Death By Misadventure PLYMOUTH

[Dolly]

Hi everyone
I have received a death certificate for the following:
2nd September 1912
60 Lavia Bridges Road
Heinrich Hinrich METZENDORF aged 65 years
Occupation: General Labourer
Cause of death: Misadventure to wit:- By the inadvertent taking of a certain poison viz: Carbolic acid among other ingredients
Certificate received from Richard B Johns, Coroner for the Borough of Plymouth, inquest held 3rd September 1912.

Registration District Plymouth
1912 Death in the sub district of Plymouth South East

How would I go about obtaining either:
1) Coroner's Report
or 2) Newspaper article OR BOTH

[AnnB]

Hi Dolly
It is very unlikely that you will find a coroner's report, as even if one exists, it will be subject to the 100 years closure rule :( . However, it is more likely you will find a report in a local newspaper. If you go to the Plymouth Local Studies site at
http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/yourcouncil/leisure/libraries/whatsinyourlibrary/lns/localstudies/lsperiodicals.htm you will see they have copis of various newspapers, one of which should cover the date you are after. I am sure they would have a look to see if there was a report for you. :)
Hope that helps
Best wishes
Ann

[Dolly]

Thanks Ann
I'll try that link, this is for an elderly friend of mine, the death was of his grandfather

[ronnie]

Hi Dolly, if you don't get any luck, I am planning to visit the Plymouth Central Library on monday to do a few look ups, so as you have so much info ref date etc I would be happy to have a look in the papers and get a download for you.

Cheers Ronnie

[Dolly]

Thanks Ronnie, you are a dear

The details are as I posted to my original email. If you need more info email me. I got in touch with the library, they were very nice, but I won't hold my breath. I am doing this for an 84 year man who has always been so kind to me, he was born in US but has lived here from 1926, his father stayed in the states and he knows so little about his family, this death is of his grandfather.
2nd September 1912
60 Laira Bridges Road
Heinrich Hinrich METZENDORF aged 65 years
Occupation: General Labourer
Cause of death: Misadventure to wit:- By the inadvertent taking of a certain poison viz: Carbolic acid among other ingredients
Certificate received from Richard B Johns, Coroner for the Borough of Plymouth, inquest held 3rd September 1912.

Registration District Plymouth
1912 Death in the sub district of Plymouth South East

[ronnie]

Dolly, just had a quick look on Ancestry for Heinrich and think I have found him as Henry in 1901 living Birkenhead with wife and umpteen children.How much does your friend want to know about his family and what does he know so far?

Ronnie

[Dolly]

Thanks Ronnie

I have found his marriage and the family from 1881 to 1901 censuses. Plus all the births of the children - 14 would you believe?
Then the emigration to the States of the children from 1906 to his widow going in 1913.

He married Amanda Louise Lutz in 1880 at Kingston on Hull. They then lived in Manchester, Bolton and Birkenhead, before Plymouth. I have Amanda's family from 1871.

What I would like to know is whether we have a website like the one for Ellis Island which shows immigration to this country from Germany.
I found Heinrich on the IGI, one entry which shows his birth date and marriage and death date. Which I followed through on BMD sites on the web, that is how I got his death certificate. I am waiting for his wife's birth certificate and their marriage certificate to proceed with tracing the families in Germany.
I can't find Heinrich in the UK prior to his marriage in 1880 so assume he came over between 1871 and that date.
The surname was easy to research here and there seem to have been at least 2 other familes of Metzendorfs over here at the same time.

[ronnie]

Well you have been busy. I just had a browse through Genesreunited and someone there had previously asked about immigration from Germany. If you go on-line to The National Archive and search for Naturalisation, there is a long article with advice.

Get back to you after my library trip on Monday. Cheers Ronnie

[ronnie]

Hello again Dolly, Managed to find a report of the inquest on Heinrich in the Western Morning News dated 4/9/12 which reads as follows:

"PLYMOUTH MANS FATAL DRINK - Mr R B Johns held an inquest at Prince Rock, Plymouth yesterday on Heinrich Metzendorf, labourer aged 65 of Laira Bridge Road. Mrs Metzendorf said her husband had been ailing during the past 12 months: he had been drinking somewhat of late. On Sunday morning he was very dazed and she thought he must have drunk from a beer bottle which contained a disinfectant liquid, and was among other bottles on a shelf. He vomitted several times and then became unconscious for a while. In the evening he expressed his sorrow at the mistake he had made. He died on the same night. Dr E A Travers-Stubbs said he was called to see Metzendorf who was suffering from alcoholism. He examined the bottle containing disinfectant and found a quantity of carbolic acid still in it. The drinking of the poison caused death. Metzendorf told him he had mistaken the disinfectant for beer. A verdict of ' Death from misadventure' was returned."

What a sad story, it must have been awful. I suppose it shows how lax people were back in those days before the dreaded 'health and safety'.

Anyway, hope it clarifies the situation a bit

Ronnie

[Dolly]

Ronnie
I can't thank you enough, if you need anything from Gloucester let me know.
You are right it is a sad story, at least the alcohol gene didn't come down to his grandson.
But all these bits of info help to build a picture of the family for him.

Thank you again

Dolores