Fearless Females: Johanna Yates MURCH

I am participating in the Fearless Females theme for National Women's History Month.

The female ancestor who got me the most interested in my family tree was my great great grandmother, Johanna Yates MURCH (4 February 1844-17 December 1875).  Before I knew much about her, I imagined her as having lived to a 'ripe old age' (as they say).  Imagine my shock when I found out that she actually died when she was only 31.  She had just given birth to her third baby, and died when he was nine days old.  The cause of death on her death certificate was: "Confined 8 days, gastritis 3 days, diarrhoea, exhaustion."  Now, I am single and have never had a child, but even I winced when I heard of her last few days of life.

She has given me more reason to participate in 'Scanfest' at the end of the month; I have her death certificate and need to scan it to put it here!

She was also the last MURCH in my family (unless you count my father's middle name).  All the MURCHes were Protestant Dissenters of some sort, and Johanna got married in the local Congregationalist meeting house.  This also makes me love her specially, as her family was obviously looking for something, and although the HAYWOODs she married into do not seem a particularly religious lot, I feel as though she and I have something in common: a searching for the truth.  And I maintain that I have found it.