Reading the cause of death: “heart failure, pulmonary tuberculosis and toxaemia”, it seemed so cruel that she was taken in her mid 30’s (along with her father and two siblings, all during the 1920’s, all victims of TB) when my father was only four.
unfortunately I can't even claim much of an achievement in what I found out.
It seems that my naughty aunty, in the Twenties and thirties gave birth to three different children with three different men.
I’ve just found her husband John Barber, on his father’s farm in the 1841 Census, no Mary Barber. Now I’ve just found her buried in her home village, aged 21, and on the line below, same date, Mary Barber, “aged under 12 hours”. So she died giving birth to her first baby.
Correction: I misread the age, it said under 12 months. Baby Mary was baptised on 11 January and both were buried on 15th January. Still very sad.
unfortunately I can't even claim much of an achievement in what I found out.
It seems that my naughty aunty, in the Twenties and thirties gave birth to three different children with three different men.
Ohh! I think I'd be a bit shocked etc. but it's intriguing at the same time.
Who brought up the other 2 kids & was there any contact or mention of names which now fall into place, now knowing the story?
Annie
On the fly sheet, she has written that her "grandfather was working in the mines from the time he was 8 years old"! It's just so hard to imagine a wee lad working underground in those conditions. It was outlawed by that time, but it still happened,
When I'm focusing on my Scottish (New Cumnock Ayrshire) coal mining ancestors and their families, yes, I do get quite emotional. Many of them died in mining accidents, some of them not much more than children.
I remember taking my elder children down big pit in south wales, my son was 6 or 7 at the time and they pointed out he would have been old enough to work down there, and had him opening doors etc as that is what they would be doing at that age - but made us all turn off the head lights we had - as at that age they would be considered too young to be trusted with a candle/lamp so would be there all shift in the dark, waiting to hear sounds of the cart to open the doors - fun for a few minutes with plenty around you - petifying for a 12 hour shift on your own
A few months ago I was doing a death notice look up for someone on RootsChat and I came across a poem someone had written for a boy miner in their family. I can't remember the words but this was so sad. The poem read that he had set off that morning cheerful and in the best of health but then had been killed in an accident in the mine .. and that we never know when it might be out turn. I felt so sorry for that poor little boy who had his life cut off so tragically. Quite a few of my ancestors were miners - one died a gruesome death mangled in machinery, some like my miner Grandfather didn't live beyond middle age and quite a few became incapacitated with health problems. My own Father narrowly escaped death when he had a pit accident in the 1960s. I am so glad that my Dad was the last generation of miners in my family. Definitely not the good old days for the poor miners!