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I read this with interest because the same sort of thing happened to me and I'm sure some of my family were unlucky.

My 4 x gg aunt was married to a mariner (ships captain) and he drowned when he fell overboard in a London dock, leaving her with 4 sons, 1 daughter and pregnant. Three of the sons were mariners like their father and were lost at sea/drowned in separate incidents, the 4th son was a plumber who was crushed to death by an overhead crane. Only the last son, born after his father had died and the daughter lived to a decent age. Then as if the poor woman hadn't suffered enough her granddaughter was scalded to death age 4.

This all happened in the 2nd half of the 19th century and I know things were different then, but even so I reckon she was very unlucky.

This is what makes fh so interesting but I do agree we definitely don't know how lucky we are now.

Patty

Hi, don't know if it's of any help but Anthony Bowron & Mary MacDonald were my 3 x gr. grandparents if he was a Blacksmith from Brignall, Yorkshire

I haven't worked on this line for ages but from my records I've got the same marriage and death record as you mention but I think he had 7 children (inc. my 2 x gr grandmother Elizabeth).

The problem I found was that there are 2 Mary Bowron's in or around Brignall on the 1841 census, Mary MacDonald who married to Anthony Bowron and Mary Pratt who married Henry Bowron of Timpton Hill Farm, the two Bowron's must have been related and it got very complicated so I put it too one side for a break. I didn't find any mention of George MacDonald but I'm definitely going to have a look now.

Can't help you with the DNA being female, but thought you might be interested anyway.

Regards
Patty



 

My mother had a big Victorian photo album which we used to look through and she could name all the people in the photos and she told me many stories about her mother's family, I knew she was an orphan and brought up by her mother's two unmarried sisters, I found out her father died the day after she was born and her mother 3 days later, her birth was registered by an aunt on the same day as her mother was buried.

She also told me her mother's brother was drowned as a child. It was actually the son of another aunt, and he committed suicide age 14, there was a brother though who died young he had physical and mental disabilities, so maybe my mum just got them mixed up.

My father's family were from Waterford, Ireland, I was told by my father but now I'm not so sure and I knew those grandparents and the names of some of their siblings although they never talked about the past.

It's been a journey of discovery in more ways than one and I'm so glad I started.....but will I ever get finished, that's doubtful 
 

Mine is William Briggs my maternal gr.grandfather, born maybe c1839. I have never found a birth or marriage for him. According to the 1871 & 1891 census' he was on he was born either Durham or Lancashire, he is missing completely from the 1881 census although his 'wife' Mary Jane and children are on it. His death is well documented as there was a coroner's inquest plus I have the original receipt from the undertaker. I have plenty of information on Mary Jane's family and all their children but even with loads of help from other Rootschatters the Briggs family stops with him.
It's very frustrating but I keep checking on all the sites you never know maybe one day all will be revealed.

Patty