Genealogy Chat

I can't exactly remember when my Mum told me that she had a brother who died as a baby 1922/1923.
Mum couldn't even remember his name either, so never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find his birth and death details. But I've found him now. :-D

Whilst searching through the IRISH Civil Death Registrations on the free irishgenealogy.ie website a couple of weeks ago, I came across a death for Gerard Stephen Pollard Died 24 Jul 1923 Dublin. Luckily it had an 'image' so I was able to look at the details.

He died aged 9 mths, Child of a Painter of 25 Charlemont Street. Mother Emily Pollard was the informant.

My Grandpop's was a Painter and Decorator and my Granny was Emily. Emily's father died at 25 Charlemont St Dublin a few years later, so based on that information I ordered Stephen's birth Certificate.

The Birth Certificate proved that his parents were indeed my Grandparents and he was born a the same address as my late aunty Maureen.
RIP Stephen Gerard Pollard, gone but never forgotten..

That's really lovely for you. It's so good to find a missing member of the family (even though you never knew him).

We knew hubby's mother had lost a baby boy, but knew no more than that. It turns out that he had the same name as my hubby (both were named after their grandfather) and this baby was born almost exactly a year before my hubby and he only lived 12 hours and died the same day as he was born. These days he probably would have lived as the cause of death was "prematurity - a 7 month baby". But then hubby may not have come along!!

Unfortunately their grandfather died 3 months before hubby was born, so he never actually saw a grandson with his name.

Kath. x

Hi Kath,

That's a sad story regarding you hubby's family too.

Some of my cousins knew, but not all, that our Mum's had lost their only brother but no one knew his name. I guess it must have been too upsetting for the parents to be reminded of losing a baby back then. Maybe that's why my Mum and her elder sister didn't remember his name.