4 ms·
Would she? After the mother's death, she keeps going about her life as usual, goes by her original name, does all the normal things she did before. On official
by mabbo 4y ago
Would she?
After the mother's death, she keeps going about her life as usual, goes by her original name, does all the normal things she did before. On official documents she lists her mother's name but around friends or neighbours goes by whatever they want to call her. Maybe a lot of the neighbours know what's going on, but hey, we all want to avoid taxes, right? So it goes.
And gradually she starts going by the other name instead. People nod and understand if she corrects them. And eventually everyone around her that might prove otherwise dies off, moves away, or loses contact. Decades go by. Soon everyone remembers that older spritely woman who's always been around here.
Any photos or evidence that might prove her story false, well they go missing. The ones that confirm it stick around.
This is how all legends start, really.
- greatpatton 4y agoyou still have the problem to fool the official at death time. Making people believe that the mother's body was the body of the daughter. Death certificate were not signed out of nowhere even in 1934. There is a picture of her on wikipedia when she was 70 in 1945, she doesn't look like a 47 years old person, by any metrics.
- hn_throwaway_99 4y ago> Death certificate were not signed out of nowhere even in 1934. Actually, the curious thing in this case is it kind of was: "Curiously, her death certificate was issued on the basis of testimony of a sole witness, a 71-year-old unemployed woman (i.e. not a doctor or nurse) who “saw her dead”" https://yurideigin.medium.com/jaccuse-why-122-year-longevity-record-may-be-fake-af87fc0c3133#8d8e https://yurideigin.medium.com/jaccuse-why-122-year-longevity...
- spiderxxxx 4y agoretire and collect a pension quite early, and go about your life.
- mabbo 4y agoThe bigger deal is avoiding inheritance taxes. In France at the time (and maybe now?) there was no inheritance tax between spouses, but there is otherwise. The theory is that the father sees that his wife is dead and knows he only has so many years, but doesn't want to give the tax man any of his money. So they say "ah no, this is my daughter who has died- my wife is right here beside me". Then when he dies, well it's a spouse inheritance to his "wife".