This is one of the most popular articles on our site. What your ancestor heard, how he heard it and what she thought when she heard it impact what gets written in the record. If you have never tried to be a bug in your ancestor's ear, give the article Do You Ear What I Ear? a read. And if you have been a bug in your ancestor's ear...well that is another matter entirely.
Seriously, though how your ancestor interpreted the question may explain why her ancestor makes no sense to us today.
