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Born in hospital or at home ?

S

Snowball

master brummie
My great grandfather and mother had six children but I have noted from all of the birth certificates that every child was born at a different address, this was over a period from 1875 to 1893. I had assumed that these were different home addresses since this family, for one reason or another, seemed to move about a lot - but always within a very small area of Birmingham. I'm no longer sure that this is the case, if some of these addresses were for one or more hospitals where some of the children might have been born how could I tell ?

For example, the first child was born in Hospital Street, Birmingham. The prefix to Hospital loks like 81, but it could also be Sh which I previously thought meant South. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Regrads, Snowball.
 
There was no hospital in the street at that time. No 81, close to or on the corner of St georges St is not listed in directories, probably meaning that it was just a private house.
mike
 
Thanks mikejee,

It seems a bit odd that you would name a street "Hospital Street" and yet not have a hospital in it somewhere but I guess that's what must have been the case in 1875. Some of the children were born at places whoese address includes Court X, House Y and I'm sure that these must have been houses and nothing more substantial. However, there are three other addresses that may or may not be private houses:-

1882 157 Farm Street, Birmingham.
1889 5 Vauxhall Road, Aston
1893 116 Lawley Street, Aston

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

Regards, Snowball.
 
Hi Snowball just a thought which may answer the different addresses two of my g/g/mothers from both sides of the family helped most of the family of that time in both childbirth and funerals .Im sure that must have been the case in lots of cases cheers tom
 
Thanks for the suggestion Tom. In our family people would, apparently, send for Aunt Em - short for Emily - who acted as the untrained midwife for dozens of births in the family as well as for others in the neighbourhood. My own grandmother, Julia, had a different calling. If someone, family or not, passed away then my grandmother would invariably be called upon to "lay out" the body. I was at home as just a small child shortly after WW2 when I can recall she was called out one night to perform this service for one of our neighbours. I think if you did the same thing today you would probably be breaking hunderds of different rules, regualtions and by-laws - probably end up in jail too ! Thats what we call progress !

Regards, Snowball.
 
Snowball looking at the addresses Vauxhall Rd and Lawley St were adjacent but are down as Aston as was the case in that time however they were on the edge of Aston Manor towards Deritend and quite away from Farm St and Hospital St as i lived of Vauxhall Rd i cannot recall any Hospital of any description there.We are talking of a distance of 3-4 miles between areas. Dek
 
Snowball
I'm not sure of the true derivation of Hospital St. Carl chinn reckons it arose from the first site of the General hospital, but that was in summer Lane, and Hospital St joine dsummer lane a little along from where the hospital was, so I don't go along with that. It seems to have been built after 1778, by when the hospital was already in summer Lane.

In 1883 157 farm St is listed as William Markhews, hairdresser and in 1880 , William Henry King, hairdresser, but someone else could be living upstairs. The 1881 census gives just William and his wife ann in the house

In 1888 5 Vauxhall road was Thomas Elkington, hairdresser. In 1890 address is not listed.

In 1892 116 Lawley St is not listed, but in 1895 it is William Marklew, hairdresser. (In 1891 census he is in Winson green prison)

Were your ancestors barbers?
mike
 
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