FindAGrave and Census conflict?

Question

I am researching all the people who lived in Dehart's District, Macon County, North Carolina in 1860, using the US Census as a guide.  There is a family of Cuthbertsons there, headed by David G. Cuthbertson.  He is not yet on Wikitree, but his father, David Calhoun Cuthbertson is (Cuthbertson-677).  Here's the issue: he is listed on the 1860 Census, taken in July 1860, as 27 years old.  People on the census were living in the listed address as of June 1. On Find-A-Grave, however, there is a clear picture of a tombstone with a death date of 2 Feb 1860.  There is also a cemetery card on Family Search with that as the death date.  

Further, he has three children, all listed as born in Tennessee -- the youngest 7 months old (as of 1 June, so born approx. Dec of 1859 in TN).  Did the family move to Macon (his wife's birthplace) before he died and just after the birth of their youngest child?  Or did the widow move back "home" with her three small children after his death in February?  But then he wouldn't be listed on the census.  Or is the tombstone incorrect?  Could he have died in 1861?  He is buried in what was then Macon, now Swain county.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Comments

Even something etched in stone is myth unless backed up by solid sources.
I have seen too many "errors" engraved into headstones on graves to pay too much credence to something found on a memorial site.  Even when the information comes from a death certificate, there is no guarantee the informant knew all the facts.

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You are correct to note the discrepancy.  As Melanie pointed out, the headstone can be engraved incorrectly. But also let's remember that census data is used for many things like statehood and allocation of representatives. Seeing a death date in 1860 for Tennessee could mean that someone wanted to inflate the population and include the recently deceased to make their area more influential.

Answer 1

What is the basis of your belief that they are the same person?

I would look for a death record for Feb 1860 in the religious community of the area- this may provide details as to the relationships the deceased individual had and to determine if there are two individuals with conflicting records.

Comments

I do believe that the tombstone David Cuthbertson matches the census David Cuthbertson, as both are paired with Nancy L., his wife.  Your answer is wonderful and sent me to sources I hadn't realized existed -- I'm reading through church histories from Macon county.  Unfortunately, many of them are missing a few years from 1860-1865.  No mystery as to why.  But I'm running across a lot of my ancestor's names and I'm delighted with the search (even if I am not finding the Cuthbertsons).

One important clue, however, is that the tombstone in the picture is rather "new" looking for an 1860 tombstone and it became clear that the original cemetery was relocated (I believe as the TVA built the Fontana Dam, flooding the town of Judson, NC.)  When the graves were relocated, I wonder if a change in the date occurred.  There are similar issues I've noted in the Brush Creek Cemetery, where old stones were replaced and, in some cases, no one remembered who had been buried there.  This is fascinating!  Thank you for your help.