13 May 2012

Was 1849 A Leap Year?

The answer is no.

Why does it matter?

Well the tombstone of Rebecca Mullin, discussed in a previous post, indicates she died on 29  February 1849. That date did not exist in 1849.


The question remains: "When did she die?" Now that I know the date is incorrect, I'm really curious about her age. In the grand scheme of things, the spelling of her name is a minor issue.

The tombstone would be considered a original source for her date of death and would contain primary information--assuming it was carved relatively close to when she died. But because the date is clearly incorrect, it raises a slight shadow over the accuracy of other information contained on the stone.