It's strange how a story can touch you. Many years ago when I was an archivist, other workers and I were transcribing some American Civil War letters exchanged between husband and wife. At one point the baby got sick, and we all followed the progress from letter to letter, almost crying when someone announced, "The baby died!" I felt the same way about this story. Sweet little thing. She "Budded on Earth to bloom in Heaven," as the old cemetery epitaph goes.
I have a similar story. While working at an antique shop we came across several postcards from a young man from South Africa who went off to WWI. He was an orphan looking after his little sister and he was writing to his fiance back home. Eventually she broke up with him. We tried looking him up and it seems he never made it back from the war.
There are many illnesses that could have left her "mute and useless" (mumps, measles, meningitis), and she was known to have had a severe illness when she was a toddler. And they could have set her up for an early death.
I have a third great aunt. She is listed since childhood on most census as "insane from fits" or other similar descriptions. What does that mean? It could have been epilepsy (I have epilepsy) but not sure, many things including food allergies can cause seizures. They didn't know about food allergies then. She never married or had kids, lived into her 70s (long for the 1800s) and died living in her sisters house.
I understand using the word disabled, Richard 3rd, Queen Anne etc, but not the "autistic". I would call them people with compromised health/mental health since we cannot pinpoint the exact cause of most of it. They had no idea what autism or too many other mental illnesses, medical conditions or viral/bacterial diseases were back then. Any diagnosis now is speculation and/or educated guesses. They called Richard the 3rd a Hunchback, they had no idea what scoliosis was, and we have proof that is what it was, for him. Carlos the 3rd was "bewitched", they had no idea about inbreeding, and plenty of records indicate who his ancestors were. Did they know what was causing Julius Caesars seizures? No. Did they know that dirty water could contain disease? No, and Doctor John Snow was still called a crank for suggesting that all the Cholera was not from dirty air. I could go on.
It's strange how a story can touch you. Many years ago when I was an archivist, other workers and I were transcribing some American Civil War letters exchanged between husband and wife. At one point the baby got sick, and we all followed the progress from letter to letter, almost crying when someone announced, "The baby died!" I felt the same way about this story. Sweet little thing. She "Budded on Earth to bloom in Heaven," as the old cemetery epitaph goes.
I have a similar story. While working at an antique shop we came across several postcards from a young man from South Africa who went off to WWI. He was an orphan looking after his little sister and he was writing to his fiance back home. Eventually she broke up with him. We tried looking him up and it seems he never made it back from the war.
Thank you for this amazing and lovely story about HERstory and a young princess!😊
Thank you 😊
There are many illnesses that could have left her "mute and useless" (mumps, measles, meningitis), and she was known to have had a severe illness when she was a toddler. And they could have set her up for an early death.
I have a third great aunt. She is listed since childhood on most census as "insane from fits" or other similar descriptions. What does that mean? It could have been epilepsy (I have epilepsy) but not sure, many things including food allergies can cause seizures. They didn't know about food allergies then. She never married or had kids, lived into her 70s (long for the 1800s) and died living in her sisters house.
She could have had severe cerebral palsy or similar as well. We have no way of knowing.
Well presented! Thank you for this interesting edition to HERstory.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sad, but the evidence suggests that she was greatly loved in her short life.
Thank you for another wonderful history lesson 🙏🏾
Thank you for watching another episode ❤️
YAY! I love your channel! Had to subscribe. 👍
Thanks so much for subscribing ❤️
Could you talk about more disabled or possibly autistic royals for April which is autism month? 💜
Lovely idea!
@ thank you!
Oooo I wanna see that too! I have autism and I wonder if Christina of Sweden was autistic but have no proof
@ maybe! We’ll have to see!
I understand using the word disabled, Richard 3rd, Queen Anne etc, but not the "autistic". I would call them people with compromised health/mental health since we cannot pinpoint the exact cause of most of it. They had no idea what autism or too many other mental illnesses, medical conditions or viral/bacterial diseases were back then. Any diagnosis now is speculation and/or educated guesses. They called Richard the 3rd a Hunchback, they had no idea what scoliosis was, and we have proof that is what it was, for him. Carlos the 3rd was "bewitched", they had no idea about inbreeding, and plenty of records indicate who his ancestors were. Did they know what was causing Julius Caesars seizures? No. Did they know that dirty water could contain disease? No, and Doctor John Snow was still called a crank for suggesting that all the Cholera was not from dirty air. I could go on.
The baby’s problems sound very like what happened to baby Helen Keller after an illness with a very high fever.
Her father sends her a deer to play with? Not a dog or cat?
Indeed! A roe deer