Hannah Berliner Fischthal wrote:
Is there any reason a family in Poland (Dabrowa Gornicza) would give a
daughter a later birthdate than her own? My aunt Ester Berliner
always maintained she was born in 1921. JRI-Poland, however, shows
she was born in 1919; in 1921 there was a stillborn child.
Can anybody explain this?
Many reasons.
== JRI-Poland could be wrong[ly transcribed].
Ususlly if two children have the same names [this the case?],
the first one has died, not the second one.
== Not everyone was literate or smart enough not to confuse the issue in a
family.
== There could be deliberate reasons, like ability to get a domestic
service job, get entrance to better schooling [on entering the USA,
perhaps? You do not specify.], having the other birth mascarade for an
elder brother to prevent conscription, etc.
Evertjan Hannivoort.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)
