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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: JackB015725 on Saturday 13 December 25 23:23 GMT (UK)
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I've been researching my family for a number of years and I can't believe the number of tragedies I've came across.
My ancestor, Thomas Blenkinsopp was crushed by a log in 1840, aged only 43 and died a day after.
His first son, George, also died aged 1 in 1821.
Thomas' daughter, Jane died aged only 34 from "Exhaustion with Diarrhoea" in 1864.
Thomas' other son, George Scott, died aged 41 of Typhus Fever in The Govan Poor House in 1869.
George Scott had a son called Henry Jackson Blenkinsopp who died in 1871 in Sunderland in very tragic circumstances. After picking up his death certificate, I found that he died of "Extreme Marasmus", the poor lad. How sad.
George Scott's other son, John (my 2nd great grandfather), died of Liver Cancer aged 44 in 1899, and was buried in a pauper's grave in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery.
John, had a daughter called Mary who was tragically burnt to death in 1888 (aged 3) and she had a sister called Sarah, who died in 1896 of "Diphtheria, Pneumonia Morbus, Convulsions and Bodily Fits" aged 3. So tragic.
But, it gets worse. In 1902, John's brother, Thomas Pigg drowned himself in the Sunderland North Dock aged 45, and his nephew; Third Engineer Tom Blenkinsopp was drowned whilst on board the SS Cheviot in WW1.
I can't remember now, but another family member also died of "Debility" and another of "General Paralysis". So awful.
I can't believe the amount of terrible tragedies my family has had. It seems that some families were ridden with bad luck and poverty, and others were luckier.
JackB
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If I look back over my research for 200 years I could come up with a similar list. We moan about health and safety these days, but it does save a lot of lives. I have ancestors who've died after being arrested drunk, fallen off ships, drowned in harbours, not to mention war casualties.
Zaph
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Wow, JackB, that is really sad.
It's incredible how much our lives have been improved by science / modern medicine.
When I was young, my mother told me that in the olden days people could die from a sinus infection, and I've seen that listed as the cause of death on at least two occasions.
A lot of people in my husband's family, including his grandfather, died young of TB.
My great-grandmother had nine children between 1901-1915: six died in infancy.
I often wonder about people such as your relative who died of "Exhaustion with Diarrhoea" and the one who died of "Extreme Marasmus" -- did they have illnesses that might be more easily diagnosed and treated today?
For example, I was very ill for many years before a specialist finally diagnosed me with celiac disease (through biopsy and blood work). If I had been born in an earlier time, and had wasted away and died after years of life-limiting fatigue and weakness, what disease would have been blamed?
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I think this topic should be moved to “The Common Room” rather than this sub-board, so tragic.
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Perhaps it was something connected with the "Blenkinsop" name in the extreme NW /Scotland area? I have found some Blenkinsops in one line, and none of them seemed to thrive.....
TY
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I have several ancestors who died of "phthisis", aka pulmonary TB.
I have an ancestor who, aged 40, was sent to Australia for stealing a hog, and he died just months after landing in Sydney. This was the 1790s. He likely contracted cholera. I was in Australia in 2007 at the convict museum in Sydney, and never knew about my convict direct ancestor at the time.
One ancestor was admitted to Marylebone workhouse in late 1848 and died in Feb 1851 of cerebral disease.
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Getting sent to a workhouse must have been absolutely terrible. I can't imagine how awful it must have been dying there as well. Cerebral Disease, sounds very vague, I wonder what that would be diagnosed as now?
Another one of my Blenkinsopp ancestors died during a game of cricket in 1921. He was playing cricked in a shipbuilding yard using a rock as a ball, and was struck on the head and died soon after. It's sad, but not as bad as dying of Marasmus or drowning.
JackB
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Oh my goodness - what tragic stories. Some of our ancestors really had it rough didn't they.
We 'don't know we are born' as the saying goes - and we tend to take everything for granted.
Thank you JackB for sharing all this.
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Getting sent to a workhouse must have been absolutely terrible. I can't imagine how awful it must have been dying there as well. Cerebral Disease, sounds very vague, I wonder what that would be diagnosed as now?
We have to remember that hospitals were part of the workhouse system - so that could be the reason.
I have found this website very useful - https://www.workhouses.org.uk/addresses/m.shtml
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in the late 60s when my grandmother had pneumonia, she had made my granddad promise not to send her into hospital; now I know that her mother Alice was born in the workhouse I wonder if that was the reason.
I`ve no idea if she knew , Alice was one of 5 illegitmate children.
