Hello, My great great grandmother died in 1870 of "general decay" aged just 39. She had had 6 children, the last a few months before her death but only two survived. The area she lived in was known for lead smelting and marshland - neither particularly good for the health. I was advised that in this context it could be a) a lazy doctor b) an unspecified disease process that the patient didn't recover from c) the doctor didn't know d) the doctor knew more than he was prepared to write down e) she was already badly rundown, caught a bug, curled up and died In her case I can't say I blame her if she'd lost the will to live - her husband was a difficult man. Even these days patients suffer illnesses that the medical establishment has problems diagnosing - the patient dies when heart, liver, kidneys or brain pack up. Not sure if that helps you but it adds a few more factors to consider. Happy Christmas, Natalia Natalia A. McKenzie Free Census Project: http://www.freecen.org.uk/ Flintshire & Denbighshire Coordinator http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/na.mckenzie/flintshire.html Wales Regional Coordinator FreeCEN ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judy Goodall" <judygood1@hotmail.com> To: <HAMPSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 8:17 PM Subject: [Ham] Death Certificate > Many thanks for the replies to my request but my ggggrandmother was only 59 > when she died. If she had general decay for 21 years I don't think would be > due to old age. Any more ideas please and Merry Christmas to you all. > Judy in cloudy Perth > > > > ==== HAMPSHIRE Mailing List ==== > practice safe text - tell the Listowners about virus worries - DON'T > SPREAD IT ON THE LIST! > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.3/209 - Release Date: 21/12/2005 > >