Long gap between siblings in CLARKSON family 1911-1925

[Keith Sherwood]

Thanks for that mshrmh,
And I must now stop casting aspersions towards those two elder sisters, Annie and Alice Violet, as I've just now received Patricia CLARKSON's birth certificate of 6th March 1927, her parents' names clearly given as John CLARKSON and Alice CLARKSON, formerly CASEY.  So the long, 14-year gap between siblings was simply a strange fact of nature/anomaly, possibly caused by the intervention of The Great War and its long-lasting after-effects, perhaps...
regards, keith

[alpinecottage]

Just because something's written on a birth cert doesn't mean it's true......

But  birth control was available in 1912, so maybe they'd decided enough was enough after the 1912 birth, but felt differently after the War or else when Anthony came along unexpectedly, they thought they'd try for another "to keep him company".

[carol8353]

Of course Spanish flu was around in 1918 which resulted in many mothers miscarrying babies too.

[Melbell]

For what it's worth - I remember seeing an episode of "Who do you think you are?" (can't remember which one!!) and this problem was discussed.  Apparently, temporary infertility was quite a likely occurrence in 19th Century if the parents were suffering from a particular disease/condition - but stupidly I can't remember which disease it was!! Can anyone else?

I have a family of my own with a similar unresolved gap.

Melbell.

[carol8353]

For what it's worth - I remember seeing an episode of "Who do you think you are?" (can't remember which one!!) and this problem was discussed.  Apparently, temporary infertility was quite a likely occurrence in 19th Century if the parents were suffering from a particular disease/condition - but stupidly I can't remember which disease it was!! Can anyone else?

Syphillis 

It was the most common cause of miscarriages or early childhood deaths at that time as many men came home from the war with it 

[heywood]

Just because something's written on a birth cert doesn't mean it's true......

But  birth control was available in 1912, so maybe they'd decided enough was enough after the 1912 birth, but felt differently after the War or else when Anthony came along unexpectedly, they thought they'd try for another "to keep him company".

I agree. I have heard of modern families doing the same thing when they have had a second' family like this - so that the child would have a close sibling.

[Braindead]

A couple of thoughts...
1. Were there any infant deaths / stillbirths that might have occurred between the two dates? ( My G Grandfather was born in 1883 and his younger brother was born 15 years later in 1898, but I found a sibling who only lived for a year b. 1886)
2. (On a lighter note) Could it be something to do with Macclesfield - the family I mentioned above, lived in the town!

[Keith Sherwood]

Braindead,
Well, I'm going to plump for the Macclesfield Factor, out of all the lively suggestions so far, then!
Regards, keith

[palace81]

I had a similar gap with my grandad, he is the youngest in his family with an age gap of 9 years between between him and his older sister.

I had always presumed that he was just a late arrival in the family.  Then when the 1911 census was released i found that there had been another sister that neither myself or my mother new anything about.  When i looked into it i found out she had died about a year before my grandad was born. 

When i did a bit more research i found out that some doctors would incourage a mother to have another child if she was still within child bearing age as a way to help with the grief. 

My mother also said she was incouraged to get pregnant as soon as possible after suffering a miscarriage and this was many years later.

So my grandad could have been a happy late arrival or a sort of replacement for the child they had lost to illness.  I will never know which it was but i am sure glad it happened as i wouldn't be here if it hadn't!