Genealogy Chat

Odd that. I have a number of cases where babies died young and Mother's died of, or soon after, childbirth. yes I was sad, but as my own mother died 3 months after I was born, and also we lost our 4th child at 3 months, I suppose I accepted it as an expected part of life. It was different when finding out about William Henry Weatherall my grandfather's brother. Born at the end of 1940 I was brought up by my grandparents and Pop never talked about his family except for 1 brother Bob who was a butcher in West Hartlepool. I knew Uncle Bob as I used to spend my holidays in WH when I was a boy. In the censuses I found William Henry who, it transpired, had been killed on the Somme in April 1918. This explained why My Dad's name was James Henry, and my Uncle was William. What really broke me up was that my quiet and unassuming grandad, who had lost his brother in WW1, now had his only 2 sons fighting in WW11, One of them captured on Crete, and the other one injured by a bomb during the Seige of Malta. It was his sheer fortitude which caught me. I wish I could tell him how much I admire and respect him, and to apologise for having been such a wayward child.

Found my G Gran buried two children who died within 5 days of each other, with measles and whooping cough. Within 6 days she had gone herself to register both deaths. the later generations didn't even know these two girls existed till I found them. Now they almost seem like my children as I found them again

You only have to look through the death indices for the late 1800s and see all those zeros in the age of death column.

well I came on here for some inspiration but have ended up crying , hope my husband doesnt pop in he thinks I am mad anyway.I found all your stories upsetting, I have found a lot of hardship in my lot things I did not expect, so know how you feel, I think its terrible when a young mother is put away for post natal depression, so sad, I know what it is like to have that is bad enough, to be taken away from your family at such a time must have sent them over the edge. Thats why I call myself wish I'd never started because quite often I do.

i thought i was being silly crying for lost babies i never knew. when i starting researshing my family tree alli knew was that my ggrandfather came to scotland and married a scttish girl in1878 they went onto have 8 children.theh when my own father died i was given my ggrandfathers bible in it he had recorded all of his childrens births and deaths i could not believe what i read all of his chidren died in infancy except 3 but what was hard to believe they all died of what is today minor illness.three died of measles two of bronchitis one lived to be io years old only to die of heartfailure three weeks after her mother died of heart disease incidently my grandfather was only hous old when his mother died i just thought poor man spent his life buryingchildren and wept one of his children reached maturity and married only to die 6 months later with T B.he went on to marry again and have two more children who both died in infancy with whooping cough.his wife turned to drink and died earlymy grandfather and his sister were fostered out to someone who beat them no wonder my grandfather would not speak of his early lifeso sad so sad

Yes. My great-grandmother was pregnant 9 times, had 6 liveborn children and only 3 of them were raised to adulthood. I cried when I read the death cert of her second son, he died aged 6 weeks from a disease associated with poverty. My great-great-grandmother Mary Mealing had several children. Her eldest boy killed his fiancee in a fit of insanity. There's a touching report of her calling him 'my dear son' after the murder. He was sent to Broadmoor and I doubt if she ever saw him again. Her eldest daughter (my gt gt grandmother) died after childbirth aged just 38. Mary lived into her 80s and worked as an agricultural labourer, but what a sadness for her to think of her two eldest children. nell

Helen While trawling through the various Censuses, I found my Great-Grandfather, Benjamin Mellors. I found his baptism on IGI and went looking for his parents and found them. Then went looking for them. Found Benjamin had several siblings including a sister named Anne. However, when I tried to track Anne after 1871 I couldn't find her in the Census nor could I find a marriage that would match. I did find a possible death for her in 1877. My Uncle has been doing some research into the family as well so I rang him to see if he knew anything about Anne. He'd found out that she'd been murdered by a rejected lover in her mother's shop in 1877. He'd killed her because she became engaged to someone else. When I put the phone down I started crying from thinking about what could have been. Her murderer was the last man to be hanged in the interior of Nottingham County Gaol and there's a plaque recording this fact at the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham. Joy

i found an article in a paper from the 1890s, though not related to me, about a young boy called Jackson Draycott, aged 14, he was working in a wood yard on a machine for riping the bark off trees, via chains and hooks, he fell in this machine and it tore him limb from limb, he was shreaded to pieces, but survived a short while, it brought a tear to my eyes, and iam not easely moved.

Sometimes a story can make the names on a census leap out at you........ I was reading about a multiple murder that had taken place in 1890 near to the place where my gran was born in 1892. A man had killed his wife and two little children (for reasons unknown). There was much made of the fact that the father of the dead woman lived in the house with them and should have been a witness to the murder, but due to his severe deafness, through old age, he had heard nothing. It had been very difficult for this poor old man to understand what had happened to his daughter and grandchildren. The following year (1891) the census was taken and I looked to see if the old man was on it. Yes.....he was still living in the same house, where his family had been murdered and was now living alone. I couldn't stop thinking about this poor old deaf man having to live out his life in that house with those dreadful memories.........Yet, looking at the census, you would never have imagined that anything out of the ordinary had happened............ I really feel as if I knew this old man.......Maybe my great-grandfather did know him?....they only lived a couple of streets apart. Merry (Not)

Yes i cried when someone found my hubbys G G Grandmother + family in 1861. She had changed her name and the 5 childrens back to her maiden name as her husband had died in 1859 and she put 3 youngest child in work house and took the 2 eldest with her to work as servants in a house. But by 1871 she had them back with her and back to her married name . so she must of got herself sorted i wept all night when i found out. June

I cried when I found that my great grandmother had died in childbirth at the age of 19, with my gran Mary.

