General Chat

Ok I've got the bug now..... off to find the little ones! Get the hankies ready!! :O) xx

I remember sobbing buckets when Mum gave me our Smith family bible and one of the children was listed simply as Boy, December 24 1857. In the same generation there are two Johns one having died in infancy. I believe it was considered good luck to name a child after one that had died? I also sobbed with relief to find a child who I thought had died between the 1861 and 1871 censuses but subsequently found her in 1871 aged 12 in service with her eldest sister working for 5 spinsters. I guess it was that or the work house. Daisy

My gran lost her two first born - the boy died aged 11 months then the girl aged 13 mths - both from what was described as teething convulsions. Her husband was master mariner - so they would have been able to afford medical care. Husband's gran lost 6 siblings - 3 in 8 days - measles. I have the memorial cards for all of them. Ann

Doesn't it make you humble? My father had German Measles as a 3 year old and fortunately it was only his hearing he lost not his life otherwise I wouldn't be here today!! GGrandma lost 7 of her 12 and me still hunting for them, but I will find them and go pay my respects if I can!! xx

My grandma was one of 12 children, 3 died very young & one when she was 19. Of those, we found their grave which was very sad, it was a cross with all their names on it, very upsetting. I also have a copy of a little letter one sent to my gran .(who was by then married) This child wrote the letter when she was poorly with the illness that killed her. Now that is really very sad, & still upsets me when I read her words. She was only 7 at the time. To think if she'd lived she'd have been my great aunt. I had an aunt who was six months old when she died as well. :0) Joan xx

My FIL was born in July 1901 two days after his parents lost their little girl aged 16 months from diarrhoea. both events happened at home. Shirley

I found out how to fit in the Merthyr Tydfil side of the family last week, a young man married and in 10 years they had five children all of whom died young, the oldest was two, the husband died the same time as the last child and his wife went to live with her brother as a servant ....................not a lot of happiness there

It was discovered that my Grandad had a baby sister who lived only a few months. That was sad.

Yes, Diana, I think we all feel this way. I remember being choked when I saw the 1901 census entry for my grandfather and his family, because the eldest child had been killed the year before, knocked down by a runaway horse. I wondered if my gt grandfather Charles was thinking about her when he filled in the form. Charles' own mother Ann had given birth to twins before Charles' birth. One died aged 6 weeks and one aged 3 months. Later that year her brother went insane and killed someone. Ann herself bled to death after childbirth. My gt grandmother in Islington was pregnant 9 times and only raised 3 children. She went to find her husband dead in the street, having collapsed on their 14th wedding anniversary. Several times she had to register the death of one child whilst she was pregnant with another :-( I can't imagine how awful that must have been. One of her babies died aged 5 weeks. nell

I found one case where a woman died in childbirth, and the child was christened on the same day that the mother was buried...

I do for all the ancestors I never knew and feel so much pain for the children. My aunt died aged 8 (only discovered this in the last 18 months) fell on a bonfire and died 9 months later. It does expain why Grandma wouldn't let us have a bonfire at her house though. As for certificates I have only just got my Mom and Dad's certs. Dad died in 1966 and Mom 1977. Daft I know but it seemed to me if I didn't have the certs they would not have died which is really crazy. Glad I'm not the only one to cry. Pat

This wasn't actually in my family, but when doing some research I found a local couple who lost 4 sons in World War 1. They had one 14 year old son left and he was killed in a local pit disaster which happened in 1918.

In my wife's tree we have James 21 married Mary 20 in 1861, girl born 1862 died 1863, girl born 1864 died 1864. son born 1866. James died 1869, Mary died 1870. Keith

I have found some, and yes I feel sad when I find them, but the worst was when I finaly found the death of 2 little girls murdered by their father, that did realy upset me, due to the kindness of some one on this site I have a death cert of their mother, who was also murdered by the same man, he killed his wife and 2 young daughters. Bev

Found several children who died from between 3 days and two years. Sometimes finding out these things gives you a picture of the lives they led. My gr.grandfather died in 1900 leaving his wife with 5 children then one of them, a girl age 2 died (measles and pneumonia) how could my gr gandmother have coped? Finacila hardship and grief all at once. Yes I cried. Chris

Yes discovered my Maternal Nan had a little sister Ivy who died aged 4 in 1904 from bronchitus. I dont ever remember her being spoken about and Nan would have been 19 when the little one died. Very sad , the name never was carried forward in the family,must have too painful. Nan too lost a little boy in 1924 aged 18months following complications from a botched circumcision. Mum & Dad lost their firstborn in jan 1931 aged 3months from pneumonia &bronchitus. Have found bronchitus a recurring cause of death in Mums family Shirley

Doing the book can be quite sad. Wrote a story yesterday where a four year old girl caught fire off the kitchen boiler and ran through the house looking for her mum. She had just popped out to borrow a mangle. The girl died through shock.

Diana, Yes, absolutely. One family in my tree lost 4 of 6 children in the space of 10 years. Incredible how things have changed in the space of 150 years or so. Paul x

yes was expecially sad about my Dad's brother who died when he was two. Dad did know about him as he (Dad) was the eldest of five boys Ann Glos

I've a fair few too. Was looking at burials only this morning, for one of my hubby's families. several children dying aged 3 or 4. Unusually for early 19th century some have cause of death recorded in the burial register. 1 Scarlet fever, 2 whooping cough, one had 'inflammation of the lungs' (severe cold & pneumonia?) one baby, seven days old, ''exhaustion from bleeding'' the mind boggles what caused that. The saddest thing is that all this seems so easily avoided now.