Genealogy Chat

May I suggest that the the record of the stillborn is recorded at the cemetery? I have the cemetery record of my gf and gm plus others in the same 'plot' and one is S.B. Child G*********** Mar 19** The stillborn could not have a birth certificate and the death was recorded by the person delivering and not the Mother. This is in Scotland.

My ex husband's wife gave birth to twins at home in 1962 - one lived, the other was stillborn. The Midwife handed my husband a shoe box which contained the dead baby and told him to 'go and see the Vicar'. The Vicar showed him to the perimeter area of the Churchyard and told my 17 year old ex husband that he could bury the child there, 'after dark'. The gravedigger dug a place and my husband put the shoe box in it. This stillborn child does not appear on the register of stillbirths simply because no one told them they could do that. OC

Hello Eileen, Ihave just been through the same experience myself in trying to find a still born of my mothers. After talking to the undertakers at the time they advised no records were held by them but advised strongly to speak to the local TOWN council who by law had to keep records of burials even of stillbirths. So before anything i really would advise you to speak to the town council and explain your situation. If you need any further help please just reply I really do hope you can be at peace knowing where your cousin lays.

Sadly, he didn't..........other than that it was in the town cemetery. The name of the person with whom the child was interred was not disclosed to him............ Seems incredibly cruel, when one compares with how things are handled these days....... Reg

Thanks for that information Shirley it helps to know what really happens,you qccaionally hear horror stories of incinerators in hospitals!! Thanks also Reg that really must have been traumatic but at least then he knew where the little mite was buried

My sister in law had a stillbirth in about 1937/8. Her husband had to take the wee mite to the undertaker's, where it was put in the coffin of the next 'customer'. No car..........so he had to walk........what a journey that must have been Reg

Unfortunately it was the case that stillborn children were often buried in the coffin of an unrelated person. They didnt get registered as born or died altho the stillborn register was started in the 1920,s so the reg would have been put on that. It was thought at the hospitals ,unless the parents wanted to have a funeral themselves, that it was the best thing to do to have the child burried with a n other and the hosptal would arrange for the child to be collected by an undertaker when they were collecting another soul for burial,at least the child would be in consercrated ground. Hospitals couldnt 'dispose' of the child themselves because they wouldnt have the authority to do so I think undertakers tho would keep a record of the event. I remember my aunt .in the 1960,s having a stillborn and the hospital told her not to worry ,'they would take care of things' Shirley

Thanks for that it will be worth looking into,I know they`ve searched for burials that week and searched for graves in the cemetery.Both parents dead but Twin still alive .can you tell me where she can apply please?

If baby still born there wont be a birth or death cert there is an index but not on line and only parents or siblings can see it I think Jeanette

Hi can anyone tell me please if the following is possible.My Uncle`s wife gave birth to Twins in 1939 one survived but one was still born.My cousin has always been told that her twin was buried at the feet of an elderly lady who was buried around the same time.Would this happen, ? I`ve heard of babies being buried in unconscrated ground etc and I can understand a child being buried with a relative.Also no record of birth or death for this little one .