Genealogy Chat

on the census under relationship what does it mean when it states NC (Nurse Child)...does it mean they are feeding her?

Nurse Child A child being looked after by another family for payment

why ?..if they could afford to pay for it why couldnt they look after her

No idea, that's just what it means! We would nowadays probably use the term 'foster child', but it appears that nurse children were sometimes illegitimate.

I believe it means a child being fed by a wet nurse-see below (from Wikipdeia: 'Historical use In the past, members of higher classes would have their children wet-nursed. This is an outgrowth of an old tradition -- noblewomen would not breast-feed, and could become pregnant again sooner, to ensure an heir, if they were not nursing their infants. Current use Through the recent widespread availability of infant formula, wet nurses are not as necessary in developed nations and, therefore, are not common there. The use of a wet nurse is still a common practice in many developing countries. Though it is not widely known in developed countries, a woman who has never been pregnant may produce milk. Through frequent stimulation of the areolae and nipples, a woman may begin lactating and, therefore, be able to nurse. This ability also enables women who have previously been pregnant to nurse children to whom they did not give birth.' I have a photo of an ancestor whose child is being breast fed by an African 'wet nurse' while Mom looks on. Mother could not feed her own baby. She was a missionary's wife in Africa.

No sorry, a nurse child can turn up anything to 12 years or more, so definitely not a wet nurse. It is our 'foster child' and I would think it meant mum and dad were both at work all day so couldnt look after her. Im sure the money they paid for probably a neighbour or relative to keep an eye on her was a lot less than the money they could put into the family budget by working.

the child that is nc is 2 years, they live about 12 miles away from birth place so probably like a foster child...many thanks everyone

I was reading about baby farmers.........Women who looked after children for payment, but kept them so badly fed etc that they died .....these deaths were neatly covered up as ordinary childhood diseases, when they were serious cases of neglect. I had read this sort of thing before, but this time I looked up the woman on the census, as there were names and dates. I couldn't find her when she was ''farming'' these children, but did see her in jail in 1871 and 1881. Her name was Mrs Charlotte Winsor b 1820 in Totnes Devon. It really brought it home to me how some people conducted their lives, seeing her name there. Often the mothers of these poor children were single parents who needed to keep working to support their chid and trusted these terrible women to help them..........dreadful......... Merry

this child seems to be placed with good people not like the ones you told me about...(better be as they are my ancesters) lol

That's good!! Merry

It wasnt just illegitimate children who were Nurse Children. Many poor parents worked anything upto 16 hours a day in a factory or mill, six days a week. It could be argued that they were showing a sense of concern for their child, by paying someone to formally look after their child, rather than leaving it alone in the house, tied to a cot or bed. The more children in a family though, the less likely one would be put out to nurse. An older sibling would be put in charge of the child - not always the oldest sibling, because their wages would be an important part of the family income. So you might have a six year old girl left in charge of a two year old and a baby. Olde Crone

Oops, didn't mean to imply they were always illegitimate!! Merry