What killed them in Geelong 1864?

[enzfan]

Hi

I have been looking into a particular branch of the family and have discovered that four children aged 1, 2, 4 and 6 all died during December 1864. Does anyone know what was going on in Geelong or Victoria at that time?

The other two children, both girls, never married.

So sad!! 

[cando]

Could you please post their names.

Cando

[enzfan]

Surname: OLIVER
Mary Ann
James Charman
Martha Hannah
William Edward

Parents: William Oliver and Jemima Burt (aka Marryatt)

[Jamjar]

I did a search on Trove for Geelong using year and month with no names and there were quite a few infants/toddlers dying of dyptheria.

Jamjar

[cando]

They are all interred in the Geelong Eastern Cemetery.  Service dates.  Burials either in common ground or  public graves.

OLIVER William Edward    21 Dec 1864   EAS-PRES-OLD-X-825-X    
OLIVER Martha Hannah    03 Dec 1864   EAS-PRES-OLD-X-825-X    
OLIVER James Sharman    06 Dec 1864   EAS-PRES-OLD-X-825-X    
OLIVER Mary Ann            12 Dec 1864   EAS-PRES-OLD-X-825-X

Cando

[enzfan]

Perhaps it was dyphtheria. I tried googling it but got no answer so wondered if a local genie might have some more insiight.

Just wondering - and so sad for the family!

[cando]

Diptheria was probably no more prevalant in Geelong that in other areas of Victoria in era.  The Western district around Branxholme and Daylesford rated a couple of mentions in the daily newspapers.


Cando

[Rufous Treecreeper]

My guess would be Diptheria as my 3 x great grandparents lost 3 or 4 of their children to it in that year.  They were in Branxholme, which is also in western Victoria.
Crossed post with cando

[cando]

Reports such as this appeared regularly in the newspapers of the day.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article150461203
Geelong Advertiser  Sat 2 Apr 1864 Pge#2
TOWN COUNCIL OF GEELONG.
Report of the Sanitary Condition of the Town of Geelong, for and during the year ending 31st December, 1863.
1. During the past year the diseases which have been most, prevalent were—measles, scarlet fever, angina-laryngea, angina tonsillaris (or what is commonly called diptheria).
Of these maladies the three latter only have been of serious import, defying, in many in
stances, every endeavour to avert a fatal termination, yet in most cases yielding readily to
proper remedies, whenever such remedies were adopted in time. etc. etc.

Cando