About that Birthdate: Peter Casattas -- 6 Jan 1851

So far in our research, we have two birth years claimed to be accurate for Peter Casattas.  His gravemarker says "1849."

His passport application and funeral record say "1851."  All the census records, voter records, and death index say "about 1851."  So we begin by discounting out the gravemarker's birth year of 1849.

In absence of a birth certificate or birth record, we have three competing birth dates.  The tombstone says "4 February," The funeral record says "21 February," the passport says "6 January."  The tombstone has one strike against it.  We don't know whom was the informant of the funeral record, but the best guess is his daughter Marya.  We can safely presume the informant for the passport was Peter himself.  Having no reason to discount Peter's own account, and lacking any actual birth record, the birthdate of "6 January 1851" is the one we choose to embrace.

Copyright © 2014 by Kevin W. Walker