#FearlessFemales - Day 19 - Surprises

So today's Fearless Females challenge could be one where we "dish the dirt" on one of our female ancestors:

March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out?

And I have a number of Fearless Females where I could give you some gossip. And who doesn't love a bit of gossip, right?

The juiciest is something I was sent by a cousin in the UK about 7 years ago which I just re-read recently (and which I think I have been able to add to with something I read on the FamilySearch.org website in the last few weeks).

But it would be unfair for relatives who knew that ancestor - so the juicy gossip is not going to be shared today.

Instead I am going to talk about the surprise I got when the Scottish 1911 census was released and I looked up great grandmother Mary Kennedy (Dempsey).

From information my mother had gathered from my father and his siblings, his mother Annie Dempsey had 4 brothers and sisters - William, Thomas, Mary Ellen and James.

The surprise here is that there were 3 other siblings that no-one knew about who had unfortunately passed away.

While I can't locate William or Thomas in the 1911 census, I know they lived fairly long lives, had multiple marriages and numerous children, so they aren't 2 of my missing 3.

I have been able to find 2 of my missing siblings, but am still trying to work on the 3rd. Dempseys in that area are not uncommon, so it might take me a while to find them.

The first sibling is Mary Dempsey. She was born on Dec 26, 1890 and died of Pneumonia on May 20, 1892

The second sibling is Margaret Dempsey. She was born on Dec 12, 1895. Margaret died on Dec 26, 1895. Cause of death was suffocation from being overlain. Poor little Margaret and poor Thomas and Mary who were only trying to keep their baby girl warm at the height of a cold Scottish winter's night.