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Childhood Deaths - William Henry Allsop

William Henry Allsop (1873 - 1875)

William Henry Allsop is another child in my family who drowned unnecessarily. This time in a bucket of water. William was the second child of my great great grandparents, William Henry Allsop and Mary Ellen McInerney of Alberton, Victoria.

The inquest into his death was held the day after he died. It must have been so difficult for family members to give evidence so soon after his death. His mother and grandmother tried in vain to save his life.

Mary Alsop on her oath. I am the wife of William Henry Alsop and reside at Alberton. The deceased William Henry Alsop was my child. He was two years and nine months old. About 12 o'clock yesterday I was at my mother's house with the child. I last saw him alive about 12 o'clock yesterday, when he was sitting at the table in my mother's house. A few minutes afterwards I missed him and went to look for him, and in about ten minutes I found him in a water cask, which was sunk level with the gound at the corner of my mothers house. There was about one foot of water in the cask. The deceased was head downwards in the cask, the head under the water and his feet just above the top of the cask. 
I and my mother took deceased out of the cask, and bathed him with hot water for some time, holding him face down on my knees while doing so. There was no appearance of life in the deceased when we found him, but he was missed so short a time, that I scarcely thought he could be dead. 
After bathing deceased we laid him down, and kept rubbing him for a long time, but saw no signs of returning life. 
About two o'clock pm my husband went to give notice of the death to the police. The butcher was at my mothers house at the time I missed deceased  and when the body was found. The butcher had the meat cart with him. I think it likely that the deceased might have left the house to look at the butchers cart but I do not know.
I did not notice any cover on the cask lately.


PRO VIC VPRS 24 UNIT 331 FILE 980/1875.

William Henry Allsop was one of the older brothers of my great grandmother Rose Allsop (Merchant).

Comments

  1. Hello! William Henry Allsop is my 3rd Great grandfather :-) and I would love to put you in my family tree :-)

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    1. Hi Shana please contact me on the view my complete profile link.
      Sharon

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