"New" Siblings for my Great-Grandmother and a Mystery

Ada Hobbs and Bessie Hobbs, the only photo I have of any of Ada's siblings.

My grandfather's writings about his family and his mother's family are such a special thing to have. I wouldn't know nearly as much about my great-grandmother's siblings without them, but I have recently discovered two siblings he knew nothing about. And it isn't surprising, there was a lot of loss in my great-grandmother's childhood, it may be something she wished to leave behind in England when she came to the United States.

My 2nd great-grandparents were Joseph Elijah Hobbs and Elizabeth Merritt of Somerset, England. They were married in Frome in 1850 and had four children that were previously known to me, all of whom emigrated to America after their parents deaths in 1868. Emily, born in 1851, Elizabeth Ann (Bessie), born in 1852, Ada, born in 1855 and Joseph Elisha, born in 1859. That leaves nine years between Joseph's birth and their deaths, a long time to go without a birth, so I went to the church records.

A few weeks ago, I discovered a church register entry for a Henry Hobbs, baptized at Holy Trinity in Frome, Somerset in 1863. His parents are Joseph Elijah (thank goodness for that middle name) and Elizabeth. A birth certificate for Henry that I received this week confirms his mother's maiden name of Merritt, boosting my confidence in the relationship.

Five years after Henry's birth, on March 16, 1868, Joseph Elijah, according to his death certificate, died of pulmonary phthisis, or tuberculosis and it was noted that he had been ill for "some years." His death was reported by a Richard Hobbs, possibly his brother, who said he was present at Joseph's death. Just three months later, on June 22nd, Elizabeth died seven days after childbirth. Her death was reported by an Ann Millard, who I believe was her sister, having found an 1842 marriage register entry for Ann Merritt and John Millard.

Now, here is the mystery: a child named Henry Hobbs, son of Joseph and Elizabeth, was baptized two days after Elizabeth died and in the same church she would be buried from a day later. This Harry's address is the same as that on Elizabeth's death certificate but there is no civil registration of his birth or death that I have been able to find to correlate any other information. And what about the Henry born in 1863?

It wasn't unusual at this time for a child to be given the name of an older sibling who had passed before their birth, but I wasn't able to find any burial or death records for Henry Hobbs in that period. I did, however, find a burial record for a five year old Harry Hobbs, a few months AFTER Elizabeth's death and the baptism of the second Henry. This week, I received the five-year-old Harry's death certificate. His father was Joseph, an edge tool worker, which is a match and his death was reported by Ann Millard, the same woman I believe to have been his aunt. His place of death also matches her residence, which makes sense considering the passing of his parents. His cause of death, like that of Joseph, was tuberculosis.

I have heard in lectures that babies could go unregistered due to the fees required and I can only guess that money was already tight when Elizabeth died. That made me think that the baby perhaps didn't live very long and his extended family didn't "bother" with registration, but I would have expected to find at least a burial record in that case. Perhaps as I learn more about the family and the extended family and the customs and records of Somerset, I will be able to discover the fate of this baby and maybe even figure out why he was baptized with the name of his living brother.