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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: benrymnd on Thursday 23 October 08 11:35 BST (UK)

Title: nursechild
Post by: benrymnd on Thursday 23 October 08 11:35 BST (UK)

Could any one tell me what a nursechild is,on doing a search in the 1861 census my family turn up with father mother and children and a baby of 2 months old but with a different surname and under the heading where daughter/son would be is the term nursechild.
regards ray

Title: Re: nursechild
Post by: lizdb on Thursday 23 October 08 11:39 BST (UK)

Often it is a baby to whom the wife is being a wet-nurse. Sometimes it is just a form of child-minding or fostering.

Title: Re: nursechild
Post by: behindthefrogs on Thursday 23 October 08 11:55 BST (UK)

You find nurse children who are much older and it often does not imply that the woman is breast feeding the child.

They are sometimes orphans and sometimes the illegitimate children of the better off who were regarded as better off out of sight far away from home.

David   

Title: Re: nursechild
Post by: JAP on Thursday 23 October 08 12:20 BST (UK)

Go to Berlin-Bob's RootsChat Lexicon of Genealogical Terms, Phrases and Abbreviations at:
http://surname.rootschat.com/lexicon/index.php
and look up Nurse Child.

There is much information there.

Good luck,

JAP

Title: Re: nursechild
Post by: Maggie. on Thursday 23 October 08 12:29 BST (UK)

Hi JAP,

Thanks for posting the link to the RootChat Reference Library - for some reason I have never found it  before ::)  ::)

I have now bookmarked it and will use :D

Maggie

Title: Re: nursechild
Post by: benrymnd on Thursday 23 October 08 20:30 BST (UK)

thanks everyone for the replies.
ray