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  • Mystery

    I'm in the process of undertaking a one name study (Wheelhouse). The family I am concentrating on at the moment had 9 children, 7 of these children died in the April Quarter of 1883, 5 of these children died and were obviously registered together (Vol 7b, Page 420), 2 shortly after (Vol 7b Page 425). The last 2 children died in 1892 (April and July quarters)

    Does anybody know if there were any particularly virulent diseases going around in 1883 ?, I've looked on the newspaper site and nothing leaps up at me, likewise, if there had have been an accident, am sure something would have been written about it.

    Whatever, this must have been horrific for the parents (I had a little tear in my eye for them

  • #2
    How terrible.....Have you got any of the death certs to find out how they died. I just thought I'd put the names down.

    George A Wheelhouse b. 1866 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire
    Elizabeth Anne Wheelhouse b.1868 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire
    Walter Edmund Wheelhouse b.1870 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire
    Joseph Arthur Wheelhouse b.1877 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire
    Mary Ellen Wheelhouse b.1882 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire
    Emily Wheelhouse b. 1875 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire
    Mary Ellen Wheelhouse b.1882 - d.1883 Apr-May-Jun Chesterfield Derbyshire

    best wishes Tralena

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    • #3
      It was most likely some infectious disease like measles, or perhaps cholera.

      I have a very similar thing in one of my families although much earlier, in the 1700s, all six children of the same family died within three weeks. One child has "smallpox" written next to his name so I assume the other children also died of smallpox. Their mother went on to have another 13 children (19 in all) and outlived every one of them.

      OC

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      • #4
        I thought people may be interested in this site as it does list epidemics and the years they flourished.
        However, Chris, I am sorry but it doesn't include your particular year so it may be worth buying one of the certs in the hopes it will give you an answer.


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        • #5
          i have a scottish family who lost 6 of 12 children to diptheria in 1873. the remainder of the family emmigrated to new zealand around 1875, and 5 of the remaining 6 are evident in new zealand. the last of the 12 disappears after birth in 1872, and there is no evidence for her in new zealand, or scotland.

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          • #6
            How tragic to lose so many children. I was curious so I googled "sickness chesterfield 1883" and was given a link to a document about infant deaths from diarrhoea. It said,

            "In Chesterfield, during the years 1896 to 1899, the infantile death
            rate amounted to 195 per 1,000 births, while the deaths under one
            year from diarrhoeal diseases' equalled 54-4 per 1,000 births, ranging
            from 44 in 1896 to 83'1 in 1897."

            http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...00314-0030.pdf

            It's not about 1883, but the problems which reached a peak in the mid 1890s must have started somewhere, so maybe your Wheelhouse children were early victims of this diarrhoeal disease.
            Looking for Bysh, Potter, Littleton, Parke, Franks, Sullivan, Gosden, Carroll, Hurst, Churcher, Covell, Elverson, Giles, Hawkins, Witherden...

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            • #7
              I went to a talk recently at a local Family History Group on Diseases of the 19 Century and apparently where many children died young in one family, this could be due to syphyllis in the previous generation. Have you a soldier in the family? It is only a thought and you may well find other reasons. I have one who died of measles and another of scarlet fever so it could be any one of a number of things.

              Janet

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              • #8
                Janet

                Syphilis wouldn't cause the children all to die at the same time, though.

                OC

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                • #9
                  Thanks so much for your answers, looked a little further and 5 of the deaths were within 5 days (10-15 April 1883), the other 2 in May (17 and 20th). I think I will send off for one of the certificates, just to see why they died. They were of a mixed age (ranging from 17 down to 1), so if could really be anything, measles, smallpox, diarrhoea even, so thank you for your suggestions. The father was a carpenter/pattern maker, as was his father. The grandfather was a farmer, so I don't think syphyllis was involved (but, as always in family history, you just never know !! )

                  I got it wrong initially as this family had 10 children, this other child also died in January 1891. What drew me to look a bit further for them is the fact on the 1911 census, the head of the family states they had these children and all were dead. As the head of the family was the only son, it meant that that particular line of the Wheelhouses had died. Just very very sad .

                  Thanks again for helping

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                  • #10
                    Diarrhoea (which is a symptom, not a disease) can be caused by many things and would be a quick killer of children who would become dehydrated. Anyway do let us know when you find out! I have found in one family 7 infant deaths of siblings and cousins all attributed in the burial index to "summer diarrhoea".
                    ~ with love from Little Nell~
                    Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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