What happened to Caroline Winter, b.1851?

[fyremoon]

Parents aren't named on a death certificate.  The informant is named and in the case of a child it is usually a parent or family member.

You can send off to the GRO for a pdf copy which will be emailed to you.  It costs £7

Chris

Thanks for that Chris!

I double checked Caroline's birth register and it's in the March Q of 1851, so it's quite possible the birth was late 1850, and by the time of Ellen's death in Dec Q of 1853 as a 3 year old, it could feasibly be the same child...

[ChrissieL]

Let's hope the death certificate will solve your mystery. If it is her I wonder why her name changed.
There are always mysteries to solve in Family history research

Chris

[osprey]

on a child's death cert in England & Wales, it should say son or daughter of & usually the father's name. Although it does depend if the person registering the death knowing the correct name. I have one where the death was registered by someone who was present at the death, father's occupation is correct but not his first name - he had died a few years earlier.

[fyremoon]

We'll see what the death cert says... it may pose more questions than it answers yet.

In this case both of Caroline's parents are still alive and in Narberth in 1853, so if Ellen is Caroline, hopefully it will say something about the father.

I've speculated about a possible name change - all sorts of things from pronunciation leading to 'Ellen' for short, to an unofficial middle name, to an informant mis-hearing the grieving parents - but it's all just that: pure speculation.

I'll post back when I receive the PDF.

[fyremoon]

Hello again,

I have Ellen's death certificate through from GRO - and it would appear that Ellen is Caroline!

14 Oct 1853, Cold Blow, Narberth.
Ellen Winter
Female, 3 years
Dau of William Winter, a poulterer
Died of 'hooping cough', one month, no medical attendant :-( So sad.

Witness was a Sarah Jenkins, present at death, at Cold Blow Narberth. I'm not sure who that is.
It also doesn't explain the name change, but she must have been known as Ellen. Just 3, poor love.

Thank you Rootschatters, for helping solve this mystery! 

[ChrissieL]

So pleased that the mystery of Caroline has been solved. It's always sad though when a little child has died. 

Chris

[fyremoon]

So pleased that the mystery of Caroline has been solved. It's always sad though when a little child has died. 

Chris

Yes, it was a bit of a flat feeling, after the initial excitement of solving the mystery... poor little mite, dying of whooping cough. Very sad.

I wonder how it affected all the other young children in the family - Caroline/Ellen had a baby sister, Sophie, by then who would've been about 1, and 10 older siblings, 5 of whom would most likely still have been at home, ages 4 - 13.

Were they also sick, and recovered? Or were they farmed out to family elsewhere to be away from the illness? Or did they stay home and just didn't catch it? How did they feel about losing their little sister, I wonder?

Whatever grief did to her parents, William and Sarah Matilda, they didn't stop having children though, as the next one, Charles, was born about a year later.

15 children in all, and all but Caroline/Ellen survived to adulthood.