Genealogy Chat

Has anyone got a favourite cause of death for their ancestors? Here's mine........."Collapse the result of Ptomaine poisoning caused by his eating a portion of a meat pie"

Hi Lyla, I thought he was a rellie, but he wasn't, still have the cert but as he was unmarried probably no decendents who know. "Died of a fit while eating his breakfast" he was in a public house! Bless him Amanda, London

Don't think I'd be amused if I was poisoned. nell

In a book called 'Bonnie Colne' there's a list of curious deaths, e.g. Margaret Rushton - died of teeth. Shouldn't laugh but there was Ellen Higgin who died of riotous living at 56! WHAT A WAY TO GO!!!!!

Thanks, you have given me a good giggle....keep them coming!

As most of you know, I'm still fairly new to all this and haven't got too many ancestors at the moment. This one isn't hilarious but it's slightly funny. My great-grandmother's death certificate said 'Exhaustion & Syncope' and with some help from this site, I found it on the paulsmith website. It means she was tired and dropped down dead. Mandy :)

One I remember was a man who said his father didn't die from anything serious!! Another from a relative writing from Canada in mid 1800's, to the family in Britain telling of the death of a child, and they said we buried her comfortable.

The thread above about dying of teeth (?) reminded me that in my book about the Great fire of London there is a reproduction of the Bill of Mortality for a week. As you'd expect it includes as cause of death the plague, as well as cancer, consumption, fever but also: lethergy teeth thrush vomiting griping in the guts found dead in the Street stopping of the stomach rising of the lights rupture sore legge starved at nurse wind worms (18 people died of this) nell

Nell LOL, but what is rising of the lights? Oh hang on, just thought, lights are something yuk inside like giblets aren't they?

Nell, totally off topic but loads of people seem to have changed their name while I was on holiday - were you Helen Evans of Hitchin before?

Marion, reckon I've got 4 too - thankfully not the worms though LOL

Lights is another name for lungs and in animals they are part of the giblets.

Marion I've got teeth, I've got wind, I've got a sore leg, and I've forgotten the other one, oh yes lethargy, always got that LOL. And I'm still me too, but I sent a thank you to Nell yesterday and it said I'd already emailed her so that's why I thought she might have been someone else before. Am rambling so must go to bed, then maybe I won't have the lethargy tomorrow :)

The one I found amusing was MARASMUS It is usually infants and means failure to thrive.

Ah thank you Marion, now I'm much less confused and can go to bed happy (but still lethargic and with teeth etc). Brilliant, another mystery solved as well! Maz, now I know who you are too! But I'd heard of Phillack, was just confused at change from Maz to Marie-Anne!

Marion Are you accusing me of something heinous? Just because my gt gt uncle slit someone's throat, doesn't mean you can point the finger at me. nell (its quicker to type than Helen)

Dont mind me, still chuckling over Nells contribution, but would somebody please explain how you can die of teeth?

Seriously, I can only think that "teeth" as a cause of death - unless they were a crocodile's and it bit you with them - must mean some kind of infection in the tooth which got into the bloodstream in those pre-antibiotic days. nell

LOL Stop it before I rupture something too. Maybe the horse that ran over her bit her on the butt, and she had wind causing the horse to bounce of the wall and smack her in the gob!

I think the horse had griping in the guts and was vomiting because he too had eaten a portion of a meat pie.