Almost as a postscript, after I hit the “publish” button on
yesterday’s blog entry, a little bit of additional information grasped
my attention. Sandwiched between the many other listings at FamilySearch.org
for our Kelly family's descendant, Robert Fulk—the Chicago
version of that surname’s spelling rendered it as Faulk—there were two other
records which revealed a surprising, but brief story.
It was a record of birth that began the scene—the record of an
unnamed Faulk son, born in Chicago
on the evening of February 10, 1920. With the parents’ names entered as Robert
Charles Faulk and Gertrude Pryor, it certainly was a document regarding our Chicago Faulks.
The date, though, prompted me to turn back to the records I
had gleaned for yesterday’s post, just to double check. Yes, that date did seem familiar. It was only one day
before the date for Gertrude’s own passing.
I have no way—yet—to know whether Robert and Gertrude
ever gave that tiny child a name. You see, everything happened so quickly after
that birth—an arrival I can’t imagine heralded any joyful reception. Within six hours, that little life was officially documented as expired—too soon to even
pronounce a given name for the baby. The death record noted his date of
death as February 11, 1920, which was, of course, that familiar date which
caught my attention—the very day the child’s mother had also passed away.
While the newspaper back in the hometown of his father stated
that the baby’s mother had died from pneumonia, this tiny paper trail made me
wonder what the rest of the story might be.
On Valentine’s Day of that year, it was not one love that
was buried at Mount
Olivet, but two.
I suppose she could have had pneumonia prior to delivery. Sad all around either way.
ReplyDeleteYes, sad. I can't help but feel a bit of melancholy, running into a report like this--even though it's about family, these are people we've never met, obviously, but the pathos transcends even the level of total strangers.
DeleteThe pneumonia and dehydration probably sent her into premature labor...sad:(
ReplyDeleteLikely. Seems like so many in this particular family had early, unfortunate health outcomes.
DeleteWhat a sad story Jacqi. That poor Father! I can only imagine his grief in realizing that the greatlyanticipated day when he and Gertrude would welcome their new baby had been snatched away and replaced instead with a deep sadness.
ReplyDeleteIt was strange to realize how much this little story hit me. Just like you described it, Michelle, I thought of the scenario, and exactly how "snatched away" it turned out to be. I can hardly imagine having to bear such a burden, but I know there were many, in that time period and before, for whom this was a not uncommon occurrence.
DeleteSo sad. I found birth and death recorded the same day in an old family Bible that I had looked at many times - yet never noticed the reality of what had happened. As I looked more closely, I realized that the birth and death of that baby girl was what motivated the recording of births and deaths in that Bible. She didn't live, but needed to be recorded for posterity. I felt sad for days after my discovery.
ReplyDeleteKathy, I can understand how that sadness would linger with you for days. I had such a sense of melancholy when I realized how the sequences played out in these lives. Yet, how encouraging it must have been for you to realize that it was this very incident that precipitated the family's recording of that daughter's brief life. It underscores for us the realization that every life is important in some way, and at the very least, is worth not being totally forgotten.
DeleteWhat stuns one is that you are expecting the joy of a new family member, and a promise of life.. and it badly misfires. Cruel twist of fate -- and it happens.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine the pain the family must have gone through, but I realize this was not that unusual a scenario for that time period and earlier.
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