Daily AncestorGravel
Gravel in old records meant small kidney or bladder stones passed in the urine, a painful condition that could block the urinary tract.
Gravel was the old word for small stones or sandy deposits formed in the kidneys or bladder and passed in the urine, usually with severe pain.
Larger stones were simply called the stone. Either could block the flow of urine and lead to infection or kidney failure, which is how gravel became a cause of death.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Isaac Pell, 70, M, W, Widowed, N.J., March, Gravel, 20 days
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Daily Ancestor. "Gravel." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/gravel. Last checked 2026-10-01.