Historical cause of death 1600s-1900s
What did convulsions mean on a death certificate?
On a death record, convulsions meant fatal seizures or fits, and for infants it was often the only cause anyone could name. In modern terms it usually pointed to seizures from fever, infection, tetanus, or birth injury. Convulsions describe how a baby died, not why; the true cause behind the fits is usually beyond recovery at this distance. Expect it on records mostly 1600s-1900s.
Also written on records as: fits, infantile convulsions, spasms.
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Related terms
Browse the full genealogy records glossary for more occupations, causes of death, and legal terms.
FAQs
What is convulsions called today?+
Seizures from fever, infection, tetanus, or birth injury, broadly speaking. Doctors of the period diagnosed without laboratory tests, so one label often covered several conditions we would now separate. This page explains historical record language and is not medical advice.
How was convulsions written on death records?+
Clerks and doctors also wrote fits, infantile convulsions, and spasms. Spelling wandered from register to register, so check every variant before you decide a record is missing or wrong.
Where do these definitions come from?+
They are drawn from period dictionaries, government archive glossaries, and standard genealogy references, cross-checked against each other; provenance is documented with the dataset. Inside AncestorIQ, Deep Research reads the record itself and explains terms like this in context, against your ancestor's own document.
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