Elizabeth Breslin in 1881
 

I have an Elizabeth Breslin a domestic servant who gave birth to a son William Breslin in July 1881 at 17 Harold St, Toxteth Park, Lancashire The baby died shortly afterwards.

The person who registered the birth was an E Thompson (male or female?) of the same address 17 Harold St, Toxteth Park.

Now what I'm trying to find out is what happened to Elizabeth and where she was in the 1881 census to see whether she is connected to my Ann Breslin b1859 in Co Fermanagh.

Any help much appreciated.

It looks as if Elizabeth Thompson was a baby farmer:


John Thompson Head Married Male 45 1836 Seaman Merchant Ship London, Middlesex, England
Elizabeth Thompson Wife Married Female 44 1837 - Northumberland, England
Jackie B Furness Visitor Single Male 1 1880 - Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Elizabeth J Humphrey Visitor Single Female 0 1881 - Liverpool, Lancashire, England

The problem you will find is that 1881 was indexed by the Mormons (using family history societies etc)

So Ancestry etc will all have the same transcriptions.

What may have happened is that Elizabeth came over from Ireland specifically to have her baby, and then returned.

Thank you so much Phoenix.

So people used to take in babies if the mother's weren't married? Baby farmer lol.

I had hoped to find her connected with my Ann Breslin who might have had a miscarriage and then a birth in the Liverpool workhouse around that time if its the same Ann or maybe they're not connected at all.

Just wish I could find Ann in the 1881 census but she was probably still in Ireland

A domestic servant needed to go out to work to support herself and her child. Unless she had a sympathetic employer, she would need to keep the child's existence secret. So she would pay a few shillings to a baby farmer to look after the child. Such children often died.

Thanks Phoenix

This baby William Breslin died less than 3 months old.

Wonder what happened to the mother -