I think it might have just been a convenient lie in order to simplify the registration process.
I was surprised to learn ( how?) that "present at the death" didn't actually mean the informant witnessed the moment of death or was even in the same room. He might have been reading the paper in the kitchen when she died and then offered to register the death as her nephew. I've seen bigger and better lies on many a certificate, lol.
OC
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