What was the saddest death in your Tree ?

[Mobo]

 

I think the saddest death in my tree has got to be my gt.gt. grandmother Mary DUNN (nee' MCNULTY) who died in 1867 age 34 from Asthma which she'd suffered from for 14 years, she must have been such a tiny wasted little thing. 

She died a few months after giving birth to her fourth child Daniel, who died of whopping cough just before her, leaving three little girls to be brought up by their father.

Life was so hard then - you can't comprehend it.

 

[Keren]

  Bless.

Mine has to be a choice between my gr gr grandparents having 2 margarets 5 years apart and them both dying before the ages of 3, the second one died one month after her baby sister.  They had one daughter that lived and 6 lads!!

Or My gr grandmother dying of breast cancer one year after losing her baby son and husband to the 1924 Flu outbreak, leaving my gran to be brought up by her step sisters.

Yes life was cruel and hard then.

[sharren1837]

hi mobo,

i would probalbly nominate my ggrandfather, Thomas Wm Baldridge who died from anaemia & asthma in Ripon workhouse in 1915, what makes this so sad is that he was quite wealthy only a few years before his death so how he ended up in the workhouse i dont know yet, but i believe his 2nd wife (40yrs his junior) may well have had some bearing on this state of affairs.  

also have a few small children dying from the usual childhood illnesses that today can be immunised against, but guess thats just a sign of the times, still sad all the same.

sharren

[Sueh2]

I'm always saddened by infant deaths. Gt gt gt grandfather Jacob lost his first two daughters before they reached a year.

His wife then gave birth to twin boys Jacob and William who died 5 weeks later on the same day from Smallpox.

Just a year later Jacob's wife died from diarrhea.

Not really the good old days!!

Sue

[Keith Sherwood]

In July 1870 my gt-gt-grandfather's brother, John Kershaw, was travelling back from work in The Strand on a horse-drawn onmibus to his stop at Highbury Corner.  Somehow he slipped as he climbed down from the top deck and his head went under the wheel - he was killed instantly, in full view of several witnesses, including people drinking their Friday evening pints in the Cock Tavern.
The sad thing was he left a widow and eight children between the age of 13 and the youngest being just a few months old.  A couple of these had to go to an institution for fatherless children in Surrey, to ease the burden on the his widow, Mary Ann Kershaw.
Someone travelling on the omnibus knew where James lived and ran down St Paul's Road to break the dreadful news to the family, and the eldest son then had to go to Charterhouse Square late that night to inform the dead man's brother about this awful tragedy...
Keith

[Su]

Lots of the children dying from scarlet fever.  Some of them fell down mine shafts or were killed in fires underground, too horrendous to think about.

The strangest was ... a visitation from God ...

Su

[Mobo]

 

Aww - what a sad story Keith.  In those days, when the head of a house died, the family could be decimated overnight.   There was no 'benefit' then, and they were the very people who needed it !

 

[mimosa]

In 1861 one of my ancestors was widowed with 7 children the youngest 9 months old and then I found her death in 1870, can only find 4 of the children linving on their own in 1870, I guess maybe the others died as well. I cant imagine what it would have been like to try and bring up 7 children on you own in those days, it would be hard enough now let alone then.

[KernishKim]

Just though Id tune in to the "lighter side" and have found such tales of sadness.
I too think about how our ancestors lived - children of 11 working in mines - to support their families especially if the Father had died.
Anyway, I would like to know how you find these stories out that happened in 1870s.
Ive found a Memorial to one of my ancestors who died in a mining accident in Durham, but thats about it.
Im not only interested - think Im addicted!!! To knowing EVERYTHING about my past family