Genealogy Chat

How awful and tragic..........I must admit though, I'm now curious to get all the death certs for everyone in my tree! (sorry hubby!) I'm sure I'm yet to find more causes other than TB... Thanks for sharing though. Although it's sad, I think by getting the death cert, the person becomes more real somehow. Helen x

I have four suicides in my tree, each in a different line, so no connection. One drowned himself in a water butt, one hanged himself and two threw themselves in front of trains. I think most people would find one such event if they explore all the deaths in their tree. Jennifer

Ray I've already e-mailed Cirencester libraries, who have been extremely helpful in the past. They actually sent me a photocopy of an article about the murder (John Mealing's son's crime) without demanding money first! Betty If you haven't come across ag lab before, you obviously are knew at this game! It's what all my great-great-grandfathers did!! nell

Thanks for that info Janet.

Betty, Ag lab is short for agricultural labourer, i.e. farm worker Jay

Hi Nell, Sorry about this but whats ag lab. New to this game.

Very sad Helen but this event will certainly have been reported in the Local, and possibly, National Press. If the Library/archive Office in the area of the event is near enough to visit, I would certainly look if it was my ancestor. If not, as you have an exact date of death the Library may respond to a letter. A newspaper would try to find the reason for the suicide to dramatise their report. Regards, Ray Whincup

what a sad story nell iv neaver sent for death certs as of yet,but do have a few lined up hugs angie xxx

I'm sorry, Nell. It's the downside of exploring family history, isn't it, when you discover something really tragic that happened in the past. Best wishes Helen

Nell, I know what a shock it is to see that in black and white, my husband found exactly the same cause of death for his 3x gt grandfather recently. What made his story even more tragic is that we discovered that his wife had died on the same day and it turned out that he had murdered his wife and then comitted suicide. The inquest reports had been destroyed but we managed to find a report of them in the local paper (Norwich). We will never know the reason for this family tragedy, they were both in their 60s, had been married for about 40 years and were happy together according to a daughter who gave evidence. Regarding your comment about having a beard, from the inquest report we have discovered that he had a 'greying grizzly beard' so not sure what he needed a razor for! My husband found it hard to sleep for a couple of nights, he kept going over and over the evidence given trying to find a reason. Carolyn

I told my mum and she said how awful that he'd lingered for 20 days when he clearly wanted to die. I am going to get the inquest report and will let you know if it reveals anything else of interest. But as his son killed his fiancee by cutting her throat with a razor, I think it would have been better for everyone if beards had been more popular!!! nell

sorry to hear your shocking news. My gg grandfather was at one time an inmate of the newcastle upon tyne city lunatic asylum, but as yet i dont know what for. it was a bit of a shock at the time. it appears that families buried all their secrets under the carpet all the time, much more than now.

Aw, Nell. What a tragedy, and yes, it does shake you doesn't it. My 2 x GGF, a nasty man by all reports, died in a lodging house of cancer of the tongue and throat in 1898. I am haunted by the thought of the terrible death he must have suffered, not even he deserved that. This is the downside of doing Family History I suppose. Olde Crone

A shock indeed. After so much, one can imagine someone feeling life was too hard to face anymore, but it's still very sad. Christine

How sad Nell. I expect all the things that happened in the family became to much for him. Bless him poor man. How lucky we are today with so much help and support around for everyone. Regards Irene

And someone on here recently said that they didn't bother with death certificates because they were a bit boring!

...so I eagerly opened it and read that John was an ag lab in Rendcombe, so I knew it was my chap. John had given evidence for his eldest son William, who was found innocent by reason of insanity of murdering his fiancee in 1862. Next eldest child Ann, my gt gt grandmother, bled to death after childbirth in 1874. But what a shock when I looked at the cause of death 'committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor - lived 20 days'. So there was an inquest. I am gobsmacked - what a tragic family, and my grandfather didn't know anything about it!! nell

I've been looking for a death cert for my gt gt gt grandfather John Mealing for some time. I sent off for one in the index for John Mealins and it arrived today...