4 Deaths In A Row, Same Date. What's Do You Reckon?

[Penelope]

Redacted

[Bo the Bodger]

I actually think that it sounds highly suspicious - but that is just my view. The fact that there was no folk memory about it is also a little odd - may be something that people wanted kept under the carpet?

[Phoenix]

As a stone can't be erected until the earth has settled (at least a year, I believe) the dates may not be exact. I have seen families where the poor mother is clearly so exhausted with breast feeding that baby after baby dies... often after the next one has come along.

If the dates are accurate, I cannot think that it is anything but a very sad coincidence - every one would have been watching her like a hawk when the fourth child died.

Alternatively, there may have been something that was done at that time of year: spring cleaning, painting the bedsteads, your guess is as good as mine, that exposed the children to something potentially fatal.

[zoejg]

It does seem like one hell of a coincidence, but even if the odds are 6.72 billion to 1, that means it WILL happen to someone. Hopefully the death certificates will have some useful information.

[Elizabeth Herts]

Have you considered that there might have been a genetic disorder?

Sometimes people lose children of one sex or the other because of a hereditary illness. There is a family in this town who lost two of their four children to such an illness. The two who died reached their teens, but in the past they would have did as babies/young children.

[Rosie Knees]

How very sad/intriguing.

*waits pateintly for the causes of death*

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I think it's probably a very sad coincidence.

I suppose from time to time we see families where many of them have the same birthday, so why not death date? I suppose some parents do seem to have their children at the same time of year though (!!) and deaths would presumably not be similarly affected, but it would be interesting to know if all the children were of a similar age. If they were all premature births, then we would come back to them all possibly having a similar conception date (as with the families with all the same birthday!)

[Jeanette In Yorkshire]

Me and my 2 sisters all have birthdays within 13 days of each other. Nine months beforehand it is my Mum's birthday ;) :D

[Richard]

"Alternatively, there may have been something that was done at that time of year: spring cleaning, painting the bedsteads, your guess is as good as mine, that exposed the children to something potentially fatal"

I agree with Pheonix that seems the most likely explanation. Perhaps something that happened annually was polluting their enviroment, even if they wernt neccesarily aware of what it was or that it was happening. Otherwise it would be an extremelly unlikely coincidence or at very worst some sort of foul play. But I do think its more likely phoenix is closest to truth.

[wulliam]

I reckon the odds at 1 in 48,600,000, roughly...
If there are 8 people (rough guess) in the average nuclear family worldwide, then there about 830 million nuclear families at present (very rough!)...so about 17 families presently existing in the world who might experience this at some point.

Reduce that by some factor (?) to allow for most families not having children in 4 consecutive years and get down to 3 or 4 present day families who experience what your family experienced.

It's not likely, but as someone else said, it's possible.

[Little Nell]

I think it more likely that the stone was erected some time after the events and an error was made in ascribing the same date to them.

My gt gt gt grandparents William & Mary Gray, had 3 sons called William.
According to the baptism registers, William no. 2 was born 1st Oct 1810 and William 3rd (the one that survived to become my gt gt grandad) on 2nd Oct 1811. I thought this was enough of a coincidence and did wonder a bit about how accurate it was.

[Mavis by the Moor]

How strange, do let us know what death certs say.

[Bo the Bodger]

Me and my 2 sisters all have birthdays within 13 days of each other. Nine months beforehand it is my Mum's birthday ;) :D

Funny that - it wasn't until I was pregnant that I worked out that I was born 9 months after my father's 60th birthday. When I teased my Ma she said "it was the vicar's lunch party and she'd had to much sherry"! :D

[Penelope]

Redacted

[Kit]

That is sad to lose children so close together. My first thought was that it is suspicious. But the annual event is possibly closer to the truth.

I've just calculated my sister and I. 9 months after my mum's birthday and then my parents wedding anniversary. Wish I hadn't read this post now. lol

My children are going to spend an eternity trying to work out their conception. Born within a week of each other but no 'occasion' to discover. lol

[Little Nell]

Well I was conceived in Italy, where my Dad had taken my Mum to cheer her up after she'd had her 3rd miscarriage.

[Val and George]

Well I was conceived in Italy, where my Dad had taken my Mum to cheer her up after she'd had her 3rd miscarriage.

What a lovely story Nell, you were indeed a gift for them, they must have treasured you.

[zoejg]

Two babies born on close dates in consecutive years is probably not that unusual. ALthough it was four years apart, my sister was born at 5 to midnight on the 10th of June and I was born at 5 past on the 12th of June. So very near to having the same birthday. And in case you're wondering, it was 9 months after my parents' wedding anniversary

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

My children are going to spend an eternity trying to work out their conception.

lol! I always say I was conceived in church!!

That's true, but only because my parents were living in a converted chapel at the time

(sorry, off topic! lol)

[Kit]

Merry don't add the last bit. Can you imagine what people will say about your parents? lol