Daily AncestorCanker
Canker in old records meant a spreading, eating ulcer, especially in or around the mouth, sometimes a gangrenous mouth sore in sick children.
Canker described a sore that ate into surrounding flesh, especially ulcers in or about the mouth. The word shares its origin with cancer and chancre.
As a cause of death it can mean a rapidly spreading gangrenous mouth infection seen in weak or malnourished children. Today a canker sore is a minor mouth ulcer, so the old use was far more serious.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Infant dau. of J. Pike, 2, F, W, N.H., April, Canker, 10 days
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Daily Ancestor. "Canker." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/canker. Last checked 2026-10-01.