Birth Certificate of twins, Arthur and Allan Ruler, March 20, 1876; Source: Ancestry.ca
Isabella Ruler #581 (1851-1876) entered the Poorhouse on February 16, 1876, listed as pregnant. She gave birth to twins, Arthur #597 and Allen Ruler #596 on March 20, 1876. Allen Ruler Died 11 days later on March 31st due to “convulsions infantile”. On the Death Register, beside Allen’s information is states: “Of Isabella and Allen Ruler were super induced by one [abrupt] on the part of the mother to conceal the birth.” The rest of the notes are illegible but it does suggest that Isabella tried to conceal her birth which resulted in the baby dying from convulsions or debility (which was written on his death certificate). Concealing a pregnancy was common practice for all classes of society that did not have access to abortions, or did not believe in them, and had no birth control methods available to them. For more information on concealing pregnancies in the 19th century, you can read about it here.
Isabella died a couple weeks after giving birth to her twins on April 6, 1876 from puerperal convulsions, which were convulsions or fits that occur after giving birth. They can be associated with hypertension or eclampsia and a rise in blood pressure. Unfortunately, Isabella could have been suffering from convulsions caused by the birth and it eventually took her life. Puerperal convulsions are a condition where the baby is pushing up against the kidney. Isabella was buried by her father, George Ruler, in Wellesley. Allen was buried in the House of Refuge cemetery.
Arthur was taken by Isabella’s Mother, Mrs. Geo. Ruler, on the same day that Isabella’s body was taken to be buried in Wellesley.
Before entering the Poorhouse, Isabella had a son, Thomas Spurgeon Stone, on March 13, 1875. The information on the birth certificate is provided by Abijah Stone, father of James Henry Stone, who was married to Isabella’s sister Margaret Ruler (1847-1929) in 1867. Thomas Stone is seen as living with Abijah and Mary Stone, parents to James Henry Stone, in the 1881 Census. Thomas Stone went on to Marry Esme Cunningham in 1878. They moved to Manitoba and had eight children.
