Saturday 2 February 2013

February Collage Photo Festival - Day 2

Today's photograph is one of my favourites. This is an early one of my Mum, taken around 1951, which dates from her pre-polio days.

I love the way she is standing, the pose, holding the dress. It is simply so cute. Mum can not remember this being taken, but she did I think recognise the chair! That lovely turned wood.

Although my Grandparents married in 1939, Mum was not born until after the war, during the "Freeze of 1947" which is one of the worse winters the UK experienced.

We don't know how long the labour was, except that after the birth, which happened at home, in the house my grandparents moved into in 1939 and our family association left in 1992, Mum was so small that she was placed in a drawer as she was too big for a cot.

Even though the birth happened at home, my Grandfather was not permitted in the room and I can imagine him pacing downstairs nervously awaiting to know that his wife and baby were okay. That leaves me to wonder who was with my Grandmother? By then her own mother had passed away and as far as I can tell my Grandmother got on well with her in laws, so perhaps my Grandfather's mother was there, or his sister Doll or my Grandmother's sister Elsie.

14 comments:

  1. Happy Blogiversary. I see according to Geneabloggers, today is your 11th year anniversary since you've been blogging.

    Regards, Jim
    Hidden Genealogy Nuggets

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  2. Happy blogiversary Julie! Eleven years is amazing!! It's a lovely photo of your Mum, looking so cute. I wonder if her mother had a midwife or a relation at the birth -what was usual? Does her birth certificate give a witness? There can't have been too many secrets in the house when another baby was being born...the older children must eventually have put two and two together. Did the polio affect your mother permanently?

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    1. Thanks! It is a lovely photo. The birth certificate does not give a witness, simply registered by my Grandfather. My Mum was an only child, but I agree in houses where there was older children it must have been pretty obvious. The lack of privacy too challenging for me.
      The polio did leave a lasting effect, but will give more details a little later in the month.

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  3. Happy blogiversary! 11 years!! Wow! Wishing you another 11. Your mother is very cute. Wouldn't a doctor or midwife have been there in 1951? I was born in a hospital in 1946 and they didn't let anyone but the medical personal in with my mother. My husband was born at home but he doesn't know who else was there, if anyone, beside the midwife. I hope she had some family member there. I was wondering about the polio affecting her later too. My grandmother's sister had polio as a child and it left her with a limp as one leg was shorter than the other.

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    1. Thanks, 11 years is a while and I love it! Mum was very cute. Yes a Doctor would have been there. My Gran did speak of a Doctor but never mentioned a midwife. I do hope that she had a family member there, especially as her mother died in 1937 so apart from siblings she had been on her own since then. The polio did leave an affect, and more of that later in the month.

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  4. Anonymous3:25 pm

    It's wonderful to read these old stories and share true life history, especially when you include delightful photos to go with them. Thank you! I truly enjoyed reading this:)

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    1. Thank you. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the photo challenge.

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  5. Happy Blogiversary! Wow! Eleven Years. I just wonder how you have enough information for eleven years. I just started about a month ago and I have been thinking what if I run out of things to write about. Maybe you need to write a post on how you come up with things to write about for that long! I am going to follow you because I need to know how you do it.

    Betty

    http://hooverhistory.blogspot.com/


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    1. Betty, Thanks for stopping by and the follow. You have entered a world of friendly people who are equally as obsessed with genealogy and in my case books and a whole load of other stuff.

      11 years is a long time, and over the more recent years it has come into its own. As I have developed into a more confident blogger. This is "my" space to say what I like and there can be no recriminations.

      So, enjoy your blog and the path your writing, exploring and meeting people takes. Stop by Geneabloggers with the prompts and challenges you will never run out of things to say. Welcome!

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  6. Julie! Happy Blogiversary. I can't believe blogs have been going for eleven years - you must be an early adopter. Love the photo of your Mum - what a sweetie. I want to hear more about the polio. Alan Marshall's I Can Jump Puddles was a favourite of mine growing up.

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    1. Thanks Alex, yes I was probably an early one, but it has really evolved over the last few years. Most of the people that I knew had a blog migrated to live journal, but I stayed here!

      More details on the polio a little later in the month.

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  7. Julie, the FPCF is working out so well. I'm totally absorbed by the photos and stories x.

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    1. Thanks Lesley. I'll be over to you shortly (virtually, not literally!)

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