General Chat

I was searching for, a sister,I had little to go on except she had died as a baby 20 years before I was born. When I found the GRO spot and saw her age as 0 it affected me very deeply. All I could think for a few days was that 0 was zero, nothing, without value, not worth a mention, etc. She had lived for 6 weeks and I felt that was all she had. It still bothers me, damn it that 6 weeks was her life !! XX Continue to care and be sad , it is important XX Jeannine

Oh me sad again Just found the twins that Grandma was telling me but couldn't remember their names....... Grandma would have been 11 when they were born. And me sort of disappointed that she couldn't remember her own siblings names...... but hey she is 101 now so I shouldn't complain about her memory! She had told me she had a sister called Maisie and it turned out she was a twin to Leonard who lasted just under a year and Maisie died when she was 2. I'm so gonna find their graves and go see them!! xx

There are so many sad stories we uncover in the course of researching .. I found out my father had an older brother and sister who both died before the age of two. I believe their deaths were basically down to poverty and bad housing (in East London). My father's parents also died within two years of each other (before my father was five years old); one from t.b. and the other from pneumonia - and we're talking about the 20th century here!! Helen

Helen I agree its horrific...... and I knew me wasn't only one to face this!! Sometimes people's sad stories make you realise how lucky you are!!

I've found several infant and child deaths in my tree, but the one that really got to me was the one who I found as an orphaned pauper in the workhouse at the age of 11. All the more tragic, as his cousin who had the same name and was born less than a year before him was living in the same town, only a couple of miles away, with his parents and siblings - quite well-heeled and comfy. CB >|<

Oh CB that's so sad!! families hey? Who'd have them!!

Well I haven't uncovered any surprises yet, but I know both my aunt (mum's sister) and my mum both gave birth to stillborn sons, and both called them Richard. I was born about a year later and I had a premature daughter who lived for only 3 days. My father had a brother who died, but I know little about him. I don't know why I never asked - he was referred to as poor little Lal. On a family photo a relative in Wales has sent me, there are 4 young boys, three I know as my dad, his brother Jim and his brother Bill, but I don't know the other little lad, was he Lal? Maybe I will never know, he is so blonde compared to the other lads, perhaps he was a cousin visiting or someone around at the time - wish dad could let me know through a message - come on now, dad, send me a sign please.

There was also my Grandad's elder brother (who had a twin sister) who was killed in very tragic circumstances one Saturday afternoon in June 1883. He was at Victoria Hall, Sunderland for a performance by a children's entertainer, along with hundreds of other children, and he must have been sitting in the balcony seats. At the end of the performance, people onstage began throwing sweets to the children in the audience, so those in the balcony seats rushed to the staircase. When the first ones got to the ground floor, they came upon a locked door and there was no-one there to open it. As more and more children came charging down the stairs, many were trampled to death or injured. My Great Uncle was one who died. He was 8 years old. His twin sister was probably there too, but she must have survived, as I've found her marriage in 1900. As so many children died in the tragedy, the Town Council commissioned a memorial to them which used to stand in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery. Due to perpetual vandalism, it was moved to Mowbray Park, and I hope to go and see it for the first time later this year. If anyone's interested, there are details of the disaster on these websites - http://www(.)north-country(.)co(.)uk/victoria.htm http://www(.)sunderland(.)gov(.)uk/Public/Editable/Themes/Lifelong-Learning/Local_studies_fact_sheets/Fact%20Sheet%205(.)pdf CB >|<

Found out that my Nan had a sister that died when she was 11 months old of measles. My Great Gran was 6 months pregnant with my Nan when this happened and when my Nan was born they gave her the same name. Being as the births were so close together I had to get all the certs. to sort it out. My Mum never knew and she said my Nan had never mentioned it so probably she never knew either. Very sad. Linda

Yes I know how you feel. I was deeply saddened when I discovered a 42 year old father and his weeks old daughter both died the same day of Cholera. Also my Nanna's first-born and only son died age 5 weeks of pneumonia.