Like some others here I prob’ly woulda been dead age 2,?and certainly at age 12, of appendicitis back then. Colonials days, life expectancy was about 35, but life expectancy was the average age at death and when 1/3 to 1/2 was dead by age 12 that drove the average way down.
Teenage survival rate was high back then, TB started kicking in among those susceptible in their 20’s.
IRRC childbirth was the leading cause of death for women such that male average life expectancy was higher, but if a women made it past age 50 she would probably outlive men, much as older women still do today. Testosterone shortens life, then and now.
People didn’t get old faster back then, they died before they GOT old. But pretty much if you made it past age 12 you had about half as much chance of living to an old age as we do today.
And the familiar age-related ailments still killed old folks back then same as they do now, there was just less of ‘em is all.
"None of my ancestors ever had Alzheimer's!"
"None of your ancestors ever saw 65 years of age!"
