John Wilson burial

[Wilson]

Hello
My grandfather, John Wilson, died in City Hospital, Edinburgh, in 1914 but I am unable to locate where he is buried. Any help would be most appreciated. His parents were Daniel Wilson (1852-1919) and Martha Pollock (1853-1895).
Thanks. John Winkworth. Canada

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

On his death certificate, in the same column as the place of death, it should also say where his usual residence was. Where was that? Hopefully he was buried in his home district / parish.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Wilson]

Hello Andrew
Thanks so much for your response.
I have a copy of 'an entry in a Register of Deaths'. Is this the same as a Death Certificate?
If so, it does not state where he was buried.
John

[Wilson]

Hello Andrew
As a follow-up:
He died at the City Hospital, Edinburgh, parish of Colinston, district of Morningside,
Cheers
John

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

The burial place was only noted on the death certificates from 1855 to 1860. Yes - the entry in the Register of Deaths is the document known as the death certificate.

In the box referring to the place of death, if the person died in a place other than their home, it normally gives the place of death, followed by the usual residence address. Does that exist on this document?

Another clue can be in the second column from the right - the name of the informant to the registrar. Is that a family member (it should show the relationship, if any, to the deceased)? If you are lucky it may be a close relation; if you are unlucky it could be a member of the hospital staff.

All the best,

AndrewP

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

I decided to take a look on ScotlandsPeople at this document.

In the place of death it gives:
. . . . City Hospital, Parish of Colinton
. . . . Usual Residence 4 Salmond Place

For the informant it gives:
. . . . Jean McWhinnie, Sister
. . . . 42 Lochend Road, Musselburgh

Salmond Place is off of London Road, Edinburgh in the Abbeyhill district. The nearest cemetery is New Calton Cemetery. Other cemeteries not far away are Piershill Cemetery and Rosebank Cemetery; or at a push, South Leith. It would be usual to 'bring the deceased home' for the burial, so the cemeteries above are near(ish) to his home address of that time. However if the family had come there from elsewhere, then he could be buried in that locality.

All the best,

AndrewP

[WilmaM]

I noticed that you said his mother had predeceased him in 1895, perhaps he is buried with her in a family lair.

The index for a death of a Martha Pollock o/s Wilson shows her death registered in Saline [Fife]. Do you have those details? again was that her usual place of residence? if so, she may be buried there [or was she from the Lothians and died on holiday perhaps]

Searching the newspaper archives can sometimes bring up a death announcement with the place of burial noted.

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

There is certainly a Fife connection with the marriage of Daniel Wilson and Martha Pollock in 1875 in Dunfermline.

The 1881 census shows Daniel and Martha Wilson living in Saline, Fife, with young children Agnes and Annie. Parents both born in Ireland; children both born in Saline.

The 1891 census shows Daniel and Martha still in Saline with five children, including John. Agnes and Annie are not there, so may have left home (or have died young - hopefully not).

The 1901 census shows Daniel [widowed] still in Saline with two of his daughters still at home.

[census info from Ancestry]

John married his bride Ellen [Nellie] Andrews in Saline in 1908.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Wilson]

Hello Wilma and Andrew
Thank you both for your insight.
I have been to Saline in Fife and searched both the old and new cemeteries.
I understand that in 1914 (when John died) the hospital was known as the City Hospital for Infectious Diseases.
In conversation with Prof. Bruce Durie, I learned that there was an epidemic of anthrax at that time and he suggested that he might be buried in a mass grave. Even so, I would have thought that there would have been a list of those buried.
The story handed down via my mother and grandmother was that he worked for a furrier and somehow he stabbed his finger with a needle (presumably sewing pelts) which resulted in his death.
Sometime ago I contacted Mortonhall Crematorium as I was under the impression that that was where all burial records were kept. Unfortunately, they had no record of John Wilson.
Since his sister, the informant, was from Musselburgh, I tried to find him there but to no avail.
I am not sure where to look now.
Regards
John

[AndrewP]

Hi John,

His occupation on the death certificate looks like "Fur Cutter".

The causes of death given are "Pulmonary Tuberculosis, 1 year" and "Tubercular Meningitis, 10 days", which would certainly be consistent with him being in the City Hospital.

The records of burials held at Mortonhall Crematorium are known to be incomplete for some cemeteries. Edinburgh Corporation, as it was until 1975, followed by Edinburgh District Council until 1997, and the City of Edinburgh Council ran some of the city's cemeteries from early on; others were taken over / purchased over the years. The Council inherited the paperwork of the cemeteries as they took on the cemeteries, but for some of them that paperwork was incomplete. On that basis, they can only search the information that they have.

Had there been any indication from the various marriage certificates of the family being Roman Catholic, then Mount Vernon Cemetery would have been a consideration. That cemetery is run by he RC Church and holds its own records.

If he was buried in Seafield Cemetery, a mile or so from his home, then it looks like they still hold their own records as the cemetery is not Council owned. It is nowadays owned by the Edinburgh Crematorium Limited. https://www.edinburghcrematorium.com/

Piershill Cemetery is also privately owned, and I expect would hold their own records. It looks like it is owned by Edinburgh Eastern Cemetery Co Ltd, but I have not found a website for them.

All the best,

AndrewP