Genealogy Chat

On Here? Jo.... go to "account details" enter your password, and you will see your present details, amend whichever name you prefer....to whatever you prefer...... and bob's your mothers brother!( dont forget to click on save changes) Bob ( not the one that is mums brother)

Thanks Bob! Will give it a go! Jo

Someone earlier mentioned that someone died with his strumpet. Having been a policeman for thirty years ( a while ago) this was a common cause of death in motor vehicles. The actual message used to be marked off "died with a smile on his face" and everyone knew what was meant. someone had to inform the wife of the death and this was tricky in not telling the whole truth - made difficult by the fact that they usually suspected that the husband was having an affair, and asked awkward questions. Apparently , these extra marital activities, place an extra strain on the heart - but of course I wouldn,t know that.

Harry, Bet you have some stories to tell??? Maybe when you have the time, hey????????? I have had a hard time trying to find deaths year, & GRO index's for my ancestors so I can order some I(feel well left out with nothing to add from experience). Its not fair I cannot find any???? Now with my lot your lucky to find a birth cert!!!! so death certs must be just as scarce??? its not fair. Pat x

Just read all the caurses of death , i have not lol sp much in my life. thanks all anna

Re "stories to tell" a couple of items back. One slightly relevant thing springs to mind, although definitely not amusing. Long before I got the geneology bug, as a Policeman at first light and bored to tears, i had the habit of reading gravestones.One coldish morning i remember the extra shiver I got on reading(relying on memory) -Here lies the body of Jane Smith. The hand of man never defiled her. SHE WAS PLAIN. How any parent could write that about their own daughter is beyond me. Best wishes

Good lord, we can't have this languishing on page 4!

if you google for darwin awards, there is an endless list of "amusing" causes of death.

Is it me, or are causes of death on certificates getting more simplistic? My grandfather died of lung cancer, but his death certificate stated chronic emphesema and carcinoma of lung. On my late husbands death certificate it simply states Oesophegal Cancer.

A lot seems to depend on the individual registrar/doctor who certified death. Some of my relatives have 3 or more causes - any one of which was enough to kill them! Most of my certs are very medical - atheroma, carcinoma, intra-cerebral haemorrhage, purpura haemorrhagica, etc. I have just two in simple English - flooding after childbirth, and senile decay. For which read _ bled to death and old age! nell

Not funny poor fellow but I've just come across one relative who had "dairrhoea - 24 days"!

Thanks for all the laughs everyone!This thread is brilliant.I can't contribute as I haven't sent away for any death certificates yet,it's always birth or marriage ones.Maybe I should send away for a few,as it has got me wondering.Thanks for explaining about pthsisis.When I was at primary school that word was always in the spelling tests and no-one knew what it meant,we were too scared to ask the teachers as well. Wendy

I dont know if any of you saw Tony Robinsons "Worst Jobs in History" programme on tv last night - I only caught it on way though. Anyway, he was talking about the poor devils who had to go to a house when someone died and decide what they had died from (only a local pensioner, mind you, not a doctor). Anyway, there was a list of reasons given briefly on the screen and my eyes were drawn to "Teeth and Worms". Oh my god, what a way to go.

What on earth is 'rising of the lights'? Teeth I can understand,my grandmother used to talk about something called killer boils, anything festering on the face,which would include abcesses of the teeth would kill you off if the poison travelled up into your brain. She used to get quite panic stricken if we had a boil on our upper regions. The poor souls, what they must have endured. Rose

Reading Helens contribution reminds me,there used to be a very funny little book called 'The book of Grave Humour' We had it in the sixties so I don't know if it is still available but Amazon might know..It is shaped like a tombstone and is recordings of final messges from tombstones. Rose

Just been looking at Bishop transcripts for Carlton Snaith somes causes of death were:- died of a mortification of one leg without any hurt an abcess on his back a remitting fever age 1 yr getting teeth chin cough found dead by explosive drinking as recoreded by the coroner complaint of the bowels decline a stoppage in the throat killed by drinking gin as recorded by the coroner Jan

What is explosive drinking? Some kind of potent cocktail perhaps? Sounds like quite an enjoyable way to go.

Aw bless him. I dont suppose they had death by chocolate in them days?

I can't remember what the cause of death was, but one of my rellies died "in the company of his housekeeper". He left all his money to her, and made it plain that the didn't want his wife to get anything "having lived apart from her many years" I have laughed till I cried about some of these - pies, teeth, lettuce, bled to death and old age to name but a few. Keep this one going please! Lisa

Lisa, Did they actually put that down as cause of death, did they? Incredible, by the way this question of mine will also nudge this up to the top, I am awaiting a cert at the moment I am really hoping for something juicy to add to these incredible posts, (havent had one yet) probably be something really mundane, hope it didnt hurt i.e Marion like the fellow with the leg? LOL Pat x