Author Topic: Bridal pregnancies?  (Read 8044 times)

Offline Josephine

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 30 January 21 22:24 GMT (UK) »
My 3x-great-grandparents got married less than two weeks after their first child was born. They had him baptized on the same day they were married, but in a church in the next town over. I wish the documents were date-stamped, LOL. I'm guessing the baptism was done after the marriage.

That child died at the age of 13, so we'll never know for sure (not that it matters to me, except out of curiosity).

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Offline coombs

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #10 on: Saturday 30 January 21 22:36 GMT (UK) »
There's also the case of bound apprentices, many of whom were prohibited from marriage until bond conditions had been met, which was usually age 21 or after 7 years. It might be several years after that when they could afford to marry.

Colin

That is a thought, my ancestor may have served an apprenticeship as a weaver in London. No known record in the Register of Apprentices 1710-1811 but it may have been a pauper apprenticeship. I don't think Bethnal Green poor law records survive for 1770-1784 though.

And yes, in other cases, that may have delayed a wedding, then they had to find the funds for a wedding. I think weddings back then were much more low key than today but still had to be paid for.



Researching:

LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain

Offline Viktoria

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #11 on: Saturday 30 January 21 23:02 GMT (UK) »
Now that has made something possible in my family.
Maternal grandparents.
Both aged 18 Born 1866.
He an Apprentice  Blacksmith.
She a Heald knitter (  threads on the heddle of a loom that raised alternate  treads .)
Baby born two weeks before the wedding.1884,
Another eleven followed at intervals  up to January 1910.
Perhaps they could not marry sooner  because of his indentures , but the baby made  that  imperative.
Ah well -They “ made a go of it” a saying hereabouts when something is a lasting success.
Viktoria.

Offline Maiden Stone

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #12 on: Sunday 31 January 21 00:32 GMT (UK) »
       brides being pregnant at the time of marriage, some of them just pregnant,

One of my ancestors may have been "just pregnant" when she married in 1757, unless the baby, born 8 months later, was premature. The baby would have been baptised at home within a few days of birth as parents were both Catholics. They married after banns. Bride was 6 years older than her husband; he was only 18.
Cowban


Offline DianaCanada

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #13 on: Sunday 31 January 21 01:36 GMT (UK) »
I have read that at many times over the past, there were serious housing shortages, so young couples had to wait for their own place.  Pregnancies happened anyway.  Some parents would welcome the couple to share their home, if they married.  Other couples waited it out and only married when a place to live became available, baby or no baby.

Offline coombs

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #14 on: Sunday 31 January 21 14:34 GMT (UK) »
My ancestors Samuel Auber/Obey and Elizabeth (Nee Newman) had a son in March 1773, and they married in November 1774. The son was baptised as if the parents were married in 1773.

I too have found a set of banns for a couple a few years prior to their wedding, they were together a long time before they actually wed, but as others have said, housing shortages, apprenticeships delayed things.

I have several who were about 3 to 4 months pregnant at the time of the wedding. She announced she was expecting, so they had to walk up the aisle. As said, a shotgun wedding. 2 direct ancestors wed in Lambeth in February 1866, their first set of banns read on 21 January. The bride was 3 months pregnant at the time the first set of banns was called, and 4 months when she wed the groom.

Researching:

LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain

Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #15 on: Tuesday 02 February 21 02:01 GMT (UK) »
They were often just being practical.  With no pensions, social services etc, working class people needed to have children so that they would hopefully have someone to support and look after them in old age.  So some couples wanted to make sure of fertility and would wait until there was a pregnancy before tying the knot.
UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #16 on: Tuesday 02 February 21 13:12 GMT (UK) »
I think I must have a record in my tree in order to legitimise the birth...

John & Margaret married 1 Jan 1907, son John born 3 Jan 1907

Annie
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Offline ozdelver

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Re: Bridal pregnancies?
« Reply #17 on: Sunday 07 February 21 07:52 GMT (UK) »
Well, my grandparents really left their marriage to the last minute!
 
The marriage was held in London the day before their first son was born. Husband was son of a well-to-do family from Brighton. Wife was a lowly shop-girl working in the family Department Store.

I think the boss had dismissed her, and she had gone up to live in central London. Her own family came from North London.

I have a distinct image in my mind of bride's father standing beside them with a shot-gun, making sure hubby didn't do a bolt at the altar, and leave his daughter and her family in total shame.

As it was, hubby and his new wife and newborn baby were banished to the colonies (Australia) by his father, within three months of the birth. They cut him off almost completely.

It was a very hard life for Grandma, as it was in the middle of the depression, and there was no work to be had in the city. He would be away for months at time, leaving her to look after their family of now four children on the meagre funds he was able to send back to her. I have a letter from him to Grandma, asking for her to send him some shirts and pyjamas, as the work crew were living in tents in the cold winter months.

Sadly Grandfather died only 11 years after emigrating, and poor Grandma was stranded here with no means of support and no family here to help her. I remember Dad telling us that she used to take in washing, and also got off the tram one stop early so she could save a ha'penny to spend on her children. There was lots of tales of eating tripe, brains and lambs fry for dinner, and of course bread with dripping.