Cause of death: Evil ???

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aliza24
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Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by aliza24 »

Ciao tutti-

This has nothing at all to do with any of my lines. I'm posting this strictly out of curiosity.

I was researching in the library the other day and a fellow researcher was looking up deaths in London England- around 1799.

They would list the person who died and the CAUSE of death. For one person they listed the cause of death simply as "evil".

Bizarre! I know that people believed in all kinds of curses / witchcraft, etc. back then but it made me wonder. Do you think this meant that 'evil' was done TO THEM or that they themselves were 'evil'?

I guess it could go either way. Has anyone else ever see anything like this?
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by johnnyonthespot »

I wonder if you might find an answer to this question on the RootsChat England message board, http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?board=1 where you will find hundreds of users more directly involved with English genealogy.

Please come back and let us know what, if anything, you find out!
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aliza24
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by aliza24 »

Thanks for the link. This really isn't my area of research but it just got me curious so I had to ask.

It would be interesting if the Italian records had cause of death on them. There is another regular at my FHC that has been looking at UK deaths and some of the things she finds are just wild!

It really makes you think about how far we have come in terms of our medical knowledge. We sit there and try to figure out what some of these things would be called in today's world. Back then they didn't know so they had all kinds of crazy explanations for things.
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carolinechurch
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by carolinechurch »

Hi Aliza,
One of my ancestors died of 'indigestion, 84 days duration'
Imagine!
I suspect he may have had something more serious, but as you say, probably untreated or undiagnosed.

The saddest one I have in my tree 'poisoned herself in a temporary state of insanity'

It's one more layer of facts that make them into the real people I am looking for.
Searching for my great x3 grandfather Raffaele CIACCIA, also known as Raphael/Ralph CHURCH. He was born in Napoli around 1792 and arrived in London before 1812 with his brother Saverio CIACCIA, where they married sisters Ann and Jane FURNEAUX. He switched between CHURCH and CIACCIA all his life, which has made it difficult enough to pin him down. I want to find his origin in Italy.
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aliza24
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by aliza24 »

Dear Lord- 84 days of "indigestion"? And that killed him? It's amazing what you find in these old records.

I do with the Italian ones had causes on them. But then again, maybe not. Sometimes it's so sad.

Like when you see people all across town dying in droves and you find out that it was a disease outbreak or something that is so easily preventable today.
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aliza24
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by aliza24 »

You're right though- it is nice to know to have more of the story, not just names and dates.
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by johnnyonthespot »

carolinechurch wrote: The saddest one I have in my tree 'poisoned herself in a temporary state of insanity'
You may recall that I have done a great deal of research regarding an "episode" in my paternal grandfather's life which took place in the state of Maine in 1910. While scanning through month after month of the Daily Kennebec Journal (thank you newspaperarchive.com!), I was amazed by the sheer number of reports of people who committed suicide by cutting thier own throat. Can you imagine??

One woman actually served her three children a hearty breakfast, sent the two older ones off to school and the younger one to play outdoors, then sat herself down in a rocking chair and did the deed.
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andreeais22
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by andreeais22 »

It's the first time when I hear about something like this. I don't believe in weird causes of death and I think that there must me a reason why they died. But certainly wasn't "evil".
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mdyer
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Re: Cause of death: Evil ???

Post by mdyer »

I was researching Boiano death records on LDS microfilm last weekend. At the end of the folio there was an 1890 death certificate from Denver for an Italian citizen. The given cause of death was simply "axe". No word on self-inflicted, accident or something more treacherous...
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