Unusual causes of death

[dave the tyke]

There is always sadness for me when infants are involved. The 1911 census highlights 6 infant deaths in one of my families and here are my notes from another family -

What tragedy befell the family of Grace and John Lightowler that they should loose their 9 year old daughter Annie in 1908 and 3 years later loose 2 year old Nora on the 8th of August 1911 and twins Norman and Frank just 18 days old on the 11th of August 1911.

[Ceeoh]

How about "killed by a horse tram in Stockton High Street" William Gendle 1905

Ceeoh

[Steve G]

 Blimey! Some harsh stuff here! I'm particularly taken with the Weils Disease one. I'm a Rat Catcher. Been there. Had that. Don't recommend it!

 I love DC's. I always buy them, once I find them. One recent Aunt basically rotted!    I'm being perfectly serious here! Her stomach ruptured and flooded her entire system with sh ..... you know what! And that turned her to mank and ..... she rotted away whist still alive! 

 But, the most poignant one, for me, is one of my Gt.Gt (or what ever) Uncles. He started work at the " Gas House ", in Portsmouth, as a teenage Stoker. There he shovelled dusty coal into the furnaces, all day, every day. Then, at just fifty five years of age, he died of " Bronchitis and Exhaustion " 

 How can any body fail to be touched by that? The poor man was simply worked to death.

Life was indeed hellishly hard back then.

[Viktoria]

At a little  lead mining community in Shropshire, there were many men dying from silicosis. It got a lot worse when a compressed air drill was introduced to speed the work up.So bad that the drill was called "the widowmaker". A doctor -paid by the mine owners-claimed that stone dust in their lungs was actually beneficial to the miners !!!!!!!A young man(45)  died and a post mortem was carried out and at the inquest his young widow was seated at the front and was confronted by a large glass jar containing her husband`s lungs-------. It was stated that they were so full of stone dust that he had  an area less than a two shilling piece breathing capacity. His poor wife had not been asked to give her permission ,nor had she been warned and we can only guess at the distress. Also the total disregard for the miners by the mine owners and indeed the judicial system generally.This in the early 1930`s. His widow with two very young children got no compensation, however it helped to establish the precedent and thereafter men with siicosis and their families were entitled to compensation. Viktoria.

[maxxangel]

Good grief!! It does make you feel so much more fortunate to be living today doesn't it? I have traced my mother-in-law's family back to a community of lead miners in Middleton, Derbyshire. It will be interesting to discover what their life expectancies were. I imagined problems with heavy metal poisoning, but not silicosis. However, this is 19th century, so probably pre 'widowmaker'.

[Pippakit]

My great grandfather's brother Henry was killed by lightning in Heswall church during a harvest festival service in 1875. He was seated near the organ when the lightning entered the church via the weathervane, struck and killed the organist and then struck poor Henry. The newspaper report on the incident states that the lightning entered behind the right ear and exited via the windpipe, killing him immediately. He was just 15 years old.

You would expect to be safe in a church!

[Pippakit]

My grandmother's sisters were drowned in a vat in 1875. This is the report in the local paper:-

Two Children Drowned In A Pan
Mr J Tatlock, Coroner, held an inquest on Tuesday, at Chester, upon the bodies of Annie Ruscoe, aged seven years, and Lizzie Ruscoe, aged six years. It appeared the children had been playing in their grandmother’s brewhouse on Sunday morning last and by some accident got into a pan with over four feet of water in it, where they were subsequently discovered dead. The jury returned a verdict of ‘Found drowned’ – Chester Courant

[suzard]

The newspaper report on the incident states that the lightning entered behind the right ear and exited via the windpipe, killing him immediately. He was just 15 years old.

You would expect to be safe in a church!

I have one ancestor who (along with 2 others) was struck by lightning (and killed) at a Church outdoor social event

Cause of death on his certificate is "Act of God"

Suz

[Les de B]

Well it took 3 good goes before my ggg finally died (Captain Steven WATTS).

1) American born, in 1777 he was fighting for the English against the Americans. Historical notes indicate in the Battle of Orinskay, he was shot in the leg, and bayonetted in the throat. Due to the seriousness of his injuiries he was left to die on the battlefield. He was found by a compassionate American, and taken to creek for water. A few days of days later he was found by friendly indians, and returned to his English camp,. where his leg was amputated. He was repatriated to England, and then became Barrack Master of an Invalid Company on Jersey Island.

2) In 1796 whilst on Jersey Island he was involved in a pistol duel with another officer. Numerous newspaer reports of the day describe how Watts fired first, grazing his opponent's neck. The opponent returned fire, shooting WATTS in his still raised firing hand. This blew off his thumb. The ball then entered his nose, finally lodging in his cheek. The opponent and both seconds, thinking  WATTS was mortally wounded ran from the scene leaving him bleeding and to die (duels were illegal). Luckily, WATTS' brother-in-law, who was the Army doctor on the island, found him over an hour later, and managed to save him.

3) No doubt this time - 1810 WATTS shot himself in the head, having been recently dismissed from the Army. Coroner's jury gave the verdit as "Lunacy", as all suicides were deemed.  

Yes, one of my most "colourful" ancestors!


Les