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-   -   "A hundred years ago, you were lucky if you reached sixty" (http://genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=29702)

Phoenix 01-05-21 16:30

"A hundred years ago, you were lucky if you reached sixty"
 
If you were a baby, you might well die before the age of five.
If you were a woman, you could well die of childbirth.

But most of my female ancestors, if they survived childbirth, were quite capable of surviving into their seventies and eighties. Going back to second great grandparents, only two died before sixty, and one of those was a miscarriage. I realise this is a self-selecting sample and will be biased, but where I can find both birth and death, my lot usually made their three score and ten. Is that your experience?

ElizabethHerts 01-05-21 16:59

My four great-grandmothers were the following respective ages at death:
79, 73, 66 and 67.

My eight great-grandmothers were:
37, 76, 82, 80, 67, 74, 92 and 54.

Merry 01-05-21 17:54

My 4 great-grandmothers: 75, 82, 68 and 84

My 8 g-g-grandmothers: 48 (phthisis), 69, 53 (smallpox), 85, 87, 87, 71, 62

My 16 g-g-g-grandmothers: 81, ?, 78, 54 (cardiac disease), 80, 82, 42 (childbirth, 15th baby), 76, ?, 92, 64, 47 (phthisis), 79, 85, 72, 59 (cancer)

Phoenix 01-05-21 18:01

Very similar profile to mine, Elizabeth. Of my 31 immediate ancestors, 3 were under 35 - pre civil registration, but I suspect childbirth issues, two in their forties (miscarriage, heart disease) one in their fifties (sullen insanity!) and one aged 65 was accident/suicide. Including those shortened lives, the average is still er my current age :eek::d

Mary from Italy 01-05-21 18:02

My two grandmothers: 84 and 94.

My four great-grandmothers: 58, 87, 66 and 81

7 of my 8 GG-grandmothers (no death found for the other one): 66, 87, 33 (phthisis), 79, 76, 66 and 90.

10 of my 16 GGG-grandmothers: 69, 81, 71, 60, 75, 31 (died a few weeks after childbirth), 80, 71, 39 (cause unknown), 94 .

Olde Crone 01-05-21 18:18

Have to check actual ages but I know it was my biggest single surprise when I started doing my family history to discover how old most of my ancestors were when they died. Best is one of my 2x ggms, who died of old age at 92, at which point she was still climbing over 100 steps four times a day to tend the lighthouse. She was married and widowed three times, had eleven children and brought up three sets of grandchildren after their mothers died.

Most of my ancestors who survived childbirth and freak accidents, lived to a ripe old age although tb got the better of some of them in the 19th century when they moved from country to city.

OC

ElizabethHerts 01-05-21 18:30

15 of my 16 great-great-grandmothers:

77, under 40 (husband remarried), 75, 71, 76, c. 28 (childbirth, husband remarried), 67, 45 (childbirth), 83, 72, 68 (1854 cholera outbreak in London), 27, 73, 75, 64

kiterunner 01-05-21 20:02

My g-grandmothers: 73, 72, 40, 79.
2xg-grandmothers: 70, 65, 80's, 39, 90, 45, 86, 84.

Mary from Italy 01-05-21 20:14

It's also interesting to see the trend of the different lines.

My longest-lived line is my direct female line starting with my maternal grandmother: 94, 81, 90, 94, 87, 64

maggie_4_7 01-05-21 21:07

Mine isn't so good.

Father's side:-

Scottish grandfather died at 40, his father died at 33, his father died at 60

Scottish grandmother died at 78 and her father died at 69, his father died at 58

Mum's side:-

English Grandfather died at 52, his father, died at 56, his father, died at 31 in fact he died 2 months before my great grandfather was born.

English grandmother died at 82, her mother died at 91, her mother died at 88.

My English grandmother's maternal line wasn't too bad unfortunately the other lines cancel it out.

In fact on my Scottish side a lot died very young one direct ancestor a great great great grandfather died in a mining accident in his 30's but most died of disease of some sort.

Edit to add: pretty depressing writing it out.


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