What happened to Harriet?

[osprey]

on the 1851 census, there's a Harriet Brock b. 1846 daughter of William & Harriet in Norwich but she's not there in 1861 so I think that might be her death registered in 1854.

I've another marriage for you - my last shot.
dec qtr 1882 Pancras vol 1b pg 93
Harriet Brock and Edward Pitts (I've found other 2 on that page in 1891)
but I can't find them on a later census and if that is your Harriet, where has she been hiding?

[meles]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions yesterday. I had another trawl though the BMDs and wondered if the death in Stand Q2 1853 might be her.

If the family left Yarmouth with Harriet as a babe in arms immediately after her birth, and if they had not yet settled in Pimlico, but got lodgings in nearby Strand, then it might just be her.

I've ordered a death certificate and will let you know the outcome.

Thanks again - it's so nice to feel supported!

meles

[GeoffP]

Hi Geoff,

That sounds like a good possibility. Do let us know the outcome. Good luck.

                                         Geoff

[meles]

The certificates have just arrived (in under a week!), and my guess was right. Harriet died on 2 May 1853, aged 7 weeks, from "Atrophy" (any clues to that, anyone?) at 13 Little Chapel Street, Soho.

So they had moved from Yarmouth with the baby just after her birth. Mystery solved.

The other certificates I ordered all stuck gold: the deaths of 3 other children in Yarmouth (infuriatingly, no addresses!) - Charles, 10 months (Dentition (??) & Bronchitis); Emma, 7 months (unreadable - will ask you all later); and Elizabeth, 2 months (Pneumonia). Sad.

Thanks again for your help

meles

[Necromancer]

Great result Meles !

I think atrophy is 'wasting away' - lack of nourishment ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrophy

[meles]

Sounds very close to neglect. I hope there's another explanation. 

meles

[dollylee]

Please don't assume neglect meles.

My granddaughter born last July was 3 weeks premature and was perfect in every way except she has no concept of how to suck.  My daughter has been through hell and back trying to breastfeed this baby who nurses for one hour every other hour 24 hours a day.  My daughter is determined to breastfeed and it wasn't until this happened that we were all educated as to how common of a problem this is and that this alone was responsible for a great percentage of infant mortality throughout the ages.

Mothers in the mid 1800's did not have the same support system, medical attention nor the time to deal with a situation like this.  If this or something similar was the case with Harriet her poor mother probably had to stand by helpless to do anything to help her.

dollylee

[meles]

I've been talking to my mother who said the same thing about me! Never could put weight on, until I was 40, when I suddenly started to fill out. So there's every hope for you daugher and ganddaughter.

meles (now on a diet!)

[GeoffP]

Great news that you found Harriet, another one of those difficult problems solved.

                             Regards
                                           Geoff