What was the saddest death in your Tree ?

[linmey]

my GGGG grandmother was buried on the same day that her daughter was christened. The baby then died later that month. One can only imagine what that family must have been going through at the time.
             Linmey.

[saar3]

It's seems to have been pretty rare for the baby to survive where a mother died either during or shortly after childbirth. I suppose there was no milk formula in those days or handy sterilising fluid.

My 5XG Grandmother was also Christened on the day her mother was buried - at Fewston in 1706. And the sad thing is that her father was the Vicar of Fewston so presumably conducted both ceremonies. He wrote a very touching tribute to his wife in the Parish Register.

Fortunately my ancestor did survive and lived until she was 70. She was the only child of a rather elderly father so I'd love to know who cared for her.

[linmey]

hi saar3,
               Well ,I think that one beats mine because as you say, I am sure the vicar would have had to conduct the funeral himself.
          I guess if an infant was premature or difficult to feed it would not have stood a chance. Wet nurses probably cost money.
       I know when I looked at the burial index there were so many babies that didnt make it to the first year in one family. No wonder the women died so young. I was shocked really because although we know infant mortality was high then, when its your own family you are looking into it really brings it home to you.          Regards   Linmey.

[Katie123]

I have a few sad deaths (obviously all are sad, but these more than most).
On one side, there are a pair of twins that in the 1871 Census were only one week old, and were un-named.  Both of them died within the space of the next two years (I found out that their parents later called them William and Grace).

My great-uncle Freddie died at the age of six, sliding down a stair banister; he hit his head on a fire guard that was at the bottom of the stair case.

My great-great grandfather died in the same year as his baby daughter; we have reason to believe that they were involved in an accident.

It's all quite unbearable to think about! 

[KathyM]

I have recently found a newspaper article about the death & inquest of my grandmother's sister. 

In 1912 my grandma was 10, her sister Gladys was 9.  Gladys went out one Saturday morning and slipped in the street on some orange peel and badly bruised her leg......on the following Tuesday the doctor was called because she had a fever....he recommended a 'poultice'...but poor little Gladys got no better and the doctor was re-called the following day - she died in his presence !

Their father, Percival Hunter Dixon, it is said. never got over her death & died himself two years later, aged 33.  They are buried together in Morley cemetery.

My grandma & her younger sister, Constance both lived into their 90's.

[rarebit]

I have two sad ones in my family ,my grandfather worked in the mines ,he had 4 children born within four years and he got killed underground when the youngest was three months old ,and my nan had to bring them up on her own,the second death was my dads ,the night he died my brothers only child was born ,they had been trying 13 years for a child ,my nephew was born quarter to nine in the evening and my father died at quarter to ten,its as if they passed one another one coming into the world ,the other going out .
Marion

[northern_rose]

An ancestors neice (so not a direct rellie) was murdered in 1936 at the hands of Dr Ruxton in Lancaster.

It seems the poor girl was nursemaid to Dr Ruxton's children and was murdered as she witnessed Doc kill his wife!

There is quite a bit of info on the net about the case as it was one of the first in which they used forensics.

[Guy Etchells]

Not in my tree yet; but it was mentioned on a rootsweb list a couple of years ago that I had died.
As yet I haven't noticed any difference.
Cheers
Guy

[KathMc]

I think, of what I have found out so far, I have a tie. My ggggrandfather Chirstopher Schmieg and his youngest son, Christopher, died while crossing railroad tracks on Long Island, NY, leaving a widow and 3 more children. Thankfully, however, the 3 weren't infants, being a bit older then there younger brother.

The other is my gggrandfather James Hayes. His wife, Sarah Scott died iin 1888 in childbirth, leaving James to raise 2 small girls, ages 4 and 2 at the time. The lovely women of his church told him he couldn't possibly raise 2 girls by himself and he should put them in an orphanage. He dressed the girls up and took them to the steps of the orphanage, but couldn't leave them, thankfully. I have recently acquired a picture of the three of them that I believe was taken on the day he was taking them to the orphanage.

I can't imagine what he was going through, with no support from his community.