The chosen method was for a search of the 1841 and 1851 census returns (both still in existence when the Pension was introduced) for documentary evidence of the claimants age. The claimant had to provide their parents' names and their residence in March 1841/1851 (when the censuses were tak...
Even when the surname is correctly spelled on the census return, it is often not indexed correctly by Ancestry.com. For example, in the 1940 census of Seattle, Washington, my father's name is listed as Richard T. McGough. Ancestry.com inexplicably indexes McGough as McGovan. My uncle, ...