You Never Know What You Will Find

More than 160 years ago, a young mother gave birth to a daughter. The birth record gave a rough idea of where the family lived, but no more.

More than 160 years ago, a young mother-to-be checked into a maternity clinic.  The journals still exist. I’ve never used one before, but you never know what you will find. I found that journal record was made for her. It recorded when she went into labor and how long it lasted. It gave some very intimate details. Details it seems strange to think that one can learn after so many years. It also recorded the name of the neighborhood where she lived. She was also asked her what turned out to be a magic question, “When did you move to this city?” That was enough to track the family down.

More than 130 years ago, a young, unwed mother-to-be checked checked into a maternity clinic, just as her own mother had done 27 years before. No journal seems to exist in her case, but the clinic’s birth register shows the birth of her own daughter. No father’s name was given.

More than 125 years ago, a young single mother, with a four-year-old, out-of-wedlock daughter, got married. The marriage record was intriguing. The banns were clear. At the bottom of the page down in the margin was written “The above named couple has acknowledged that together, they begot the child named Hilda.” Mysteries solved. You never know what you will find.

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