Have you ever found someone and wondered about them??

[MarieC]

In my most elusive family line, my g-g-uncle was a vicar in Wales (his sister came to Australia with her husband and was my direct ancestor).  He and his wife had seemed to be childless, until a kind Rootschatter visited the church where he had been the Vicar and found and photographed a baby's grave.  The little mite only lived a couple of months.  I was so sad, and I have often wondered - were they unable to have more children, or did they decide not to?  It must have been such a grief for that couple.  I often think of them and of little Christopher.

MarieC

[sarahsean]

My grt, grt, great grandfather and mother had two children who died.

Charles born in 1826 died sometime before 1829 and Henry b1828 died 1829.  They then had two other boys and named them Charles b 1829 and Henry b1830 after the children who died.  This really struck me as i would be unable to name my children after children who had died. 


What do other people think?

Sarah

[LizzieW]

Lal

I do that too, sometimes even to the extent of buying certificates - mad or what . 

Interestingly, there was a topic on Roots recently from someone tracing their family.  I thought, that name sounds familiar.  Sure enough it was the name of the first husband of my 2 x g.uncle's 2nd wife.  At least I now know a little more about this man, but why would I need to know - as Linda says, more Family historian than genealogist.

Lizzie

[aniph]

My great grand parents married in Australia then went to NZ. I looked for their marriage in Australia then any births. In total they had 9 children and 3 were left in graves in Melbourne Only 3 lived to adulthood. They are all proudly named on my tree and how I feel for their parents.

Annie

[groom]

I was upset to find that my great grandmother's sister had 10 children and only 2, Philip and George lived to adulthood, most died the same year they were born. Philip married and had 3 children, two of whom died young. Philip himself died aged 44 and as far as I can see the family petered out as his only daughter didn't marry, neither did his brother George. I feel that by tracing them and putting them on my tree they are not forgotten. 

Jan

[LoneyBones]

I found a Gertie who had written a letter to the Australian Military asking for information about my great uncle. The letter was amongst his military papers. I didn't know who she was at the time and assumed she must have been engaged to him. Since he was killed in action at the Somme I always felt so sorry for her.
I later learned she was my great aunt, his sister Elizabeth, known in the family as Gertie.
But it made me realise that there must have been many a fiancee who was never informed of her man's death unless she was close to his family. On Anzac day I always think of the Gerties who were never told.

Leonie.

[Maggie1895]

I feel that by tracing them and putting them on my tree they are not forgotten.
Jan

Jan, I do the same.   I've been surprise to find how upsetting the discovery of infant deaths in the family is, even a century or more later.   The first I found was my gr.gr uncle, several years ago, and the most recent I found last week explained my gr.gr.grandmother's early death: she died following childbirth and her son died at the age of 9 months.   I  record all of them on my tree  for the same reason as you and several others do, and as I put together the family history for my children and grandchildren they will all have their place.   Linda said that marks the difference between family historians and genealogists, and I think that's spot on.

[myluck!]

I am glad I started this topic as it is nice to see confirmed how much we all care about all those past.
I have found many people that were not previously known to exist especially children. It seems they were just whisked away and buried and families expected to get on with life in many cases.
And I also have my "adopted" family of people picked up along the way!

[LizzieW]

My gran had 3 children who died, one aged 24 in 1920 from TB, one aged 15 months in 1907 from tuberculosis meningitis and one aged 2 weeks in 1910 from congenital debility and convulsions.  Not sure what that would be classed as today.  My mum said she had told her that she felt the loss of them all in different ways.  Some unfeeling person had told her, when the 2 week old son died that as she'd already got 7 children it didn't matter that this one had died.   My mum said she could remember how upset her mum (my gran) was when telling her the story many years later.  The baby who died was born 18 months before mum.  They are all on my tree, but I only have a photographs of my aunt who died aged 24.

Lizzie