Query on Elizabeth DOUGLASS

https://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I63445&ged=...

The 1825 Census has
* William DOUGLAS "Coromandel"
* wife Mary
children
* William 16
* Sarah 15
* Charles 13
* Mary Ann 10
* Elizabeth 10
* George 8
* Christopher 6
* Eleanor 3
ie twins are Elizabeth and Mary Ann rather than Joseph and Mary Ann

The 1828 census has
* William DOUGLASS "Coromandel"
* wife Mary 34
children
* Sarah 19
* Charles 17
* Elizabeth 14
* Mary 14
* George 12
* Christopher 10
* Eleanor 6
* Humphrey 3
ie twins are Elizabeth and Mary Ann rather than Joseph and Mary Ann

https://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I61773&ged=...

The 1825 census has
* Sarah PEARCE "Nile"
* Thomas DOUGLAS
children
* Maria 16
* Joseph 11
* Charlotte 9
* Sarah 7
* Isaac 4
ie Charlotte and Joseph are 2 years apart in age

The 1828 census has
* Thomas DOUGLASS 60 "Canada"
* wife Sarah 46 "Nile"
children
* Joseph 15
* Charlotte 13
* Isaac 7
ie Charlotte and Joseph are 2 years apart in age

Based on the census there should be

William and Mary
* twins Elizabeth and Mary

Thomas and Sarah
* with children (but not twins) Joseph and Charlotte

From that there should only be 1 Joseph however the two Joseph's have different information on Geni

Joseph Douglass, twin of Mary Ann has a death date of 3/5/1877

Joseph Douglas, twin of Charlotte has a death date of 1855

NSW Death Records have
* 1980/1855 V18551980 43A Joseph DOUGLASS age 42, no parents listed

If died 1855 at age 42, would be born c1813

There are no records between 1875 and 1880 in NSW for a death of Joseph DOUGLASS or Joseph DOUGLAS

I have found

* https://gw.geneanet.org/gbarnier2?lang=en&pz=claude&nz=barn...
* https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Douglass-694
* https://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I1167&ged=p...
* https://austcemindex.com/inscription.php?id=1372018

William DOUGLASS (son of William George DOUGLASS and Ann PEAT) died 3 May 1877 age 67

DOUGLASS WILLIAM 6399/1877 AGE 67 YEARS DIED MAITLAND EAST MAITLAND

I assume that the date of 1877 on Joseph is an error

There are two scenarios that may have happened

1) birth records have been mistranscribed and the census are correct
2) the 1825 and 1828 census have been mistranscribed and the birth records are correct

My thoughts - It is unlikely that both the 1825 and the 1828 census were mistranscribed - it is more likely that the birth records were mistranscribed.

So I think that the families should be
Family 1 - William and Mary Ann
* Mary Ann 1814
* Elizabeth 1814

Family 2 - Thomas and Sarah
* Charlotte 1815
* Joseph 1813 with a death date of 1855

I don't have any confidence that Elizabeth (daughter of William and Mary) is the same Elizabeth (daughter of George and Elizabeth) who married TILLEY and HOBBS. The only argument I have seen mentioned is reference to "The Douglas Controversy" by Carol Baxter saying she is the twin of Mary Ann incorrectly recorded as Joseph but I have read it at https://www.carolbaxter.com/douglas-controversy.html and it does not mention that Elizabeth, twin of Mary married TILLEY and HOBBS. This is the paragraph by Carol Baxter regarding Elizabeth "The child recorded as the twin of Mary Ann in the baptism register is named Joseph. No baptism has been found for a child Elizabeth born to the Douglass family however the child linked as the twin of Mary Ann in the 1823/4/5 Muster List and recorded as the same age as Mary Ann in the 1828 Census is named Elizabeth and not Joseph. As there is no reference to a Joseph Douglas in any record other than the baptism, and as numerous references to Elizabeth have been found, this suggests that a mistake was made by the session clerk when recording the baptism."