Nevak family in mourning

This image is of the wake of a child held in a family home in Hegewisch. In the early twentieth century, death was a regularly encountered part of community life – whether because of losses in childbirth, accidents in the steel mills, untreatable illnesses, or other reasons. In addition, residents often lived in multi-generational households that included the elderly. In an oral history, Helen Brokop of the East Side recalled at the age of 72 years, “We lost our mother when we were real little. I was only six years old. I remember the night she died. At that time, they didn’t protect children from things like that. I was in the same bedroom with her. She died during the night. She had a congested heart. And all the neighbors and everybody came in. But they didn’t protect children from shocks like that. There was no counseling for trauma or anything like that. That was it. She died, and you accepted it.”