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Victorian Railway accidents/deaths/suicides

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  • Victorian Railway accidents/deaths/suicides

    Hi, I wondered if anyone might know where I could start looking for information about a railway death. According to a family history document written by a great aunt, her uncle fell/jumped in front of a train on Christmas Eve. This would have happened between 1865-1880 and he would have been either a teenager or a young man, living in London.

    I thought the circumstances might have made it dramatic enough to have been reported in a newspaper. Any idea where I might go looking for confirmation of this account?

    Thanks,
    S

  • #2
    You could check if your local library has access to the 19C Newspaper collection. If it does you can look at the collection for free on your librarly ticket.

    Otherwise there's a more extensive newspaper collection from the British Library on a pay per view or subscription basis.

    I found all the details of an accident on the railway to one of mine in 1876 in the local paper to the accident area at that local archive. I had his death certificate so I knew the exact date to look.

    Anne

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    • #3
      OOOOPS! Sorry, just noticed you are in Norway!

      Have you got his death certificate so you know the exact date? I think I would go for that first because you will have to pay for viewing the newspapers and it would be better to pin it down.

      Anne

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      • #4
        If you could give his name someone might be able to find it in the newspaper archives for you.
        Elaine







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        • #5
          would be easiest to find him in the census, then find a death and see what it says on the cert. then find the newspapers artcile haha.

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          • #6
            Thank you for all the replies. His name was John (Jack) Arnold and he was born in 1853 in Southwark. He appears on the census in 1861 and then vanishes. The family emigrated in 1880 and he is not with them. According to my grandmother and her sister (they would have been his nieces) he worked on trains and one Christmas Eve or Day jumps/falls in front of the engine. They never mentioned/didn´t know what year but most likely before 1880 and perhaps even as early as 1871 (since he does not live with the family during the 1871 census). Any help appreciated!
            -s

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            • #7
              I found this one for a John Arnold +railway accdient .. but it's not Christmas time!

              The Standard (London, England), Monday, February 28, 1870; pg. 4; Issue 14219. 19th Century British Library Newspapers: Part II

              Elaine







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              • #8
                .. cannot find a death registration for the above which would match a year of birth of 1853 - so probably not the right one!!
                Elaine







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                • #9
                  If it was one of those family stories that got garbled and he witnessed a death there's a John Arnold who gave evidence at a railway death ("fatal leap from a window") that happened on Dec 15 1866 reported in the Daily News of 31 Dec 1866, just on my way out to get a bus so can't look any further!

                  He'd only be 13 though...

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                  • #10
                    Have you tried the blacksheepindex that have mention of Railway section re employment/accidents/obituaries etc?

                    There is also Railway Ancestors f.h.s.
                    Last edited by Val and George; 31-03-12, 12:13.

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                    • #11
                      Interesting Val, Jill and Elaine! I suspect that he did more than witness at some point because he simply vanishes and his brother names his son after him. The Christmas Eve bit might well be maudlin embellishment. His older brother Thomas also worked on railroads and I have thought that maybe he had some inside information since the death is usually mentioned in the family as a suicide rather than an accident.

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                      • #12
                        I suspect that the death from that newspaper-reported accident is registered 1870q2 Lambeth - age 22... which would mean b 1847-48

                        Christine
                        Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Christine in Herts View Post
                          I suspect that the death from that newspaper-reported accident is registered 1870q2 Lambeth - age 22... which would mean b 1847-48

                          Christine
                          Thanks Christine, I suspect that rules out 'our' Jack, the 61 census has his age as 8 and younger than his brother Thomas. He could be the death reported London City with a birth year of 54 (but I haven't seen that cert) but could not have been born before Thomas in 50/51. I have every now and then wondered about the long time between the parents' Ben and Elizabeth's marriage in 1843 and Thomas' birth in 1850 but there could, of course, been children who didn't make it.

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                          • #14
                            Don't forget that if he worked on the railway its possible he could have been anywhere in the country so the death and/or newspaper report would not necessarily be in London.

                            Anne

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                            • #15
                              Hi, and thanks all,

                              It is just possible that John Arnold used his older brother's name - Thomas - to get a job on the railway. I found a record for a Thomas Arnold working as a porter who was referred for the job by William Skinner (their step-brother's name).

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                              • #16
                                I started this thread years ago, and have only returned to researching the accident. After ordering the death certificate, I found the following report of the (truly horrible) accident. The death certificate says that there was an inquest. Does anyone have any experience accessing Victorian inquest reports from London Metropolitan?Screen Shot 2016-02-28 at 16.42.22.jpg
                                Last edited by serdmann; 28-02-16, 15:43.

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                                • #17
                                  Since you know the exact date of his death, newspaper reports of the inquest might be easier to get. In the Victorian times inquests seem to have been held very soon after the death and reported in newspapers almost word for word.
                                  Anne

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                                  • #18
                                    http://www.londonlives.org/static/IC.jsp not sure if this will help you but it is worth a look and then someone else may know or suggest something

                                    Edna

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                                    • #19
                                      Thanks, I just found the inquest in the newspaper (I could find nothing 6 years ago). The poor kid was just trying to get home early and crossed in front of an on-coming engine.

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                                      • #20
                                        Glad you found it. Horrible for everyone concerned.
                                        Anne

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