I am researching a relative born in Rakov (today's Belarus, then in
Russian Pale, between Minsk and Vilna). In American documents I have
seen her birth date given as 1886; I am aware that the old style
calendar was in use in Russia at that time. My question is: is it
likely that this date, which presumably my relative used on documents
after emigrating, is the old style -- or is it likely that she (or
some American official) re-calculated her birth year to the new style
calendar after she emigrated to the US in 1905?

David Laskin