While I was researching my great-grandmother Eva Kate Hatcher’s life for my 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks challenge, I discovered that she had a brother Caleb George Hatcher who died at 10 months old due to a fit of convolutions brought on by teething.

I was absolutely horrified when I received his death certificate, I had not idea teething could cause death. I still can’t get my head around it.

I thought I would have a look at the Newspaper archives to see if I could find any more information and luckily I managed to find one article on Caleb’s death, so I thought I would share it with you.

Sudden death of a child – An inquest was held at Newtown, parish of Lockerley, on Thursday by Mr. B. Hatfield, county coroner, on the body of Caleb George Hatcher, angel ten months, the child of George Hatcher, an engine driver. It seemed that on Tuesday night, while the mother was giving the child the breast, his head fell on one side, he became black and blue in the face, and died in a few minutes. Mr J. J. Newman, a surgeon assisting Dr. Taylor, of Romsey, made a post-Mortimer examination, and he believed from that death was due to a convulsive fit, probably brought on by teething. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

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