What was the saddest death in your Tree ?

[johnP-bedford]

My gt-gt-grandfather's brother William living in Sharnbrook, Beds had a fine family of 7 children on 1871 census, sharing a small cottage in Coffle End. By end of September, five had died by Typhoid Fever. First young 9 yr old William was buried 5 August; then five yr old sister Annie on 27 August; four days later on 1 Sept 3 yr old John, next 7 yr old Charles on 12 Sept, & lastly Samuel less than 1 year, buried on 23 Sept.

Their story is told in more detail in Autumn 1984 edition of Bedfordshire Magazine

John P
   

[Cal241]

It is a weird thing this family tree stuff... you realise what a tough life our ancestors had hardly any medicine and what was probably given would kill you anyway.
My gg grandmother died giving birth to her 10th child aged 41, soon after the whole family was split up many of them emigrating to Canada, USA and Australia the youngest 3 girls were put into a Convent aged 2, 4 & 11.  How would kids cope with that now?

Her father in law died of Cancer of the face (particularly unpleasant) he had suffered from it for 2 years. Two of his daughters died aged 30 ish one from TB and 6 months later the other from Morbis Cordis (heart disease I beleive). He and his wife had 11 children 10 of which I know survived into adult hood but goodness how many were lost on the way.

I agree death was more accepted then but still upsetting I suppose folk accepted short life expectancy as was infant mortality rate. We just think everything can be cured today and the ravages of time held back!!
Cal

[Mobo]

 

The thing I find most upsetting is, at the time, these same poor people were indoctrinated with the belief that they lived in the best country in world, and so were more than happy to trot off to war whenever they were bid, just to expeience even worse horrors.

On a lighter note John, and a bit of a concidence, on the 1881 Census, an ancestor of mine, one Joseph MORRIS, b. 1799 in Sharnbrook, was living in 'Coffle End' as a lodger in the house of Elizabeth Goodship (Lacemaker) - funny eh ??

 

[knutmill]

Mine has got to be my Gt Grandfather Albert Littlewood

He was a coal miner working at Treeton nr Rotherham and living with his large family in a small house in Attercliffe Sheffield.
1926 the year of the General Strike the miners stayed out for 10 months and in September of that year Albert went searching for work on outcrops (coal which appears on farmers fields) so he could feed his family
The next day his body was found mutilated on a railway line. A train had hit him killing him instantly. An open verdict was recorded at the subsequent inquest.

thanks
steve

[PassionPlay]

My saddest death to date is a lady whose husband left her with six children and one on the way.  She could not cope with the thought of another mouth to feed so had a back street termination.

Sadly, she died in hospital following complications.  She was only 36.

Her sister had a rough time too, her husband was killed by a landslide aged 23.  She did the exact opposite and went on to have another 5 children, although no fathers are named on the birth certs 

Steph.

[Mobo]

 

My gt. grandmother ELIZA EDGSON, born 1876 in  Leics, died 1941 in Lancs.  She married WILLIAM JOHN MORRIS in 1893 and they had four children between 1894 & 1901, then William died in 1909 (age 38) of typhoid fever.

She then had an illegitimate child in 1911 who she called George Morris, but he sadly drowned in 1920 in the Bury & Bolton Canal.  The Coroner's Report makes pitiful reading.

 

[GRACELAND]

My sad story is here Still very sad !!     


http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,25326.0.html

[MaryA]

If we spent all our arms money on health, education, housing ,etc then we wouldn't have half the problems we have today.

My great grandparents Thomas Richardson Lunt and Margaret Anne Kent didn't marry until they were 31 years old in December, 1875 and had their first son, my grandfather William Richardson Lunt in August, 1876. 

Thomas died in July 1877 of Smallpox.  Their daughter Mary Ellen was born in December, 1877 so Thomas never saw her and she died in September 1878 of Marasmus which is progressive wasting.  I suppose her poor mother wasn't getting enough and proper food herself to be able to feed the baby.

I still haven't found young William in the 1881 census, family stories say he was left with a relative, but nobody knows who, and I found his mother working as a nurse to earn money to keep the child - in actual fact family stories say she was a "wet nurse", which is what gave me the clue that there had been the second child Mary Ellen.

Mary

[RJ_Paton]

Probably that of my great grandfather who contracted scarlet fever and died at the age of 23 ..... my grandfather wasn't born until 4 months after his fathers death.