Baby Girl Hyde has a sad story.
She was born 7 November 1884 in Golden, British Columbia, Canada. Her parents are William Henry Hyde and Ann Whiteley, my 3rd great grandparents. Her mother Ann died three days after her birth while her father was away for work. Ann’s cause of death is listed as ‘childbirth’. The birth record above is the only record that I know for certain is about Baby Girl Hyde. It was registered by the doctor who attended her birth and her mother’s death.
Here’s a little of what I know about her family:
- Her parents were both born in Sheffield, York, England and were married 17 February 1873 in Pitsmoor, York, England.
- She has an older sister named Alice Hyde, my 2nd great grandmother. Alice was born 29 July 1880 in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. I’ve mentioned her here and here.
- Henry & Ann have another daughter named Rosey Hyde who was born 14 October 1883 in Golden, British Columbia, Canada {this date has not been proven}. After Ann’s death, Henry took Rosey back to England to live with his parents. She is found living with them on the 1891 Census of England. She later marries twice and lives out her adult life in British Columbia and Washington State.
- After Ann’s death, Henry marries Ann’s younger sister Alice Whiteley in England. He and Alice settle in Alaska where he dies.
- Family notes include information about everything I have listed here. I have been able to find records to support each of these items – with the notable exception of Rosey’s birth date.
Baby Girl Hyde is not mentioned in any family notes even though her mother’s death and cause of death is mentioned. I have so many questions about this family including these:
- Is it possible that Baby Girl Hyde and Rosey Hyde are actually the same person? I have many records about Rosey’s life, none of which include an exact birth date. What if the birth date from the family notes is wrong? I haven’t found evidence of a birth record for Rosey to prove or disprove this possibility.
- IF Baby Girl Hyde & Rosey Hyde ARE two different people, what happened to Baby Girl Hyde?
- Did she die? I haven’t found a death record that matches her birth date and place.
- Was she taken to England? She isn’t listed with her grandparents and Rosey on the census.
- Did the doctor take her home because Henry was gone at the time of her birth? I can’t find the doctor on the next census.
- Did Henry & Ann have other children before Alice? Seven childless years is a long time for newlyweds.
I have a lot more stones to turn over in my quest for answers. I hope one day to know the name Henry chose for Baby Girl Hyde. I hope to know what became of this little girl, my 2nd great grand Aunt.
What a puzzle. It does seem odd for there to be no birth record for Rosey, unless of course it wasn’t uncommon in the area to not always register every birth? Of course it could be that the family told her a birth date so she didn’t grow up thinking that it was her birth that caused her mothers death? Putting it at least a year before does make it seem more plausible – most children don’t have a clue how old they are unless you tell them.
Yes, it is all very odd. I need to learn more about records for Golden, BC. I’m going to visit my grandmother soon. I’m hoping as I interview her she might be able to shed some light on this for me.
Best of luck! Hope she might be able to help! It seems interesting that on that record for the Female Hyde that the father’s name is – Hyde and then mother as Ann Hyde rather than Ann Hyde formerly Whiteley though.
Pretty common in frontier areas. They had no family there, they were new to the area – a new area. The doctor probably only knew her as Ann Hyde and he was the one to register the death. My mom’s line is filled with frontier folks and those records are frustratingly inconsistent in areas such as maiden surnames. I often have to take a break from these lines and work on more civilized areas so my order loving heart gets a break from the frustration. 🙂
Ah I see! But yes, it’s funny really as people tend to expect ‘official records’ to be proper and correct and have all the right info on but it goes to show how rare it actually is to have EVERYTHING right on an official document!
For sure!
What a sad, mysterious tale of your 2-GreatGrand Aunt. For every success in our ancestors, there’s 10 more that are mysterious. Hopefully your Grandma may come up with a little clue that will be your break-through.
Thank you, I hope so too!
Interesting story and mystery. I hope you find the answers…and then, of course, blog about it!
Thank you, I hope so too! And thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere today.
Fascinating mystery. I hope you are able to resolve it. My own feeling is that “Baby Girl” and Rosie are one and the same. In terms of the seven childless years, I learned recently that syphilis infection of the mother can result in a birth pattern that starts with lots of miscarriages and children dying very young, followed by increasing numbers of children surviving as the effects of infection lessen. Apparently syphilis was very, very common in the 19th century and so many family exhibit this pattern of births, miscarriages, stillbirths, etc. I first heard about this on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are. It was the actor Martin Freeman from Sherlock, The Hobbit, etc. and he talked to a doctor who specialises in 19the century medicine. Then I found the same pattern in one branch of my family where I know the father had syphilis.
I kind of lean toward that as well. Now I just have to find the documents to prove it either way. That is very interesting info about syphilis – thanks for sharing that.
I wish you good luck, it’s always so good to clear up a mystery. 🙂