What was the saddest death in your Tree ?

[The Gardener]

My Mother's father died Christmas eve 1970 ten days later my father died 5th January, its was my mothers 39th birthday. Both died at home of heart attack's.

Further back in the family tree i lost a great uncle to fire, died age 7 playing with matches in bed and two years later his sister died when her hair caught fire while drying it by on open fire. 

The happiest death i have is an old uncle who after enjoying a good days walking in North Wales, then died (heart attack)  in the pub after his first pint  which someone else had got him. At his funeral a walking friend was heard to say ''George would do anything to avoid buying a round''. For George it was an ideal exit.

[chloed]

my great great grandfather was knocked down whilst walking home across westminster bridge by a cart and was trampled by 4 horses on xmas eve 1870, he died from his injurys 20 days later, he had just been to his sons wedding,must have been a crap xmas and honeymoon for the newly- weds.

[Mogsmum]

Probably a distant Uncle.   He died the day after joining his unit in WWI.   He was 19 years old.   

I suppose what brought it home to me, was that I found out about him only days after my own daughter celebrated her 19th birthday.

There, but for the grace of God .....

[Penninah]

My great grandfather William's brother Samuel! He lost sons, William and Sydney aged 1 in 1898 and 5 in 1899 respectively then Son Reg aged 1 and Daughter Emily aged 9 in 1900, then his newborn son Samuel and wife Mary aged 34 in 1901 and lastly his sole remaining child, Mary Ann at 18 in 1910 from TB. He then lost the plot understandably and sadly died in the workhouse in 1918.

I could never imagine nor wish to what that poor man went through! So sad.

[meles]

Bill - very sorry to hear of the loss of your children's mother at such a time.

Mine - my father (who died when I was 20) never spoke about his parents who I never knew (hence my doing my tree). I was shocked recently when I found that my grandmother died when he was 5, and his father commited suicide 5 years later. No wonder he never mentioned them.

meles

[Penninah]

I just had to share this, im not sure that it is quite relavent to the topic but on doing a tree for a friend. I came across this, it was written by his 3x great grandmothers brother Daniel who was convicted of stealing £101, 18s 10d in 1848 aged just 23. He was then transported to Australia (in 1851 when he wrote this poem) to serve out his 10 years. He never did see any of his family again. He died aged 37 from a tragic accident involving a fall from his horse (he badly hurt his leg, it was amputed not long after as gangrene set in but it was to late.)


                  
Farewell my friends and parents dear                 
I bid you all adieux                 
With aching heart I write these lines               
I suffer much for you                   
In sorrow I confess my faults                   
and ever  shall regret   
             
To see my father weep for me               
 I never shall forget                   
My tender Mother sighed with grief                 
Each sister shed a tear                 
I am bereaved of all my friends                 
No one my heart to Cheer   
             
 My tender father ever dear                 
Bemoaned my wretched state               
 He tried my liberty to gain                 
But alas it was too late                   
Now I hope these lines that I write                 
Will give your hearts some ease     
           
So  breathe a prayer on my
When I am on the seas                   
I quickly shall be hurried hence                 
And from you shall be driven               
And if we meet no more on earth                   
Then  may we meet in heaven.

[Cal241]

Oh Penninah
How tragic for him and his family ... mind you £101 in 1848 must have been an awful lot! Do you know how he came to get himself in that situation?



Cal 

[Elliebob]

I recently found the burial records for Stratford on Avon Cemetery on line.  ( a wonderful resource) My father had told me that he had a first cousin drown in the canal, but he knew no more.  I found the record for the death in 1908 (eight years before my father was born) and when I visited the Stratford Record Office last week, I was able to find the coroner's report in the local paper.  He was aged 6 and was playing on the canalside, at the end of their street, on a Sunday afternoon in early August and fell in.  A police constable tried artificial respiration but to no avail.  The verdict was "foudn drowned".

His parents had six other children who died in childhood and three who survived.

Ellen

[ali607]

mine was my grandads youngest brother - whom he never knew....he died age 5 - he was run over by a van. Death cert states 'violent rupture or mesentery (intestine) caused by running into a passing van (4 wheels one horse) when the hind wheel went over his abdomen'

Alison