Daily AncestorRheumatism
Rheumatism was a catch-all name for pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles, covering what would now be arthritis, rheumatic fever and other conditions.
In the 1800s rheumatism was a general term for many disorders that were later split into separate diagnoses. Chronic rheumatism usually meant long-lasting joint pain, while acute rheumatism meant rheumatic fever.
Ordinary aching joints rarely killed anyone, so a death from rheumatism often hides heart damage from rheumatic fever or another illness that came with it.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Lucy Gage, 61, F, W, Jan., Rheumatism
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Daily Ancestor. "Rheumatism." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/rheumatism. Last checked 2026-10-01.