Daily AncestorConvulsions
Convulsions, or fits, on an old death record means the person died during or after seizures, an entry very often given for babies and young children.
Convulsions are a symptom, not a disease. In infants they could come from high fever, infection, dehydration, tetanus, meningitis or brain injury at birth; in adults from epilepsy, stroke, kidney failure or poisoning.
Because the cause behind the fits was usually unknown, convulsions is one of the vaguest entries on old records. Other deaths in the family or the season may hint at the illness.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Infant dau. of Wm. Ross, 3 mos., Convulsions
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Daily Ancestor. "Convulsions." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/convulsions. Last checked 2026-10-01.