Good genealogical research always begins at home, so let’s
first look at a wonderful family source, the diary. Beside the everyday
happenings in the life of a family, this record can be rich with information
about illnesses and life events, such as births, marriages, and deaths. A diary
written by a woman on and off over a period of twenty-seven years between 1931
and 1958 includes this excerpt describing the illness and death of her husband.
“ ……took sick October the 9th at 1 pm Friday. We called the Dr. in
the evening about 5 o’clock. He continually got worse and we took him to the
hospital Saturday afternoon at … The Drs thot (thought) best to operate on him,
so they prepared to operate at 4 o’clock and he passed away at 4:30 Sunday,
October the 11th and was buried in the …cemetery October the
14th 1931.”
While she doesn’t specifically mention his symptoms
or a diagnosis, we can conclude that this man died following an acute illness
that doctors felt could be resolved by surgery. This knowledge narrows the
possible causes of death significantly. This record also can lead us to other
documents that recorded the event, such as a death certificate or obituary,
which may reveal an exact illness. In July 1941 she mentions, “…I am terribly
broken out with eczema and don’t feel very well.” The skin condition is
mentioned several more times in the diary entries, indicating she had a chronic
condition, which sometimes flared up. Old letters can also contain the same
kind of information and should be carefully read to glean specific knowledge
about family health.
Another home source that can be a wealth of
information are old photographs, home movies, and videos. It is true that a
picture is worth a thousand words! If we really take a good look, what do we
see? With a good analysis of a photo or movie, the physical characteristics
needed for a family health history can be documented. For example:
1) Body Structure: thin, stocky, obese, tall,
short, etc,
2) Height and weight estimates
3) Hair: body or facial, color or bald, form
(thick, thin, straight, wavy, curly, kinky, etc.)
4) Facial Features: nose (bulbous, short, thin,
reddened, etc.), ears (large, small, jug handled, etc,), lips (thick, thin,
cleft, etc,), cheeks (red, spider veined, fat, etc.)
5) Eyes: color, shape (round or oval), widely
spaced apart, protruding, etc.
6) Skin: color (yellow, red, very pale, etc.),
freckles, birthmarks, scars, etc.
7) Sight: glasses, squinting, etc.
8) Teeth: buck teeth, toothless, missing teeth,
or perhaps dentures can be seen
9) Unusual Characteristics: extremities (missing
digits, color, etc.), cane or crutches, prosthesis, unusual gait when walking,
smoking, etc.
A complete and proper analysis can be very important if a
specific genetic trait or illness (such as baldness, cleft palate, glaucoma,
thyroid disease or Downs syndrome) runs in a family. This kind of
information can help identify which branch of the family has been the carrier.
When a person dies, a myriad of records both public and
private are created that document various aspects of this type of event. The
death certificate is the document used the most by genealogists in connection
with death. We look at the date, place, and hope for a date of birth,
birthplace, next of kin, and parents’ names. But this record was created because
the person died, so we should also be very interested in what it has to say
about that happening. For the family health history we will want to carefully
study the medical information to learn what can be added to our data. First
examine the cause of death, then the contributing, or secondary, factors leading
to the death. The doctor may report an ancestor died of pneumonia but that the
contributing cause was a stroke and/or heart disease and/or diabetes. In this
case, these secondary problems are more important to the entire health picture
for this ancestor than the immediate and fatal one.
The death certificate will often tell us how long the person
was ill (days, weeks, years), where the death occurred (at home, at hospital, at
work, on the street, etc.), and how old the person was at the time he died.
These factors can also be significant in the analysis of the person’s overall
health situation. Other information that can be helpful as clues for further
investigation include the name of the doctor, hospital, mortuary, and cemetery,
as well as the circumstances of the death. Was this an accidental or intentional
death? If so, there may be a coroner’s report or newspaper account of the event
we should be examining. One ancestor’s death certificate indicated he died of
severe burns sustained in an accident. The subsequent reading of the coroner’s
report and extensive newspaper coverage revealed he was involved in an explosion
at a brewery that killed a second person and severely injured a third. The
survivor told the world what had happened to cause the explosion and fire that
followed.
Mortuary records can contain significant personal information
about your ancestor’s health. Some of the data that might be found in an
ancestor’s file includes: 1) a death certificate; 2) an obituary; 3) the cause
of death; 4) a personal history for the obituary (which may have information the
obituary did not contain); 5) the type of embalming; and 6) the date/ place of
burial. Cemetery records can provide unexpected health and personal knowledge
as well. One New Jersey cemetery provided previously unrecorded causes of death
for family members buried there Since some states are now blocking out the cause
of death on their certificates, these other sources are becoming very important
for finding medical information about family members.
A burial permit is another record created in certain time
frames and areas that can provide medical information. One permit found in
Davenport, Iowa, provided the only documentation found to date about the life
and death of a great uncle who was born a twin in 1886. This document tells us
the child was six days old when he died at home on July 18, 1886, of inanition
(total lack of food, starvation). The city burial register in Davenport
during the 1890s provides a person’s name, sex, color, age, occupation, marital
status, length of residence in Davenport, date and place of death, cause of
death, duration of disease, name of physician, date and place of burial. At a
time long before death certificates are available, this record gives us the
equivalent medical knowledge we need for the family health history.
The records of the burial of inmates at the Ontario County,
New York, Poorhouse in the 1880s reveal medical information not likely to be
found elsewhere. In addition to providing the person’s name, place of usual
residence, age, and date of death, these records give us insight into their
medical history. In one case the notation was “died sudden…was walking around a
few moments before he died” and another stated “died sudden in a fit.” In other
entries we find comments about the person’s overall health, such as “paralyzed,”
“almost totally blind,” “whiskey consumption,” and “dwarf.” If a descendent of
this person were looking for an ancestor of short stature, this would be an
important find to help him trace the genetic origins of this condition.
Federal, state, and local court records often can provide
information about a family member found nowhere else. Ordinary citizens have
appeared in court to resolve problems, such as paternity (e.g. Bastardy Bonds)
or adoption issues, that can impact the family history. As discussed in the
first column of this series, a family health history includes only blood
relatives who share a common gene pool. Thus, it is crucial that the paternity
of each member of the family is determined correctly.
Then there are court records that can identify medical
conditions outright, such as a petition to the court by a man for tax-exempt
status because he is blind. Repeated court appearances by an ancestor for public
drunkenness or drunk driving could indicate he was addicted to alcohol.
Guardianship of persons unable to care for themselves or handle their own
affairs can establish the person’s condition. One such case is found in the 1802
Anne Arundel County, Maryland Chancery Court Papers #1129, Maryland Hall of
Records, regarding the appointment of a guardian for “William Benson, a
lunatic.” His father’s will entrusted William’s care to his sister and
brother-in-law. However, they determined to move to another state and William
did not want to go. So, his sister and her husband went to court to prove his
lunacy and have others appointed as trustees for William and his estate. The
court found that William was “…a lunatic and incapable of the government of
himself or his property and has been for 24 years with some lucid intervals but
not of long duration- said state of lunacy was occasioned by birth.”
In the next column of this series, “Methods and Sources for
Compiling Family Health Histories, Part III,” we will continue to examine
selected genealogical records that provide family health information, focusing
on census, newspaper and military records.