Legacy Tip: how to enter cause of death
August 31, 2009
Legacy's Family View displays five fields of information for the main person and their spouse. One of the default fields displays the person's Cause of Death. (See the image below.)
The person's Cause of Death will only display if you have already typed it into the Cause of Death field. This field is located in the Medical Notes. Just click on a person's Notes icon, and click on the Medical tab.
Whatever is entered in this Cause of Death field will appear in the Family View.
I've seen a lot of interesting causes of death in my ancestors' records. This ancestor's death record says he was "gored by a bull". That doesn't sound fun. Have you seen anything unique in your ancestors' records?
Jeff - you might point out that you can make the death cause private, by using [[ ]]. I had reason to do this recently when I found that one of my ancestresses died of something not discussed in polite company and I didn't want to upset my mother. Pat
Posted by: Pat | August 31, 2009 at 11:00 AM
My GG Grandfather was drowned in the Findhorn River while chasing poachers.
Posted by: Louise Booth | August 31, 2009 at 12:32 PM
My husband's grandfather literally fell down drunk - down the steps of his favourite hotel watering hole :) Guess it wasn't funny at the time but more like poetic justice...
Posted by: Disey | August 31, 2009 at 10:53 PM
One mistake I made when I first started entering the cause of death was not realizing the cause of death would end up being in the middle of a sentence! I was typing in Heart attack or Pneumonia and then the sentence looked funny when it printed because it would have a capital in the middle of a sentence. Once I figured that out it was easy to go back (doing a search) and correct all of the causes of death I had entered.
Posted by: Michele Simmons Lewiss | September 01, 2009 at 05:55 AM
I enter the cause of death from the death certificate (cause, due to, due to, etc.), and include a full description in the notes section below, but my immediate (living) family members also uses this section to record health issues. We make this section private as previously mentioned. My grandmother was recently hospitalized, and the doctors appreciated the report while they waited several days for medical records from another hospital.
Posted by: Kari Spencer | September 01, 2009 at 02:32 PM
My great-great-grandfather 'Accidentally drowned by straying into the River [Wear] whilst intoxicated'
Posted by: Peter Watson | September 01, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Gored by a bull must not be that uncommon - my husband's ggrandfather, Benjamin Garner was gored by a bull in 1876 in Beaver City, NE.
Posted by: Darlene Garner | September 01, 2009 at 03:30 PM
My great-great grandfather was also gored to death by a bull -and you are right, it certainly does not sound like fun!
Posted by: Marlene | September 01, 2009 at 04:19 PM
Disey,
What caused 'The Cause of Death' to show up in the middle of a sentence. Did you enter it under the person's 5 information titles or go to Medical Notes? And, was the sentence written in any special locaction?
Posted by: Alice | September 01, 2009 at 06:14 PM
Hmmm... interesting.. .I have found some unusual causes of deaths, in some very archaic terms... like "stoppage." HUH???
Where do we find modern-day translations of these old terms??
Posted by: Liz | September 01, 2009 at 07:28 PM
Not one of my relatives, but I did review a list of deaths for a county where a child was listed as dying from teething!
Posted by: Joy Zanon | September 01, 2009 at 08:04 PM
A person linked to me by marriage in my Mum's family tree has the cause of death recorded as 'visitation of god in a fit'. This woman died in England in 1844.
Posted by: Lee | September 01, 2009 at 11:00 PM
A first cousin 3 times removed died in Dec 1917. His death certificate notes "found dead in the woods, supposed he froze to death"
Posted by: Nelda Newman | September 02, 2009 at 05:06 AM
I had an uncle who at the age of 94 fell from his bed, became entangled in the cord to his electric blanket and strangled himself!
Posted by: Ian Donaldson | September 02, 2009 at 05:09 AM
One of my first cousins 3 times removed died in 1912 in Scotland, age 4. Death registry lists cause of death as "Cut Throat - murder - Hemorrhagic Shock". Record of Corrected Entry lists the death as "Haemorrhage and shock from incised wounds on neck". Adopted mother had killed the child then committed suicide by hanging herself ("Asphysia due to strangulation").
My 4th Great-Grandfather came out worse for wear after having an argument with a train in 1872. Death certificate states "killed by a railway train but whether by accident or not there is no evidence to show". Inquest suggests he'd had a pint too many "Some neighbours also coming by the same train said he called at the Wheatsheaf, Bowbeech which he left at 10.00 p.m. He was afterwards seen at the crossing in a leaning posture at a quarter to twelve, this being the last time he was seen alive".
Posted by: Mark Sargent | September 04, 2009 at 03:59 AM
I had an ancestor who was shot dead in bed. It wasn't his bed .....
Posted by: Karen Rosenstiel | September 05, 2009 at 11:38 AM
A distant relative by marriage....
*MP: MUNGER, Asahel (1805-1841): m'd 1825 HOISINGTON, Sarah Elizabeth; s/o Asahel
and Lydia (Boland) Munger Sr.; was a carpenter and joiner; became deranged and in a fit of
religious fanatacism, expecting God to work a miracle, he fastened himself over the flames of his
forge and died three days later from burns leaving a widow and a child.
Mgt
Posted by: Margaret | September 10, 2009 at 02:54 PM
Pat...to be private did you use two straight parenthesis side by side with a space inbetween the two sets? I've never tried this.
Posted by: C. Cincotta | September 15, 2009 at 06:46 AM
For archaic medical terms check out:
http://rmhh.co.uk/medical.html
Posted by: Jimmy | September 16, 2009 at 08:33 AM
My great Grandfather was gored by a bull here in Oz.
Posted by: kay Mumme | September 19, 2009 at 11:27 PM
My husband's gggrandpa was kicked in the head by a mule/horse? and was killed instantly. They loaded him a wagon to bring him home. Upon arriving at the resident and his wife seeing her dead husband she dropped dead of a heart attack.
Posted by: Cheryl Napier | September 21, 2009 at 05:53 PM
I saw one death record that said the man died of senility as the primary cause and hit by a train as the secondary cause.
And one of my early English ancestors was thrown in a snake pit.
Posted by: Patricia | September 22, 2009 at 05:03 PM