I was surprised when I discovered that Arthur and Lucy’s three oldest children died in the same year, 1910. Could the plague that stuck 64 miles away have spread to the parish of Castle Burgh?

Arthur Edward Aldous

Born: 1878 in Suffield, Norfolk County, England

Father: John Aldous (1825 to 1886)
Mother: Ann Elizabeth Hooker (1840 to 1914)

Spouse: Lucy Myhill (1879 to 1935)

Married: 26 DEC 1900 in Cantley, Norfolk County, England

Children:

John Edward Aldous (1903 to 1910)
Doris Mabel Aldous (1908 to 1910)
Arthur Samuel Aldous (1910 to 1910)
Ann Elizabeth Aldous (17 SEP 1911 to 1 JUL 2001)
Ellen May Aldous (31 MAY 1914 to 3 JAN 1988)

Died: 15 JAN 1917 in Bradwell, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1881 Felmingham, Norfolk County, England
1886 Death of father, James
1891 North Walsham, Norfolk County, England
1900 Marriage to Lucy
1901 Cantley, Norfolk County, England
1903 Birth of son, John
1908 Birth of daughter, Doris
1910 Birth of son, Arthur
1910 Death of daughter, Doris
1910 Death of son, Arthur
1910 Death of son, John
1911 Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England
1911 Birth of daughter, Ann
1914 Birth of daughter, Ellen
1914 Death of mother, Ann
1917 Death and Burial

Occupation: laborer (1900), cattle dealer (1901), market gardener (1911)

Records:

1911 England Census Record
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Norfolk, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
Norfolk, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
Norfolk, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1990

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Lucy Myhill:

Lucy was born in 1879 in Hassingham, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1935 in Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England.

Lucy’s father was George Myhill. He was born in 1840 in Beighton, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1908 in Cantley, Norfolk County, England.

Lucy’s mother was Elizabeth Rose. She was born in 1841 in Cantley, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1899 in Cantley, Norfolk County, England.

Lucy had five brothers and sisters, all born in Beighton:

Rosa Myhill (1862)
George Myhill (1865)
Ann Myhill (1868)
Sophia Myhill (1870)
Charles Myhill (1873)

Daughters:

Ann Elizabeth Aldous:

Ann was born on 17 SEP 1911 in Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England. She died on 1 JUL 2001 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Ann married David John Woodgate on 7 APR 1934 in Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

David A Woodgate (1934)
Shirley M Woodgate (1936)

David John Woodgate was born on 12 JUN 1914 in Bungay, Suffolk County, England. He died on 18 JUN 1988 in Gorleston, Suffolk County, England.

Ellen May Aldous:

Ellen was born on 31 MAY 1914 in Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England. She died on 3 JAN 1988 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Ellen married Ernest Arthur Perfect on 19 FEB 1933 in Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

Edward A Perfect (1933)
Stanley H Perfect (1935)

Ernest Arthur Perfect was born on 16 AUG 1911 in Burgh Castle, Suffolk County, England. He died on 19 AUG 1993 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

What happened in 1910?

As I was building the children’s profiles (i.e. birth, marriage, and death records) on Ancestry.com, I discovered that the three oldest children had died in the same year. Doris died between July and September, Arthur died in October, and John died in December.

Whenever something this unique occurs, I turn to the internet to try to find more information. I typed in the question “Was there an epidemic in 1910 in Suffolk County, England?” At the top of the research results was this:

“The Last Epidemic of Plague in England? Suffolk 1906 to 1918”

Cambridge University published this 13-page document on its website. It was written in 1970 by a prominent doctor and medical historian, David Francis Van Zwanenberg (1922 to 1991).

It was theorized that this particular plague was from rats that came ashore from grain ships anchored on the River Orwell. The parish of Shotley is situated on a peninsula between the rivers of Orwell and Stour.

And, as noted in Dr. Zwanenberg’s paper, the only reason the plague was diagnosed in 1910 was that a new bacteriological laboratory had opened at the Ipswich Hospital. Before that time, people with similar symptoms may have been diagnosed with pneumonia or influenza.

In 1910, Arthur and his family were living in Burgh Castle, Suffolk, England. This parish lies four miles southeast of Great Yarmouth, another seaport city on the North Sea. Could it be that ships anchored off the coast of Great Yarmouth also carried infected rats?

An article in Maclean’s Magazine, published on April 1, 1911, makes mention of the plague cases in Shotley. It also confirms that rats were present in seaside ports such as Great Yarmouth:

“. . . Black rats occur in London warehouses and are abundant in Great Yarmouth and other localities. In Liverpool, they are increasing in number . . .”

I do not know what caused the deaths of these three children. Yet, if there were infected rats in Shotley, there were likely infected rats in the Great Yarmouth area.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for vital records.

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Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

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If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

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