In Memory of Claude & Robert
I actually never knew Claude and Robert, but I would bet that they were very sweet, smiley, little boys, and I bet they brought great joy to their mommies, my grandmothers.
Online, I found a listing for the old cemetery located up on the hill of the main road in Wesleyville, Newfoundland and in that listing was the headstone for my Uncle Claude Sturge. It reads:
My Uncle Robert Knee, son of Benjamin and Janie, died when he was just nearly five months old.
Claude and Robert were both beloved infant sons who died from gastroenteritis, and if you read my blog regularly, you now know why I am bringing this up. My son Jonah was hospitalized this month when he had gastroenteritis.
Although they never went through with it, my grandparents all expressed a desire to have the remains of their little boys moved to the cemetery in which they themselves would eventually be buried. It is a powerful demonstration of the bond between parent and child. On Ben and Janie’s headstone, they placed an inscription to also remember Robert, as he had been buried in an older cemetery without a proper headstone.
It is also interesting that my dad was the next child born after Claude, and that my mom was the next child born after Robert. I can’t help but wonder if my parents would have even been conceived, had it not been for their older brother’s untimely death. Perhaps I would not even be here today.
I can only imagine the pain and loss that each of my grandmothers suffered, having nursed their babies for months, only to watch them slowly become dehydrated, sleepy, unwilling to nurse and then pass on. It must have been so awful. And sixty years ago, in small communities, medical help was just not available. Those women must have felt so helpless. And then, after their boys had died, what resources were available to help them cope? What kinds of support systems were in place? So, I suppose this is also a tribute to my grandmothers, who somehow managed to cope in a time so different from today.
Online, I found a listing for the old cemetery located up on the hill of the main road in Wesleyville, Newfoundland and in that listing was the headstone for my Uncle Claude Sturge. It reads:
In Loving Memory of darling child of Reginald and Mabel Sturge, died Sept 15, 1942 aged 4 months
My Uncle Robert Knee, son of Benjamin and Janie, died when he was just nearly five months old.
Claude and Robert were both beloved infant sons who died from gastroenteritis, and if you read my blog regularly, you now know why I am bringing this up. My son Jonah was hospitalized this month when he had gastroenteritis.
Although they never went through with it, my grandparents all expressed a desire to have the remains of their little boys moved to the cemetery in which they themselves would eventually be buried. It is a powerful demonstration of the bond between parent and child. On Ben and Janie’s headstone, they placed an inscription to also remember Robert, as he had been buried in an older cemetery without a proper headstone.
It is also interesting that my dad was the next child born after Claude, and that my mom was the next child born after Robert. I can’t help but wonder if my parents would have even been conceived, had it not been for their older brother’s untimely death. Perhaps I would not even be here today.
I can only imagine the pain and loss that each of my grandmothers suffered, having nursed their babies for months, only to watch them slowly become dehydrated, sleepy, unwilling to nurse and then pass on. It must have been so awful. And sixty years ago, in small communities, medical help was just not available. Those women must have felt so helpless. And then, after their boys had died, what resources were available to help them cope? What kinds of support systems were in place? So, I suppose this is also a tribute to my grandmothers, who somehow managed to cope in a time so different from today.
posted by Sherri Lavender at
7:45 PM
8 Comments:
{Gulp} Wow, what an amazing circling of family history. It goes to show, once again, how very fortunate we are to live in this day and age.
By
Tracy, At
8:49 PM
wow. . that's so sad, Sherri. It must really hit you as you say, with what Jonah has come through.
Transport yourself back decades and you would have been in those same circumstances. . .
I was named for my aunt Kathryn who died during delivery. . my nana never quite got over that loss. . as her infant daughter didn't have to die. . the doctors should have delivered by C-section, but they waited too long -my nana had a fused leg from being hit by a drunk driver as a teenager. They couldn't maneuver to get the baby out and my aunt died as a result. My grandfather did his military training down East, shipped out during WWII after this trauma of Kathryn's death and my Nana was all alone. .pregnant again (with my mother), scared and alone; no family, husband on his way to fight the Nazis. . and you know who was her biggest support? Brigadier Silver. How awesome.
yes, our grandparents certainly did live in a different era with a lot more risk and a lot more acquaintance with suffering and hardship. That's a sad story about your uncles. . and its sobering to think about just one change in the family tree resulting in your non-existence. . however you would never be the wiser if you had never come to be. . mind bending!
I know that my youngest child would not have existed if her previous 3 siblings had lived. . and i cannot imagine this ever being so!!!
we are very fortunate these days, aren't we? we have supports, we have resources. . we have information, we have so much.
Thanx for sharing that touching family story.
By
kathryn, At
8:53 PM
Wow Sherri,
What a touching tribute. It is amazing to think of the things we have available now that were not then.
Thanks for sharing.
Karen
By
Welcome to our crazy blessed life, At
10:14 PM
There's a cemetary that I visit whenever I'm in the area...nearly half of the cemetary is of unmarked graves of infants - over 500, who died due to influenza, if I remember correctly. All you can see is little mounds of dirt. It moves me every time I see it.
By
Paula, At
1:37 AM
I WANT TO SEE JONAH!!! It's 9:30, and I'm practically in tears, trying to start my workday! LOL! We are so fortunate to have that precious little boy! I want to squeeze him!
Kathy - Brigadier Silver? That's our Great Aunt Merle?! What an incredibly touching connection between our two families! I wish there was a Family History Channel, and I could watch the story of Brigadier Silver! Everyone should have to write their memoires so their own personal history is recorded and can live on forever. Maybe our blogs will be our memoires - maybe they'll be out there in cyberspace for anyone to access for all of eternity!? This is too deep for 9:30 a.m.!!!
By
Krista, At
9:36 AM
Like Krista said, Brigadier Silver is a person, Krista, Tracy and Glenn's great Aunt Merle. . "Brigadier" is an antiquated rank in the S.A. Brigader Silver was my Nana's only help and comfort while she worried about my grandfather fighting, and wondered if her baby's father would live to come home to see her. . It is very cool that Aunt Merle was so wonderful to my grandmother. . very special.
By
kathryn, At
9:27 PM
While attending Aunt Merle's funeral, many moons ago now, someone told me I was a lot like her. I thought they just meant I was fat! But now that I'm older, I'm beginning to see the similarities. Aunt Merle...to be honest, when she passed away I was still too young to really get to know her. She seemed very straight-laced, but I do know she was rather silly too. I still remember the day she laughed and laughed laughed at something I said and did. It was such an amazing moment I don't know if I will ever forget it. I realized the similarities between us as my father was driving me to my baby shower...it was Halloween, and I had dressed up as a cow! Silly, silly, silly. Hee hee! Anyhow, all that to say that she was an interesting person, and that I wish I'd had the opportunity to know her better.
By
Tracy, At
11:31 PM
Wow sometimes family history is so very important when it comes to our health.
Since I was adopted I never had any medical information about my biological family. About oh 10 yrs ago I decided to contact Family Children Services since that is where the adoption went through to see if they could find out if there was any medical records on file. There were none.
So for my sister and I we only have ours and that is it.
Any ways I am so glad that times have changed and that our medical services available today are far more developed and that for Jonah they were able to help him get better. I am so pleased he is doing far better and back to his old self.
We are so fortunate that circumstances of the old times do not have to repeat themselves in history, but actually do to medical advances we can have positive outcomes like you just experienced with Jonah.
I think we just need to thank God for todays times and for the future of what is to come. For Jonah and his recovery.
Lex
By
Alexis, At
10:32 AM
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