Question for Ancestry Worship Genealogy
I've been reading old records from a parish in or near Paris from the 1800's and the priest keeps writing in "Long Illness" in the death records. What does this mean?
Alice
Answer from Ancestry Worship Genealogy
"Long Illness" can mean anything from cancer to TB to any other illness that takes a long time to kill a person. It can also simply mean Old Age, and all the debilitations through the years; that a person just wasn't themselves or feeling good for a long time. A Long Time itself is subjective. To me a Long Illness is years on end, but to some people six months is a long time to suffer.
It's therefore a mystery illness, particularly one that was not well understood at that time and place. You may have to be satisfied with that. However, here are things you could check into before you write it up.
1) At that time and place were death records only kept in the village or town or only at the church? Were the records duplicated or also kept in the Dioceses archives or perhaps sent to a larger administrative center, and kept as a civil record? See if both records agree or one has more to say about the death.
2) Where is the person buried? Does the cemetery have any records that might not only give you a grave location but also testify to the reason for death? (In the USA the death certificate and burial/cemetery record usually back each other up.)
3) Was the death covered in a newspaper article or other published account, for instance if the person was a member of a club, university, team, or union, or employed with a large company, or notable as a dignitary or politician, lawyer or doctor ? Possibly their obituary will give more information.
4) At the time and place of their death were there any prevailing illnesses or plagues? For instance, you say that the priest keeps writing "Long Illness" and that makes me think that maybe there was TB in that town. Knowing this would not prove that your ancestry died the same way, but it would be OK to add a paragraph about diseases of that time and place for the purposes of historical interest!
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