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Henry O'Brien

 Back in 2013 I discovered that my 3rd Great Grandfather Henry O'Brien committed suicide and so I wrote a post about it here.  Henry's death certificate was one of the ones on my wish list, so when I had the opportunity to order a transcription off my wish list this month his was the one I decided to get. Thanks once again to NSW Family History Transcriptions I am now in a position to update my post on Henry's suicide with information from his death registration transcription (see below).

Source: Death registration transcription for Henry O'Brien.  NSW BDM Death Index No. 1863/4696.  Received from https://nswtranscriptions.com.au/

The informant for Henry's death registration was his son John Thomas O'Brien, who was only sixteen years old at the time.  According to newspaper accounts I found on Trove John, who was a resident of Kains Flat near Mudgee at the time, had discovered his father had taken poison and immediately he went into action.  First he gave Henry a dose of salt water, then he went and asked a neighbour to sit with his father while he rode to Mudgee to get a doctor for him.  Unfortunately when he returned his father was already deceased.

At a Coroner's inquest on the 8th July 1863 at Mudgee, a jury found that Henry O'Brien came to his death on the 6th July 1863 from the effect of swallowing bluestone, taken by himself while labouring under temporary insanity, produced by excessive drinking.

I have a lot more research to do on Henry but this transcription has given me some valuable leads.

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