Do you ever wish you'd never looked?

[GardenAngel]

Been making the most of my time off work to do more research, but it's not always a positive experience! One of my Great-Grandmothers on my mum's side went into Chesterfield Union Workhouse in 1861 when she was 10 years old, after her mother died. She was with her younger sister (7) and brother (5). Have spent most of today researching the Workhouse and am thoroughly p***d off at the rest of her family! :lol: Her dad was still living and so was her brother and one of her older sisters. Why did they let them go into such a place? Am baffled and would welcome any thoughts as to why this might have happened. By the next census in 1871 she had met and married my Great-Grandfather, and her little brother was living with her older (married) sister and working in the mines. But sadly her little sister had died (in 1866, aged 11).

Part of me loves this research and it makes me appreciate my easy 21st century life all the more. But sometimes, and certainly in this case, there are more questions than answers, and I get so frustrated because they are not here to answer those questions! :rolleyes:

I think about that little girl, going into that oppressive looking building with her little brother and sister and I wonder what on earth was going on with the rest of her family that they would let that happen. I know it's all irrelevant now really, as it's all history, but I just wondered if anyone else has been upset by things they have discovered on their searches? And if anyone has any idea why something like this - which seems so incomprehensible to me now - might have been an OK thing to have happed in the 19th century?

Kerry x

[SunDrop]

I sort of felt the same discovering that my great great uncle died in WWI. When I researched the area a little more, I was able to discover that both he and one of his brothers signed up on the same day, before conscription was forced or being called up. His brother came home and went on to have a family, but he died at the battle of the Somme, 4 days before the end of that battle, aged 18. 4 days! It's understandable for the time, but when you look at the rest of his family, his parents (my great great grandparents) had already lost 4 children in infancy to cholera and tuberculosis. I can't begin to imagine her feelings about sending 2 sons off to war, particularly with the hinsight of what a military disaster and needless sacrifice the battle of the Somme turned out to be.

[jantyannie]

if you watched Evelyn that was on tv tonight a lot of familys had to let children go into the workhouse or poor house and some had their children taken from them as they couldnt travel to work or to look for work and look the children at the same time
I imagine getting kids back from these places was harder than putting them in

[Christine]

I think sometimes it is difficult to divorce ourselves from what we know now and how we live now to understand what went on over 100 years ago. It is easy with hindsight and a knowledge of the welfare state to think they should have done more but most people were living a hand to mouth existence and unless a family member was a wage earner they had few options.

Part of my family took in another family when both the father and mother died within a couple of years of each other leaving several young children. I have since found that after the mother died the father remarried fairly quickly (I presume to have someone to look after him and his children as well as for love) but as soon as he died a couple of years later she disappeared off the scene with her own daughter and one from the marriage. My great great grandfather had enough money to take the family in (he was only a master blacksmith but from what I have found out was also fairly wealthy for the time) and one of the daughters married my great grandfather. I am sure they would have ended up in the workhouse otherwise.

[Tia]

Kerry,

Completely know where you are coming from! Have thought along the same lines several times myself. I just wish I had asked my Grandparents more.

As for more questions than answers, I find this is the most frustrating aspect too.

[jqp]

My gt gt gt grandfather went into the Workhouse after his wife died, taking three of the he youngest children with him. Apparently he just couldn't cope. The youngest boy, George, was then sent to Canada...of which he wrote a book about his experiences about both (I have yet to read it) but it proves people did survive the experience.

My gt gt grandmother (maternal side) also grew up in the workhouse . According to the records, she was sent out to work at various establishments...from which she returned with the comment of 'not suitable'!!!! Apparently she considered herself 'better' than the positions she was sent to.
She lived into her 90's, and was apparently stone deaf from her teenage years (which the census never recorded, mmmmm) and of which we have a tape recording of her singing in remarkably good tune for someone who was deaf....

[eilo]

Unfortunately that was the only alternative in the 19th century the workhouse and young men going to war, gggrand father died in the Crimean he was only 29 one month before his only child was born I've been in touch with a relative from genes reunited she sent me a photo of her gfather (my grandfathers younger brother ) he died in WWI aged 32 I only have one pic of my gf when he was about 78 the photos of the two men show them to be so alike its heartbreaking to see them so many lives wasted .Others on looking at the parish records having a child born every year and only living a few months.On census returns family's have the single working brothers lodging with them helping to eak out a megre existence It makes me so sad sometimes doing research
The TV prog Who do you think you are next week is about Jerremy Paxton

[Bluemoonjules]

My grandmother and her sister ended up in an children's home in Wolverhampton in the 1900s - and they had living relatives, so I know what you mean - where were they? Why did they not look after them?