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Gertrude Emma Duckworth was my husband’s second Great Aunt. She was born March 5, 1891 in Mosa Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. Gertrude was the oldest of seven children. Her parents, Peter and Alta (Fleming) Duckworth were both born in Canada, however, the Duckworth line hails from Lancershire, England. Peter and Alta were wedded December 17, 1889 in Bothwell, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada.
A Little History
Peter’s father, Lawrence Richard Duckworth Sr, was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, England, which is located north of Manchester. He eventually made his way to Canada sometime before 1858. He married Tabitha Kezziah Robbins in Canada July 15, 1858, and Peter was born several years later, on September 28, 1869, in London, Middlesex, Ontario.
Researching the Duckworth line is a little tricky, as it was a pretty common name. Thus, the search into their line is ongoing. Getting back to Gertrude, as I was very saddened as I was researching her.
Girls Were Much Younger Wives
Gertrude was only 16 years old when she married James Thomas Brown. He was 21 years old when they wed on the 31stof December in 1907. Soon after, they welcomed their first child, a boy, Norman Thomas. He was born November 6,1908. Soon after Norman was born. This baby was also a boy, who was born prematurely on November 30, 1909 and sadly, did not survive.
Unfortunately, back in the early 1900s, this wasn’t an unusual thing. If I were to walk through the Goff family cemetery, Clinton Cemetery, in Clinton, Kansas, I would see too many headstones of infants and young children who died before they had a chance to live. It is such a sad tragedy, and one of the hardest issues I deal with as I research all the family lines that came before my husband and me.
It affects me very deeply, and saddens me. But also, I feel as if my research and reliving their story brings some peace to them. Rewriting their names and their history, helps to ensure they will never be forgotten. They are part of us, and their spirits live through us as we write our own histories.
The Desire to Expand their Family Continued
Thus, Gertrude and Thomas were optimistic and their hopes of growing their family continued. At the age of 20, Gertrude and Thomas welcomed a daughter, Josephine Alta, born November 24, 1911. Fortunately, she was a healthy baby and the family was joyous with her birth and survival.
Before too long, Gertrude gave birth to another baby boy on March 24, 1916. Sadly he was stillborn. I cannot imagine the grief and sadness that these parents felt with the loss of a second baby. As I write their story, I am still so saddened by the tragedies they have endured.
Ancestry research provides you with such little bits and pieces, I just wish I knew more about their lives. Luckily, I have a relative who has uploaded several pictures of the Duckworth family. I feel very fortunate to have connected with her personally as well. This world we live in seems so very large, but with DNA and Ancestry research, new connections with family members are much more possible today than ever before.
Alas, More Tragedy Saddens Me
Completing my family sheet for Thomas and Gertrude, saddened me even more to see one last baby that was stillborn. The sex of the baby was not indicated, but the true tragedy came to me with the realization that this was also the end of Gertrude’s short life. Sadly, at the age of 25, she died in childbirth, as her death date and the baby’s birth and death dates are the same, January 14, 1917.
I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Thomas to suffer so many losses, with the greatest one being that of his wife and mother of the two remaining children he had. At the age of 32, he was a widower raising an 8 and 5-year-old alone. He did eventually remarry and his living children grew to be adults and marry as well. Sadly, when Josephine was merely 21, she committed suicide. This left Thomas with Norman as his only surviving child. Although Norman lived to the ripe old age of 63 years, I have not been able to locate any more information on Thomas or his new wife, Jean Wallace Laidlaw.
If you have any information to offer or share, photos, etc. Please reach out to me. I would love to add them to the Duckworth Family Research page.
Enjoy researching your ancestors, they come back to life through us all.
Sherri
