General Chat

I am on a site called Wigan World (I was born only 6 mls away)...people help each other with genealogy,also the chat about "the good old days",and people who were characters round the town.,etc

someone put up a post today,looking for a grave of a Thomas Hill .,buried All Saints.Wigan. 9th Aug.1849.,age 18 mths...died with cholera.

(The wee boy must be one of his descendants,cos the poster was called Hilly.)
He couldnt find a grave for him,and neither could I.
Only thing I could think of was,because Cholera was so infectious, whether all the victims were buried away from the other graves.
Can anyone tell me if thats the case,then I can reply to Hilly. Thankyou

I read about the Cholera Pits somewhere before?
Wikipedia is not the best site but...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera_pit

In my neighbouring parish records ( Scotland before 1855), there is a Mortcoth section. These records don't hold much info at all, and the only exception, is to highlight those who died from cholera

Found this which could explain why you cannot find a burial he could be in a mass grave?

In the summer of 1849 over 33,000 people in three months died of cholera in Britain. Around 13,000 of tose who died lived in London. Until the second-half of the 19th century, about 50 per cent of the people who caught cholera died of the disease

from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/DIScholera.htm



Roy

Suggest you do a google search to see what information is out there

e.g.http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/choleraburial1866.html

Burial: 9 Aug 1849 All Saints, Wigan, Lancashire, England
Thomas Hill - Son of Thomas Hill
Age: 18 month
Abode: Spring Gardens, Wigan
Cause of Death: Cholera
Buried by: A. Coates Curate
Register: Burials 1848 - 1853, Page 94, Entry 751
Source: LDS Film 1885702

From http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Wigan/Wigan/allsaints/burials_1849.html

Roy

found that Patchem,but its about Liverpool.....will copy and paste this info,and put it on the site.

I thought they might have not been buried in normal graves,as the disease would be released evreytime someone else was put in the grave.

I told Hilly to get in touch with the History Shop.,Wigan or even the Council.....if he could find where these pits were,at least he could visit.

It certainly was heart-breaking. I noticed a lot of wee ones died of measles too.

Good info Porkie.
I checked my files and my relative died from cholera on 8 Feb 1849

Elaine, according to the link I provided above the cause of cholera was first identified in 1854

So in 1849 I doubt they would no how the desease was released/spread

Roy

Hilly and I both found that on Lancs opc ,Roy.....thats what made me wonder about mass graves.

Sometimes I saw on the burials...eg Tom Smith..1 breadth,where someone had bought a new plot or it would give plot no.,....this entry gave none.

Clicked on the link given by GlasgowLass,and found there was only the one pit in Lancs.,and that was in Manchester,so at least Hilly has somewhere to go now.

Thankyou everybody....I knew someone would know!

Hilly and I both found that on Lancs opc ,Roy.....thats what made me wonder about mass graves.

Sometimes I saw on the burials...eg Tom Smith..1 breadth,where someone had bought a new plot or it would give plot no.,....this entry gave none.

Clicked on the link given by GlasgowLass,and found there was only the one pit in Lancs.,and that was in Manchester,so at least Hilly has somewhere to go now.

Thankyou everybody....I knew someone would know!

Thnx everyone....it's a mine of information on here!