Did Allen Waits Commit Suicide?

By Wally Waits

©2015

I have long wanted to know how Allen Waits met his death in 1832.  I had conjectured a farming or hunting accident, land dispute with a neighbor or perhaps a disease.

I had never seriously considered suicide for some reason.  Now I know why I did not consider this possibility.

Roberta Estes discussed suicides in a blog entitled “Johann George Dorfler (1732-1790), Suicide, 52 Ancestors #98” located at https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/151095498b6be5ef.  She said that “Most suicides today are related to one of, or a combination of, several things: Depression, Alcohol or Drug Addiction, Terminal Diagnosis, Accidental [or] Extremely Traumatic Event.

In Roberta’s case, she had testimony that her ancestor’s death was self-inflicted.  In Allen’s case, there is no such statement that directly rules suicide in or out of consideration.  Yet, by following the same critical analysis like Roberta, it is possible to arrive at a better understanding of Allen’s end-of-life event.

It seems to me that the modern causes of suicide listed by Roberta might be sorted into two categories.  The two groupings are previous symptomatic indicated and sudden onset death.

Depression, Alcohol or Drug Addiction, Terminal Diagnosis and possibly some Extremely Traumatic Event might have prepared the family for Allen’s demise.  Accidental and [short-term] Terminal Diagnosis may not have provided much preparation for accepting Allen’s death.

One point that Roberta mentions provides an avenue for analyzing Allen’s death.  She wrote that “Suicide affects so many people, far more than just the person who dies.”

This observation provides a way for examining the issue of whether Allen committed suicide.  Some of the salient points in Allen’s life include the births of his children.  From his date of marriage, children were born like clockwork.  In eighteen years, ten children appear.  These children average 21 months between births.  This average fits well in the 18 to 24 months that is expected.  For this reason, it is possible to say that there does not appear to be any long-term problems in Allen’s health.

Short-term problems include farming or hunting accidents.  Farming and hunting accidents are more likely in my opinion.  Allen Waits was about age 42 when he died.  Because he had a son who died from a fall out of a tree when trying to retrieve a squirrel, it is entirely possible that he had a hunting accident. 

However, Allen died at the end of July, on the 29^th according to a Bible records his widow saw.  This is not a likely hunting season.  This was the harvesting time of a year.  This argues more favorable for a farming accident.  It was also the time of year when a person is chopping wood in advance of winter.  Lots of wood would be needed for the fireplace for cooking, for light and for warmth.  One of the accidents associated with chopping wood was when an axe ricocheted off a log and cut a gash on a leg. Gangrene is a terrible way to die, but there were occasions such as this when accidents lead to infections.  This was a century before antibiotics.

A family would have grieved over Allen’s death if he died from an accident.  But as Roberta said “Suicides affect many people…”  Had Allen died by his own hand there would have been questions about his family not taking steps to help him avoid this tragedy.

Yet four years later, Allen’s widow married a man believed to be at the top of society.  This probably would not have been acceptable had Allen taken his own life.  Furthermore, his children would not likely have named grandchildren after him.

Within four years of Allen’s death, a grandson was named Allen Waits Sanders.  Six more grandsons carried the “Allen” name.  There obviously was no stigma attached to his life.  He was revered, and was well remembered.

So, no, Allen Waits did not commit suicide.  At least that is my impression.