Unusual causes of death

[Flickgirl]

Talking of death by drowning my mother told me many a time that her grandfather died by drowning in a park burn after walking home from taking her to school one morning in the 1950s.  My great granddad had been a member of the Salvation Army band most of his life and the Salvation Army refused to bury him as it was widely believed to be suicide and my mum even thought it had been ruled a suicide.  When I found the death certificate it confirmed cause of death as asphyxia by drowning but there was an RCE attached to it with details of the inquest and the inquest had actually ruled it was an accidental death - my mum's family had always thought he had fallen and got caught in something.

Michelle

[Gaille]

I was searching for family info in the Lacashire online Parish clerks site & I spotted this (not sure yet if he is one of mine) ......

Burial: 1 Oct 1812 All Saints, Wigan, Lancashire, England
James Bibby - Son of James Bibby
    Age: 6 months
    Abode: Frog Lane
    Occupation: Weaver
    Cause of Death: Chin coff

when i was growing up my Nana always used to tell me to wrap up or I would catch Chinkoff .............. we always thought it was just a local word - never seen it written anywhere before, never mind as a cause of death!

Gaille

[c-side]

One of my gg grandfathers was a train driver and met a very sticky end in a train crash in 1865.

The local newspapers reported the inquest and were graphic in the extreme.  What I hadn't realised until then was that, in those days, the coroners jury had to view the remains which were lying in his home.

Imagine, if you will, poor newly widowed woman with her husband in bits in the front room (or only room!) having all these men trooping through.

C

[ambers]

These are for  my great grandfather and G-grandafther from different sides of the family

Hemorrhage of the brain, following concussion cased by accidentally falling under the wheels of a wagon attached to a runaway horse.
This was his own horse and wagon used in his Haulage Co shared with my grandfather.

Found drowned in a Canal, sitting up in 4'6" of water.

The Inquest report in the paper said, he was known to  be happy go lucky man.
He was  on that very dark night  as he staggered  and slipped into the canal singing on top of his voice. He managed to sit up but couldn't get the water out of his lungs..ah bless him.

Ambers

[Les de B]

My wife's gggg grandfather, Francis COX, d.1831 in Sydney. One of his daughters wrote a letter to another daughter describing his death. He had had his leg amputated, however, infection set in, and he later died few days later.

In part the letters reads ".......he could not speak at 2 o'clock, but was quite sensible till the last  moment. He took us all by the hand and a minute before he departed, he took his night cap off and waved it 3 times, and threw it away as much to say 'I am going - farewell'............."

Les 

[pistonbroke]

Ex Motherinlaws grandfather died after being accidently gored  by his pet bull.
My gggrandfather died of nicotine poisoning.
Got a few died of visitation of God.

Vicki

[Ruskie]

Gaille,
Chin cough = whooping cough ... 

One of my favourites is "decline" which covers a multitude of sins. 

[Preraphaelite]

"visitation of God"!!?!!   Surely that should be "Grim Reaper"!

[Alan b]

My GG Grandad got killed when he was knocked from the  bike he was riding and a post office van ran over his head. This was in 1946 and I have seen a newspaper report to confirm it.