Infant deaths - include or exclude?

[CarolBurns]

I include them
I have found that many who have died have the same name as, sometimes, a direct ancestor. For example William born 1848 died within a couple of years and then his brother born in 1860 was also called William. The second William is a direct ancestor. One rellie I found was determined that the William who died was the direct ancestor. As they had found his name and dob and not checked for the rest of the family.
Including them helps a lot in the research

Carol

[KathMc]

Carol,

That's a great point. I have a lot of that, especially on my Alsatian side. I guess it was the thing to do. My direct ancestor Caroline had a sister Caroline who died as an infant a couple years before mine was born, and that same family also had two Salomes (Sarah). And each generation and branch has done that.

Kath

[Tuscany]

Hi Kath

I think I've found  in every case, in my tree, when a child has died in infancy a subsequent one has been given the same name.  I imagine perhaps a lot of them couldn't afford a headstone and it was done as a tribute, in one way spooky but in another a living memorial.

I hate the idea of them being omitted as though they never existed.  So please everyone include the babies.

[kerryb]

Tuscany

I too have found that to be the case.  I guess they are family names because I have a couple of instances where at least 3 children have been given the same name before 1 survives to adulthood!!

Kerry

[KathMc]

My husband is Jewish and their naming tradition is to name after someone who has died, to honor them, so I would say that was the case back then, on top of them being family names and they hope they continue. My ggg grandmother, who is named after a dead sister, is also named after her mother. She also named a daughter after herself, but I believe she died as a teenager. That's one of my brickwalls. Sadly, the name died out, as my ggg grandmother did not use it.

Kath

[Lydart]

That's interesting ... about the Jewish naming system.  Roughly the same thing happens (or certainly used to) among the Luo people around Lake Victoria in Kenya, where I lived.  Most, not all, Luo names start with an A for females, O for males ... so my 3 daughters were given Luo names beginning with A ... (Atieno, Adhiambo and Achieng') and my son Obong'o !!!   Not many white children can claim Luo names !!

BUT, and this is where the system gets a bit difficult to follow, a Luo child is often named after a notable local person who died soon before their birth ... so you can sometimes get men with apparently (because of their initial letter) female names, and vice versa !! 

Nowadays, children are often given western names, so I know a Luo boy called Evans Owuor !!

Anyway, this is getting away from the thread ... but I found it very interesting at the time when I lived there ... and it does, like the Jewish system, carry on the name of someone who has died. 

[LJWKent]

I include the children I've found.  My dad had two other sisters and my mum had one little sister.  They were given names and registered.  I believe now I had another three aunties.

Another similar thing, which I've wanted to post on Rootschat but have never felt able to and maybe now is the time, is my sister had a baby that died last year.  She was half way through her pregnancy when it was discovered the baby had no kidneys or bladder and would not survise (my sister was keeping him alive).  She was given the option to go full term or be induced.  She chose the latter.  Glen was born but because he was not full term she was not allowed to register him.  I want to put him in my tree but am unsure if this is the right thing to do since he was not registered birth or death (or maybe put a bit in my sisters notes?).  The hospital gave my sister a certificate to acknowledge him.

Oh, getting myself all upset again!!

Sharon x

Hi Sharon

I think all babies should be added as should infant deaths, they are family after all.
Lesley

[Draith]

I include them..My gg grandmother always had 1846 as her birth on every instance I could find but I could never find a birth record. Eventually found a birth in 1844 so we assumed someone had date wrong....but have just recently found a burial of a child with the same name and address as the family in 1845. Looks like my gg gran was never actually registered? Does seem to explain why I never found her actual birth.

[Rena]

I have found that without exception all my Scottish, Welsh, English, Irish and German ancestors all used a naming pattern and it's the same naming pattern, which ended after the 1940s.

    *The first son was named after the father's father
    The second son was named after the mother's father
    The third son was named after the father
    The fourth son was named after the father's eldest brother

    The first daughter after the mother's mother
    *The second daughter after the father's mother
    The third daughter after the mother
    The fourth daughter after the mother's eldest sister

If a wife died before a child was given her name, then a second wife would sometimes give one of her daughters the name of the first wife.   A couple of times I've had a child with an unfamiliar given name and have subsequently found that  a child had been given the name of a benefactor, such as a man who had given an ancestor a job, etc.

When I wrote to the German church archivist asking if they could give me the names of my gt. grandfather's parents who lived in the Kingdom of Hanover, I sent them names of all his children.

*His first born son was William Henry
*His second born daughter was Edith Sophia

The archivist was able to reply within hours that
gg's parents were Henry and Sophia -
the first given names of William & Edith were witness names..