RootsChat.Com
Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Dunbartonshire => Topic started by: islay 1 on Thursday 10 September 15 16:46 BST (UK)
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Is there any way I can proceed with this enquiry? Your expertise would be greatly appreciated!
The first child to my parents was stillborn, and a girl. She was born in November 1945. The family were living in Glasgow at the time, in Clydebank, Millburn Avenue. What would have happened to stillborn babies then? Would they have had a communal grave, or would the family have a private burial?
I have no way of knowing if the baby girl had a name, but with the parents' details, could the grave/burial be traced in any way?
Father:Mr Edward Smith, engineering draughtsman
Mother:Mrs Mary Smith, nee Harvey
There was a family lair in Ayr, where my mum came from,which is a slight possibility,but again without a baby's name I am not sure how to proceed or find out where my sister is laid to rest. Sadly both my parents have now passed away and there is no one left to ask.
I suspect that this trail will be an impossible one to complete, but any assistance would be most gratefully received. Thank you for taking the time to read this, Islay
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Hi islay
You could try to obtain a copy of the stillbirth record
http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/registration/registering-a-stillbirth
records are kept after 1939
Looking for a burial usually requires the date of death as well as the name. As you have the date and surname try finding the family lair to see of she is there.
Dawn
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Thank you, Dawn. I did not know there was a register for stillbirths. I will try there,best wishes, Islay.
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Hi Islay,
In the Catholic Registers on Scotlandspeople.com, there is a burial record of a Mary J Smith on 20th January 1945, at St Peters Dalbeth Cemetery, Glasgow. The childs age is given as 0yrs. Could this be a possibility?
Istrice
Sorry Islay, just reread your post, and the dates are not compatible.
Istrice
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Thank you, Istrice,
Although the family were not Catholics and this is not them, I appreciate your interest and time.Islay
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I think access to the register of stillbirths is very restricted - you can't just go and look it up like any other certificate. In fact I am not sure that you are allowed to see it at all.
However there will almost certainly be a records of the burial. I've seen quite a few records of stillborn babies being buried in a family lair. Mostly they are not named - just described as so-and-so's stillborn child (sometimes SB or SBC).
If I were you, I would start with wherever the family lair in Ayr is, and find out when the family bought the lair. If it was before 1945, the baby could have been buried there.
If you draw a blank with that, then try wherever your parents were buried. If they bought the lair in 1945, that could be the reason.
If that too fails, try the nearest cemetery to where the family lived at the time.
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Thank you, Forfarian, for your time and advice.
I have followed up a couple of Rootschat suggestions already, and unless I have misunderstood, you cannot have access to records relating to a stillbirth without first needing to prove that both parents are deceased and that you are a sibling. That is therefore a possible line of enquiry.
I did not know that the initials SB or SBC are used in cases like this, that 's new for me, and thank you for that.
I will follow up your suggestion about the lair in Ayr, although I have no record of where that was. I saw the documentation some yaers ago but it was lost in the clearing of my parents' home unfortunately.I'm hoping it was St Quivox as my g.grandparents are there. Other that that, will try a Glasgow cemetery near where they were living at the time if the baby's death.
It was a very painful subject for Mum and Dad and they rarely mentioned it so I have little information to go on. I suspect the mystery will never be solved, but feel I ought to at least try! Many thanks again for your interest, Islay.
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Possibly no help at all but my grandparents lived on the same street at the same time, and the cemetery they went to wasn't the nearest one - so that may be relevant if you're looking yourself.
There 's the old North Dalnottar Cemetery and across the road the 'new' (1967) Clydebank Crematorium
I know of a few people in that street who went to North Dalnottar.
Hope that helps,
Good luck in your search.
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I obtained an English Stillbirth Certificate for my mother's twin sister.
There is no column or space for a forename.
I am unsure whether Scottish equivalent is the same.
On GRO Scotland website:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/registration/registering-a-stillbirth
It states:
Where no name was recorded for the still-born child at the time of registration, a name can be added at the request of the parents. It is not possible for siblings to request names to be added.
Thus implying that, sometimes, names are indeed included.
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I have finally managed to get my stillborn sister's stillbirth certificate. It has touched me immensely as I did not know she existed until my Mum told me in her eighties. She was born on VE day and my Mum was alone while my Dad was away. I found it so sad but now I have her certificate I feel as if she is remembered and included in my family for ever even though she was not named.
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My mum was always told that her twin sister was to have been called Margaret.
So that's how she appears on my Tree ;D
I'm happy for you, that you finally got her details.
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Hi GillyJ,
So touching I have to say & good that you were given the info. even at a late stage in your parents lives.
It's so sad though, she wasn't given a name but that wouln't have been upto your parents but rather the "system" at the time.
Nowadays names are included, thankfully.
However, I would check burial as she may have been named there or did your parents say she didn't have a name?
Annie
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Such a moving moment when you actually get the certificate and know that it was a real person, I felt just the same when I got my little Sister's, my Mum & Dad named her Winifred Ann though of course not on the certificate.
Winifred Ann has her own birth & death on my family tree just like all my other relations.
So happy you had a lovely outcome.
Trish
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I think I may have posted on the wrong section here and have no connection to islay - sorry for the confusion and I wish her all the best.
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Hi Gilly
Thanks for your post.
Islay hasn't been online here since September so won't have seen these later replies but it may give her some hope of an outcome if she hasn't pursued this line of enquiry yet.
Dawn