Bella Anderson

Bella Anderson was our maternal grandmother. She was married to Eddie Anderson and they lived in Meenlougher, close to The Cross, Killygordan, County Donegal. She had eight children; John Joe, Isa, Kathleen, May, Pearl, Phylis, Eamon and baby Jim who died in childbirth.  Eddie her husband worked in England and Scotland throughout their marriage, leaving her to rear the family on her own.

Difficult childbirth

Our mother May (Mary Bridget) was told that when Bella was in labour with her last child the doctor had the choice to save her or the baby. The mother of seven young children survived the childbirth.

Bella’s maiden name was Boyle. She was one of three children. Their parents died young and their Uncle Frank and Aunt Maggie raised them. The 1911 census shows her father James Boyle, Ballynaman, was a widower at the age of 48. He was a farm labourer. Isabella Boyle was four years old in 1911.

White Shirts

Bella was a caring and loving mother. We were told how a knock would come to the door, morning, noon or night and she would head off to assist mothers in the area during childbirth. Memories include the large white men’s shirts being boiled over the fire to sterilise them. Bella would wear the large shirt back to front during a birth like an apron.

Everybody was the same

May recalled being told of the house being ransacked by the Black and Tans and the Republicans. Bella would have pointed out at the time that she had helped to deliver some of them. This would indicate that religion was not a barrier as to who she helped or assisted. She was also under suspicion from both sides during a fractious period. But at that time ‘everybody was the same’ as recalled by Kitty Harper, a family friend.

One of many handywomen

Kitty remembers Bella as being one of many ‘handywomen’ in the area. ‘She was the loveliest woman, making them all the nicest chips. She was a very clever woman and knew all the things that needed to be done during childbirth, like cutting the cord. She was a bit of fun and laughed and joked with the young ones. This would make her an approachable and trusted friend to all in the community. She was known to advise young women with any health issues, and many called to the house for ‘discreet cups of tea’.

Chicken Broth

Kitty recalls it was a nurse in Castlefin who delivered her sister. The first thing she did when she arrived to the house was kill the hen. The broth was fed to the new mother as a nutritious and wholesome meal after (and possibly during) childbirth. The nurse had her own portion as well. She would probably have fed the whole family while tending to the mother. Her mother was up and about the following day attending to all the family again.

Empathy and Understanding

There is no doubt that losing her own mother and having lost a baby herself during a difficult childbirth influenced Bella’s instinct and nurturing in caring for women in her community. She had no formal training in midwifery, but an understanding and empathy that could not be certified.

Little Angels

When visiting my grandparents grave with my mother we always stopped to say a prayer for the little angels that were buried separately close to the boundary of the graveyard at ‘The Cross’. She said her mother Bella always told them to stop and pray for the little babies that never made it into this life. Undoubtedly, she had a hand in the preparation for burials of babies that died in childbirth or shortly after. Times were different then.