Had a baby in her fifties??

[Mike in Cumbria]

As has been suggested, look at the 1911 census.

You will be interested in the entry.

[brigidmac]

i was interested in this story ;tried looking for ebenezer in 1911 census
didnt find him

found Caleb  in Chiddingly ....what are the sisters married names ?

[josey]

Ebenezer married Caroline Boniface in 1900, so try looking for this couple in 1911.

Marriages Sep 1900
Boniface    Caroline        Eastbourne    2b   177    
Tompsett    Ebenezer William        Eastbourne    2b   177

[BumbleB]

To find William and Ann in 1911 you may have to insert an "h"  but not for Ebenezer.

[Honor]

i was interested in this story ;tried looking for ebenezer in 1911 census
didnt find him

found Caleb  in Chiddingly ....what are the sisters married names ?

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the responses.

I've looked at the 1911 census. I guess that some of those children were, indeed, grandchildren.

Someone asked for the married names of the sisters,

Martha married John Roser in 1865,

I'm yet to find a husband for Lucy,

Elizabeth married Job Guy in 1868,

Esther married in in 1896 but am unsure which man is her husband,

I'm yet to find a husband for Ann,

I'm yet to find a husband for Mary,

and Bessie married Frederick Rayner in 1889.

Ebenezer can be found living with his wife Caroline Boniface on the 1911 census.

[brigidmac]

Thanks ....
How many of the children on that list were grand children ?there was a 23 year gap between them not counting Ebenezer !

the 1911 census doesn't solve the mystery of who his mother was yet

A bit more searching required ?  Good luck  ! 

[marcie dean]

it was not unheard of, but it was thought to be more dangerous for mother and child butnot impossible women were having children from the age of 15yrs to 50yrs. because overall our diets were better and there was not much in contraception around except no. women entered menopause later than now. we now choose to have children in our early 40s' but you are then closer to having your menopause about the same time an standing the chance of having a child with downs rather than one without the condition. and of course we now have contraception choices which until reasonably recently were not available then, and our diets are improving having gone through a not so good period around the 60s' we are more aware of what we should be eating to keep us healthy and enabling us to enjoy life without all of the allergies of say even 10yrs ago. even couples who have problems of conceiving are finding it easier to have a family although expensive due to all the tests etc that have to be paid for and only upto a certain age can you obtain this help on the nhs, otherwise its very costly to go private.

[coombs]

I am a man so what do I know about the menopause  but I did read that just before the menopause, women did have a spurt in fertility. It probably shows that my hobby of genealogy has made me study human life more as well as religious topics even though I am not religious myself. It is rare but not unknown for a woman to have a baby at 50. One private genealogist I once knew said a woman could have a baby at 60. Without IVF that is very unlikely.

[3sillydogs]

After reading through this thread I am inclined to agree with the grandchild theory.  I have uncovered several in my research into the family, the most glaring with a 26 year gap between the last two kids, with the prime suspect for mother the 16 year old daughter at the time...