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Firstly anybody can call themselves by any name they chose without any formality providing that the name change is not for fraudulent purposes.

Secondly it is/was very common for children whose natural father has died to assume/use the surname of their mothers new husband.

Thirdly if Moses did die in Dec 1867 then obviously he could not be the biological father of a child born in 1869. It would not however be the first case where the mothers long deceased husband was indicated as the father of the child on the birth certificate.

One of my anscestors Alice Munns b:abt 1842, Orwell Cambridgeshire married Moses Gill in 1862 and had 3 children John b:1864, Neal b:1866, Mary b:1867 and Lydia b:1869.

Moses b:abt 1840 died in Dec 1867 which cant be right because of Lydia's birth so one of these dates are wrong.

After Moses's death Alice married Joseph Baker my great great grandfather and in the 1871 census I can see that they are living in Basingbourne, Cambridgeshire and 4 of Alice's children from her previous marriage were living with them. Looking at the 1881 census 3 of them are still living with them in Boxworth, Cambridgeshire but the surname has changed to Baker. Neal's name is now Cornenilious and Lydia is now Louisa. All have exactly the same birth year as in previous census records.

I just wondered how they would have gone about getting the surname changed back in those days or if they just desided themselves. Took a while to find Alice's maiden name !!