There had always been difficulty in ascertaining the correct birth date of William Mountstephens. Searches in the UK ancestral records did not produce a result. Eventually, on a private visit to Falmouth, Cornwall, the archivist was able to establish the existence of a record of birth of a William "Mounstephens" around the estimated time of his birth. it was then discovered that the form of the name that appears on the certificate and that used by the founder varied.