Is 25 the correct age to stop setting Child Mortality Categories?

Question

Hi All,

Sorry, Could not help myself.  

I have been using any child who died under the age of 15 to set the Child Mortality category.  Is this appropriate?  I picked under 15 as the number of 15 year olds getting married is evident in my family tree.

What do other think? Is there a consensus?

Thanks and Regards,

Craig

Comments

You have a typo in the question header.  

I think it is generally accepted that 18 or so is a good cutoff, if the person was not married and had no children --  although I think I have gone as high as 20.  I think it should be case by case from age 14 and upwards, but that's me. 

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I have a young fellow who birth record says he was born in 1901, his death record says he died in 1917, but his military records claim he was 18 on enlistment (he was 15), and killed in action aged 19 years (he was 16).  By most standards he Died Young - but he was also a military "veteran", so should he get a {{Died Young}} sticker and child mortality category, or just "veteran recognition"?  

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Just out of curiosity: how is such a category useful? What research benefit does it provide? I truly am curious.

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Some people like statistics, and seeing how certain things relate to other things.  (Such as - how many children died in the year (pick one), and did it relate to something such as a disease outbreak, or something such as the influenza pandemic post the Great War (1918 and on).)

Answer 1

The top level category says to age 18 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Child_Mortality

Comments

Has that changed recently?  I thought at one time it was between one and five. Which I always thought was too young a cut off

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Change log for the category shows age 18 added in August 2019

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One to five? Wouldn't that be infant mortality?

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Birth to one year is infant mortality categories

Answer 2

I cut off at 10 as in generations gone by marriage was often from 12 or 13. I also only use the Died Young sticker to five years of age.

Comments

Also, in generations gone by (including my own), many began fulltime work at 12 or 13. They were adults. High School was for those going on to university.