Genealogy Chat

Hi! I've been looking through the online parish record1838-1844 for Ashton in Makerfield trying to find the death of an ancestor. I was a bit surprised at certain causes of death but especially one that came up often 'death after visitation by God'. I find it hard to believe that God was particulary busyat that time in the Ashton area calling his flock home. Was that a medical cause of death or just a zealous vicar? Patricia

Can i just ask where online you can look at these records, as I have a number of rellies in the Ashton-in-Makerfield area, thanks!

Sounds very dramatic but was used for 'died suddenly of natural causes' .... i.e. no illness or accident preceding death. Sounds very dramatic though! You can imagine being struck down by a thunderbolt like in one of these Hollywood blockbuster religious films! If you google 'visitation by God cause of death', there are some interesting sites. Jack

I have always thought it was where the doctor didn't have a clue as to what the cause of death was. :0)))) Ron www*genealogyprinters*com

After reading the Google entries the people who died from the 'visitation of God' were the lucky ones. Some of the causes of death in the mid 19th century were very sad. I've calculated that 95% of infants died from 'convulsions' meaning I suppose that they had a high temperature, 95% of infants from 'bowel weakness', a bug caught from poor hygiene? and 95% of young people died from 'weakness' which I suppose meant to say that they didn't have enough to eat amongst other things. The one I was looking for died of Palsy at the age of 31 and his daughter aged 3 a year later from smallpox. Another surprising thing was the number of illegitimate births, many being the 2nd or 3rd illig. child. Would it be that the people just didn't marry? My gtx3 grandmother had 3 like that and so I can't trace my gtx2 grandfather's father. She was a widow and did get married again later but not to the children's father. Sheila, you need to go on the Lancashire Parish Records On-Line project; www.lan-opc.uk If you type in www.lan-opc.uk/Ashton-in-Makerfield/index.html you'll access the Ashton site immediately. There are baptisms from 1810-1812 and 1828-1844 and burials 1828-1842. Regards Patricia

I think the Visitation usually refers to a stroke. There are lots of entries for people usually kiddies dying from 'teeth' - teething kids would go into convulsions and die - its so sad. The bowel problems would probably be more likely the sort of plagues we now know were due to poor sanitation/infected water supplies. Weakness - well very likely tb We did use to have an amusing deaths thread on here a few years back, Ill try to see if its still about and bump it up.

Have found the thread, do have a read!