it.  If the first is from the Record Books of Burials, and says she was buried on the 14th (many burials back n the day were the same day as death), then she cannot have died on the date as given in the transcription by William Martin Beauchamp in 1998 -- ie she cannot have been buried 10 days before she died.  William "got it wrong".

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Could be whoever was using Beauchamp notes for transcription got it wrong. Looks like they put date for Daniel, Dec 24, then when doing Eleanor, read his date the 24 instead of hers.  I know I have done that.

Answer 1

I read it the same as you.

Answer 2

Looks like 7 to me, too.

Answer 3

I see it as a 5.  Maybe write to the person that took the photo ,on Find A Grave, and ask if it was clearer on the stone, up close.

Comments

If her birth year is correct and you add the 91 years, it is 1836, so it could be either a 5 or a 7

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It is so hard to decipher dates on a degraded tombstone from a photograph. I don't think it looks like either a 5 or a 7, but I cannot tell what it is. I used an online calculator. Adding the 91 years, 1 month, 7 days to the date they claimed as her birth date, is exactly February 14, 1836. Is there another source to confirm birth date or was it derived from the death date on the stone? Perhaps you can find another source to confirm date of death. She resided in the northeast United States and they were a bit better about recording dates of vital events than in other parts of the fledgling nation. I know using a date other than the one on FindAGrave on WikiTree will throw up an error, but use the one you believe it is (or the consensus believes it is) and when you get the suggestion, mark it as false if you wish. I think I would explain your reasoning for the difference between the two dates in a research note on the profile. Someone suggested writing to the memorial author and/or photographer of the stone. That is a good idea.

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The birth year is probably 1745/46, so I use the New Style year 1746.  She was born on 07 January 1746 (and baptized on 12 January 1746).  Thus the age at death matches perfectly with the death date in 1837.

Answer 4

I see it as a 7 with a full stop (period for you US folks)

Answer 5

I can see why someone might read it as '5', but I think a 5 would look very different in that font -- the bottom would look more like the 3.

Given the similarity to the 7 farther down the stone, I think it would have to be read as '7' absent a fresh examination or better photo.

Answer 6

Since the New Style birth date appears to be 07 January 1746 (New Style baptism date 12 January 1746), the age at death yields a death date of 14 February 1837 (and most seem to agree it is 1837, not 1835).  It all fits perfectly.  Therefore, I have submitted suggestions to Findagrave that the dates be changed to 07 January 1746 and 14 February 1837.