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A Death In The Family, 1880s Style
Around 1880, a large family lived in the Brighton, Sussex area of England. They had lived there for some time, perhaps generations. Among other children, they had at least 5 daughters, the ones who figure in this true story. Sometime after 1880, perhaps closer to 1890, the father of the family died. This was undoubtedly a tragedy. The mother apparently had some independent means, though, and not all was lost. Nonetheless, what follows is (fortunately) not all that common, at least in my awareness: The mother, keeping her oldest daughter at home (we think to help out), put the 4 younger daughters into orphanages. That's where we find them in 1891, according to census records. They are dispersed over 3 different orphanages, where they range in age from 7 to 13. The orphanages were located over a large distance, including in London. And where is Mom? In her home, a woman of independent means, living with her eldest daughter, a student. What can account for such an action? Your guess is as good as mine. My only suggestion is that perhaps they were entitled to putting their daughters in the orphanage because of the father's death, and so they did: let someone else house and feed them! A few years later, one of the incarcerated daughters went and found the rest, and emigrated to the US with at least one of the sisters. Those who knew her said she was a bitter woman. I say, who can blame her? Perhaps this was a common practice of the day. Or perhaps it was as odd then as it sounds now. |
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