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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Wednesday's Child - Ann Brown

Ann Brown is buried with her grandparents in St. Gabriel's Cemetery, Hazleton, PA

My mother, aunt, and uncle knew that they had a sibling named Ann who died in 1950 and was buried with their grandparents, Edward and Alice Quirk nee Blanchfield. Still seeing the details in a death certificate can also make you realize just how lucky the mother was to have survived the birth. A premature breech delivery isn't optimal even today and Mary's mother died shortly after childbirth so I'm sure that was a concern. In fact my mother tells me this Mary (her mother) was obsessively worried about childbirth. When my mother had her first child they deliberately didn't let her mom know she was in labor so she didn't freak out.

You can see that Ann was not stillborn. She was born on November 20th, 1950 and lived for 2-1/2 hours. It had to have been heart-breaking. How could it not be?

Ann Brown, child of Edward and Mary Brown nee Quirk

I can't make out all the details in the cause of death, but I'm curious. If anyone else can make it out or even has an idea, please comment below. This is all I can make out and some may very well be wrong:

"Premature (8 mos) breech - (unknown) - spontaneous pressure on chord - utra uterine (unknown) to (unknown) resperatory (sic) movements no bronchial obstruction"

Ann Brown - Cause of death













It's always heart-breaking when a little life is cut short. I take today to remember my Aunt Ann. She will never be forgotten by our family.

6 comments:

  1. After staring at it for a while, my husband and I think it says "intrauterine unable to develop respiratory movements." I'm not sure about the first unknown word though.

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    1. Thank you, Katie (and to your hubby as well)! I think you're right. I guess it's amazing that she lived for 2-1/2 hours. I found a great site after reading your comment and it does a great job explaining about the prolapse.

      http://contemporaryobgyn.modernmedicine.com/contemporary-obgyn/content/tags/bradley-holbrook-md/umbilical-cord-prolapse?page=full

      If times had been different I would have grown up with another aunt!

      Thanks for commenting!

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  2. Mom was also convinced that Ann didn't survive because her father, Edward, died less than a month before she was born prematurely. She was extremely close to her father who lived with Aunt Mary and Aunt Kay next door to us.

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    1. I didn't know that. So sad. Today there would have been a better chance to save little Ann.

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  3. I believe the second line is 'delivery - spontaneous'. And I agree with the 'pressure on cord - intra uterine'. ... hope this helps.

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