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Getting sent to a workhouse must have been absolutely terrible. I can't imagine how awful it must have been dying there as well. Cerebral Disease, sounds very vague, I wonder what that would be diagnosed as now?
Another one of my Blenkinsopp ancestors died during a game of cricket in 1921. He was playing cricked in a shipbuilding yard using a rock as a ball, and was struck on the head and died soon after. It's sad, but not as bad as dying of Marasmus or drowning.
JackB
In 1848 her youngest son was 20 then and was a litho printer. She had lived in London/Middlesex since at least c1810/1811, and said "not born in county" in 1841 census (Middlesex). Her death was registered in Feb 1851 by a fellow inmate. Even if she had lived to the 1851 census in late March, there was a chance she may have forgotten her birthplace, or was too ill to answer questions. Hard to say what cerebral disease was. I have seen several "NK" for workhouse patients in censuses after 1841.
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The Workhouse in my home town was built on a hill, so that everyone could see it. The building acted as a deterrent, so that residents of the town, would try NOT to need to go in there.
In the 1920s it actually became one of the hospitals for the town - and I understand that people were initially reluctant to go into that hospital because of it's connotations with the Workhouse.
The link below will lead to the 'Rules' of the Workhouse in Blackburn, Lancs - which were no doubt similar to those of other towns. It is transcribed below a small copy of the document. Some are quite humourous - such as being fined for swearing and cursing - or wearing clogs upstairs.
Children under 13 having ears, neck etc washed every week (I think) - and other rules regarding broken chamber pots etc.
https://www.cottontown.org/Health%20and%20Welfare/Institutions/Pages/Workhouses.aspx
Sorry - I didn't mean to change the subject of tragic deaths - but, yes - there was a hospital part to a Workhouse, as mentioned previously. Hence if you have a death in the Workhouse - it may have been in the Hospital section.
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This must be why my ancestor, George Scott Blenkinsopp died in The Govan Poor House in 1869, rather than his own home (Marlow Street in Glasgow).
He had developed Typhus fever, and after his death the family had no stable income and moved back to Sunderland lived in a number of slum dwellings.
JackB
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I have an ancestor who died in the St Pancras workhouse in January 1885. It was the hospital section, as he was only admitted the day before, and had chronic bronchitis. Ironically he is the son of the ancestor who was admitted to the workhouse in 1848 in Marylebone and died in Feb 1851. I think she was likely in the hospital section. She was 60 when she died.
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Sadly when researching our family history we have to accept what we find, I remember discovering a Gt aunt had married before she was 15 but said she was 21, a very well educated relation was appalled, me some 20 years younger almost had to give him a talking to and remind him whatever happened in history sadly we have to accept it, we cannot change it, my Swedish Gt grandfather died listed as a workhouse but I have always believed it was part of a hospital where he needed care, thankfully things are so much better.
LM
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History is full events and family history is no exception.
In one family I researched- eldest daughter (newly married and just pregnant) was shot accidentally at her employer's house (young man later committed suicide). Girl's parents then moved to Scotland, mother gave birth to another child (mother and baby died shortly after), followed not too long by the girl's father. Several young brothers sent to Canada as Home Children and the remainder of the family split up- a few sent back to Ireland to live with father's brother (he had his own large family and couldn't look after all his orphaned nieces and nephews). I originally heard to story from Canadian family members.
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The furthest back I can find Blenkinsops is a George Blenkinsop c1732 - 1801, grandson of a Thomas Blenkinsop c 1660 - 1721.in County Durham / North East area.
There's a lot of 'em around!
TY
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Pandora's Box will be opened with family history. I am not too worried as these things happened generations ago and were part of life, while it can be a slight shock when you get a census entry, a BMD cert or army/navy record which reveals something, it can be exciting. The 1921 census revealed that my 15 year old 2xgreat aunty (born Nov 1905) in Stambridge, Essex, had a 5 month old son in June 1921.
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Anyone visiting Burton Hospital in Burton on Trent will know exactly where the Poor House was located, as you have to pass the buildings to access the main entrance to the current hospital. ;)
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In regards to illegitimacy discoveries in FH, I find the anonymity of fathers of illegitimate ancestors, (or ancestor siblings/cousins who had illegitimate children) quite fascinating, the unknown man, who could he be? DNA testing is helping people find more fathers of such children, on top of looking for possible fathers through a paper trial such as bastardy bonds, maintenance orders etc.
I read in a book that finding potential fathers of illegitimate children is more likely before the 1834 Poor Law amendment.