Domestic Violence

[Blue70]

How do people on here document such things as historical accounts of domestic abuse? Stories passed down about a distant relation who married someone who knocked her about and she died young. To leave out such oral history seems dishonest and a cover up. I'm going to include an e-mail in my records from one of my contacts detailing what her mother told her about what happened. Does anyone have any comments or insights?

Blue

[Hilary]

I do think it's difficult when it is just hearsay. In the case you site did the person die young and did they die of something that could have been hastened by violence?

Family stories can be true or they can be just that a story. However if there is no proof either way I have included things in my family story by stating something like

It has been said that Granny always said noone would know who the father of her illegitimate child was. No evidence has been found to show who the child's father was so Granny was probably right, noone will know.

In your case I would say something like

A family member has heard/knows stories that imply that Y was the subject of violence by her husband which hastened her early death.

If there is evidence to back it up state it. If there isn't any state that backs it up state that as well.

I would use the same formula for anything that was said but not proven

Hope that helps and yes the Granny above is mine and that's what she apparently always said and she was right!

[Blue70]

Thanks Hilary. I think I will add a copy of an e-mail to my records containing the quotes from my contact talking about what she heard from her mother. It can't be proved either way unless I get information from other sources to back it up. The cause of death was Carcinoma (similar to cancer) of the stomach, secondary factor Acute Myocarditis. The lady concerned was 37 years old. The oral history also says a sister of the deceased helped to look after the children following the mother's death. I have found evidence for this intervention.

Blue

[MaryA]

I researched for a friend recently and found as we so often do, that in one of the censuses the husband was living apart from the wife, who died the following year. By the next census he was nowhere to be found and the children were with grandparents.

Whether my friend liked it or not I had to include the newspaper articles that reported on the "shameful conduct of husband". The poor woman was in the later stages of consumption and her husband had always neglected and abused her. He was of drunken habits and owing to his persistent cruelty the doctor had ordered her to leave his house. The husband's defence was that it was HE being neglected while his wife and her mother and sister were always drinking. There were many witnesses including the NSPCC and she was granted a separation order and maintenance for the children. Sadly she was dead within a year.

I think if you want the meat on the bones you have to document the proof if you have it or if not, once you have sufficient belief for the story to be true, make certain in your notes that it is marked as a verbal story only with - as yet - no evidence to back it up. Continue to search.

[Blue70]

I might be able to corroborate the story if I come across any descendents of the three sons. Their children or grandchildren may try to discover their roots.

Blue