My 4th great grandfather William Barnes [Barnes-21849, MDNY-72W] was born in about 1794. This date is given by three sources: the 1841 Census, which gives the unusually precise age of 47 years (ages in that census usually being rounded down to the nearest five years); his death record (Sep quarter 1843, Wolverhampton district, Vol 17 Page 189); and his burial record. The latter two records both give an age at death of 49 years.
Several other researchers have identified William with a baptism at Wolverhampton St Peter’s in 1803 - William son of William and Catherine Barnes. As this William and Catherine married only one year previously, it is reasonable to assume that this William was born in late 1802 or 1803. This makes him ten years too young to be my ancestor. A difference of exactly 10 years is interesting in that it could be the result of a transcription error in a later record - that his age at death should have been recorded as 39 but was actually written as 49 - but the 1841 Census also having a consistent age suggests that he at least believed he was born 10 years before this baptism.
There are also potential baptisms for a William Barnes (including spelling variations) in Tipton in 1796, in Bilston in 1796, in Darlaston in 1797 and in Wednesbury in 1798, as well as several others that are further away and therefore less likely. None of these are a perfect match, but they are nonetheless possibilities to consider.
I looked to see if there were any wills for William’s potential parents that could potentially show which parents were correct, but I didn’t find anything useful.
Without any further evidence, the identity of William’s parents remains an open question.