Daily AncestorStone
The stone in old records meant a kidney or bladder stone large enough to cause blockage, severe pain or the need for surgery.
Stone, or the stone, meant a hard mass formed in the kidney or bladder. It caused severe pain and could stop urination.
Stones were sometimes removed by surgery, and a death from the condition or the operation could be recorded this way. Gravel was the term for smaller stones.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Ezra Little, 64, M, W, Married, Vt., May, Stone in bladder, 45 days
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Daily Ancestor. "Stone." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/stone. Last checked 2026-10-01.