Daily AncestorApoplexy
Apoplexy is the old term for a sudden collapse with loss of consciousness, usually what we now call a stroke or bleeding in the brain.
Apoplexy described someone suddenly struck down, losing consciousness and often movement. In most cases it matches what is now called a stroke, especially bleeding inside the brain.
Doctors judged it from outward signs, so treat it as a description of how the death looked. An apoplectic fit in a newspaper notice means the same thing.
As seen in a recordCause of death line on an early 1900s death certificate
Cause of death: Apoplexy. Duration: 1 day.
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Daily Ancestor. "Apoplexy." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/apoplexy. Last checked 2026-10-01.