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March 15, 1917. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "Manley Creasson [Creason], 914 West Sixth Street. Messenger #6, MacKay Telegraph Co. Says he is 14; school records say 13. Says he has steady job -- 'Been a messenger for years. Get $15 for 2 weeks' pay'." Silver gelatin print by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
A deceased person's vital statistics on a death certificate are usually provided by an informant. The informant may be anyone, such as a relative or a neighbor.
Those vital statistics, such as birthdate, may therefore be subject to error as informants may not be able to provide accurate data. Even spouses don't always know the correct birthdates or birth places for their mates.
The medical information on the certificate is usually provided by a doctor or some other medical official.
In the case Mr. Creason, I would tend to think that the birth data provided by the census is probably closer to the truth than that given in the death certificate. He may have given the birth information himself.
That's what my son said when I shared this Shorpy with him this AM. He's a bike messenger in Chicago and has shared it with everyone at work!
It looks to me that Manley's bike isn't in motion, that he is executing a "track stand," a technique in which a rider balances his bike with little to no forward motion. His pedal cranks are horizontal and the front wheel is turned slightly, which is the signature look of a track stand.
According to his headstone he was born in 1903.
If you go by his death certificate issued in Texas in 1941 (he died from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 38).
As per the 1940 census he and his wife, Jewell, were the owners of either a cafe (1940 census) or a 'recreational club' (death certificate).
That said, his census records each have him listed as being born around 1904, so perhaps Texas was wrong after all.
They had a daughter, Mary George, and Jewell lived until 1985, apparently never remarrying as she retained her maiden name according to her record in the Social Security Death index.
Manly R. Creason (the correct spelling) was born in, either, 1902 0r 1903, depending upon which account is correct. He died in Texas in 1941 of tuberculosis
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