Helen died in 1884, when she was only 46. A birth notice in the Otago Daily Times, dated 4th August, reports that she gave birth to a son.
One week later another notice reports her death.
Some of the death notices write of her as the "beloved wife" of William Henry Williams, mine manager at Shag Point. I hope so.
It's just that other reports from the time suggest that the mine was struggling - it was clearly a dangerous place to live and work - and there were inspections, inquiries and even court cases at different times. Was Helen subject to the same stress as her husband, or were her concerns limited to the domestic responsibilities that ultimately killed her?
Today it's hard to imagine that being a mother might be more dangerous than being a miner. Clearly, for Helen, it was.
I wonder if W H Williams drifted after her death. How did he cope as a widower with a young family, not least with his week-old son?
Eventually he become crown lands ranger - whatever that involved - in Timaru, but there a lots of gaps between.
My great-grandfather, Frederick Arthur Williams, would have been 14 when his mother died. How did he cope?
He didn't marry until 1893 - another nine years after his mother's death.
It's frustrating that the only way to find out about Helen is through her husband and sons. I'm waiting on her death certificate from BDM, hoping that might shed some further light on her very short life.
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