Daily AncestorHives
Hives on an old child's death record usually meant croup, not the itchy skin rash of today; Webster's 1913 gives croup as its first medical sense.
Webster's 1913 marks hives as a Scottish word and gives two medical meanings: croup, and a pox-like rash allied to chicken pox. Today the word means an itchy allergic skin rash.
Because the rash form is seldom fatal, a child said to have died of hives most likely had croup, which could itself be diphtheria. Look at the age and the season.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Infant dau. of Jas. Combs, 8 mos., Hives
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Hives." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/hives. Last checked 2026-10-10.