I cried when I got the death cert of my 2 x GGF - he died of cancer of the tongue and throat in 1898, in a lodging house. I cried when I discovered that this same man had a daughter, desribed as an imbecile and put into a Workhouse at the age of 19 months. She lived there until she was 37, and in the 1901 census appears, no longer an imbecile, but 'deaf and dumb'. And I howled when I found, not a direct ancestor, but a sibling, Jane Green, 'found dead in a field, of childbed' along with her 'stillborn bastard infant'. She was just 19. This upset me so very much, I couldn't stop thinking about her, so one day recently, rather daftly (but I don't care!) I picked some flowers from my garden, walked along my peaceful river, and when no one was looking, threw them in and said 'These are for you and your baby, Jane'. I like to think that 280 years later, she knows that SOMEONE from her family cares. Olde Crone

Good on 'yer, Olde Crone.....As far as I'm concerned this is exactly what family history is all about.....Remembering those ''ordinary'' folk who went before us, who would be completely forgotten if it wasn't for this compulsion we all seem to have. merry

I have shed quite a few tears over my ancestors. My gt gdf and his 2 brothers were put in Dr.Barnardos after their mother died. I applied to Barnardos and received the report on my family plus 2 photos of my gt.gdf and his brother in very ragged clothes. Their father had hit rock bottom and he could not provide for his family, unable to work because of a bad leg. He kept his daughters and younger son at home. In later census they are back together except for one son that went to Canada. That brought tears to my eyes. He would have got help and support if he lived in this age. My other story is that an ancestor, a mother, died and she had 2 blind daughters and one cripple daughter after her death her husband put the girls in an asylum. Did I cry for those girls. Imagine living at home with your family and then suddenly finding yourself in a place like that. Irene

A great great Aunt lived with her parents and two illegitimate sons. When the parents died she lived in a workhouse with her sons. The boys grew up and went on to have families, but she is on every Census return up to 1891in this workhouse. I found her death in 1897, she was in her seventies, and she died in the workhouse where she had spent most of her adult life. My great great grandmother had two sons before marrying my gg grandfather. When her parents died, she did not take her sons. They were placed in a workhouse. She went on to have a large family, but never had the first sons with her. When her husband died, she fostered out her 3 youngest boys. I used to think she must have been a hard woman, but I am less judgmental of our ancestors since I have read about the conditions so many of them lived in. It wasn't easy to live if you were ordinary working folk. Susan

My Grandmother's brother Edward RODEN died at sea aged 15 in WW1. I have obtained the full transcript of the incident and the tesitimony given by the lone survivor of the sinking. Edward was the signal boy on H M Trawler Kirkland (minesweeper). The sinking and loss of life caused orders to be re-sent to the fleet of minesweepers to ensure that lifebelts were worn at all times. Edward was 'Lost at Sea' on H M Trawler Kirkland His death is commemorated at the PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL. Memorial reference 28 H.M Trawler Kirkland hit a submerged mine at 10.45 p.m on the 20th August 1917 a mile and half off Papa Stour. The Kirkland was on Escort duty with H.M Trawler Ethel escorting the Tank Kremlin. She was hit amid-ships and sank after 3-4 minutes of the explosion. All hands bar one were lost. The lone survivor , Robert Weymouth, was picked up after approximately an hour in the water by a boat from H.M Trawler Ethel. None of the crew were wearing lifebelts contrary to article A.W.O.2450/17and some members of the crew, including Edward, could not swim. The court of enquiry found the accompanying trawler Ethel did all that was possible to save life and that the cause of the accident was atributable to no one. Reading the evidence given brought tears to my eyes. Such a waste of a young life. Gillian Brion

I got really upset when I found out that my 3x great grandfather killed himself by drowning. His wife had died 3 years ealier in childbirth. He had about 8 kids, perhaps he could not cope with them esp. as the younger one was only 5 years old. Then there is my 2x great grandfather. He turned out to have 8 kids and all but 2 died young. Even then one was killed at the age of 20 in the first world war. What made me even sad was the fact my 2x great grandfather outlived his wife and all his children. sob sob. I am glad I have read the rest of your comments, as sometimes I did think was I normal in getting upset over people I never knew. But I supposed at the end of the day they are flesh and blood as well, without them I would not be here typing away!

YES!!! I found my paternal grandfather was lost overboard from a sailing vessel in 1911. the ships log sais he was washed overboard in heavy seas & too dangerous to attempt a rescue. A lifebelt was thrown but didnt no if he reached it. The vessel sailed off!!. Imagine seeing your lifeline leaving you!!!!!!!. Feel so bad for him. Shirley

My grandfather left his family when my father was born in 1912 My father never even knew his name It was too late for me to tell him as he died in1991,My grandfather had 12 children and left his wife I often wonder what sort of life they all had. I often find relatives dying in workhouses I have wept buckets for all the children their lives cut short so cruelly .I often think of my father's 1st wife who died at 34 and left him with 5 children He was given compassionate leave from the army Good job as he was going to go to Arnham Not many came back did they Oh god I cannot stop the tears even reading the dreadful things people have had to endure

Not close family, but a perfectly normal family group in Hull, torn apart by the mother's death in the 1890s. The eldest children found live-in jobs. The two little boys stayed with their father in a rough lodging house, where most of the other occupants were dockers. The youngest boy emigrated to Canada and was killed in WW1. The middle boy was also a soldier and his marriage broke up during the war. This was bad enough, but the eldest boy went into the army before WW1. He developed cancer and died in 1912. In his soldier's papers, he names his father and brothers as next of kin, but says he doesn't know where they live. The thought of that poor young man, dying alone while his family possibly never knew what happened to him, still has the power to upset me.