Genealogy Chat

How did the poor parents of the Wallace children ever come to terms with so much loss in so short a time

In the Bolton st, Cemetery in Wellington NZ there is a sad grave with this
Inscription on the Tombstone

Sacred to the memory of the beloved children of John Howard & Sarah Ann WALLACE, carried off by scarlet fever 1865.

Sacred to the memory of William Stanton WALLACE, d. 5 May 1865, aged 3 years & 7 months. Marian Stanton WALLACE, d. 18 May 1865, aged 11 years & 9 months. John Howard WALLACE, d. 19 May 1865, aged 10 years & 2 months. George Frederick WALLACE, d. 20 May 1865, aged 7 years & 7 months. Alice Pennington WALLACE, d. 24 May 1865, aged 4 years & 11 months. All died of scarlet fever. "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for such is the kingdom of God ".

I have occasionally found families where several children die, one after the other, which would indicated an epidemic.
These brothers did not appear to live together, and there is no mention of their wives or children going at the same time.
perhaps it was more a way of announcing a sensational set of deaths.

Unfortunately this extract doesn't doesn't mention the areas where the brothers died
Epdemics Timeline - Keighley & District Family History Society

1838
Smallpox epidemic (south west England & Wales extremely high mortality rate); typhus epidemic (London, Manchester, Liverpool) deaths in north 15,666; in London 18,775

1839
Smallpox epidemic (south west England & Wales extremely high mortality rate); scarlatina epidemic; typhus epidemic (Manchester, Liverpool) deaths in north 17,177; in London 15,666

I wonder if there was some sort of epidemic at the time??

Do the entries say anything about how they died ........



........ or it might be interesting to get their death certificates.

A bit worrying for any other siblings of the three brothers!

From The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Saturday, January 26, 1839; Issue 5481.
Extraordinary Mortality-
On the 17th dec, Mr William Bentley, of Crumpsall, farmer, aged 46.-
on the 8th Jan Mr Robert Bentley, of the Coach and Horses, Prestwich, aged 38.-
on the 14th Jan Mr Joseph Bentley, farmer of Sandfield, Pilkington, aged 49 years.

The deceased, who were three brothers, all died in the prime of life, after very short illnesses, leaving three widows and seventeen children to regret their loss.