A feeling of sadness

[deeiluka]

Betty, I remember when I found a first cousin twice removed and his family. The first three children all died within a month of birth. The fourth child lived to be 3 years old and then she died. They had two more children - a son and a daughter. The son went off to fight in WW1 and of course, you can guess what happened. Just one daughter left - she married and I have not tracked down any more details for her yet.

I sat in front of the records and thought of those poor parents - and unashamedly had tears rolling down my face.

.....dee

[BettyofKent]

Those poor parents dee, to suffer that & then lose their son in the war.
The children probably could have been saved if born in more recent times. The premature baby (in my first message) survived for a day, this was in 1881, now would most likely live.  I hope you find the one surviving child from your cousin's family.

Betty

[deeiluka]

Might have a go at that today and see if I can find any more, Betty. If not, I shall seek the help of Rootschatters.   

.....dee

[indiapaleale]

I was sad when I found that the 7 children of my Grandfather's brother lost both parents and were sent to Canada (British Home Children)

Why didn't the family take care of these little ones? There were many relatives in Birmingham at the time.

But then, when I discovered, from the Middlemore Home records and the 1901 Canadian census,  that little Ruth Rebecca was working as a domestic servant at 9 years of age in Nova Scotia, I couldn't sleep!

I know it is so sad for the little children that died.....but I sometimes think it is just as sad for the little children who lived.

India
Still searching for the families of the  British Home Children.

[liverpool annie]

Well .... I wept ..... when I read the WW1 War Diaries of my Granddad's battalion and I read of all the terrible conditions the men endured - the trenches ... the rats ... hardly any food ....... men dying all around them .... being wounded ..... scared out of their minds .... acting brave .... looking after each other  .....

then I thought of how - when they came home - they had to go "back to normal " ...... ( whatever that is  !! ) - and find jobs ..... earn a living and look after families etc etc ......... my heart went out to him !! and all the stories I'd heard of him being an old so and so and drinking more than he should .......... no wonder !!

It really opened my eyes to how lucky we all are - to be here - because of what those "ordinary ... salt of the earth men " did for us !!

God love 'em all ........ they were all heroes !

Annie

[Welsh Jules]

My grandmother died aged 27 of toxaemia after giving birth to my mother and her twin brother. It was 1943 and my grandfather was away fighting in the war. The saddest thing about this is that the doctors knew she had this and wanted her to go into hospital to have the babies but her mother wouldn't allow it saying she had to give birth at home. It was accepted that had she gone to hospital she would have lived. The babies were tiny and no one thought they would survive but luckily for me and my cousins they did.

Here's a photograph of her looking rather beautiful I think. 

[thenanny2die4]

I'm sure we all empathise with all these stories.  Each time I receive a death certificate, I wonder why on earth I ordered it; they always upset me.  The worst one for me was my maternal Grandfather's.  He and my Grandmother were divorced soon after the birth of my Mum's younger sister and, as was the way in those days, all contact with his girls ceased.  All I knew when I started my research, was his name.  When I received his death certificate, it was to confirm that I was four years old when he died, and he'd never moved away.  We were about five miles away from this man I never met and my Mother had not seen him in all those years.  What a shame.

[indiapaleale]

Jules,
Your grandmother was a very beautiful woman.
So sad that she died so young.
Indi

[missmolly]

So many sad stories
I often wondered why my Grandmother died young so out of curiosite  I sent for her Death cert.
She died in 1932 age 39 of Valvular Heart disease whilst in advanced pregnancy leaving behind 4 children my father being the eldest at 14yrs.
I feel really  sad when I get a death cert but still keep sending for them

Mo