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One of my great grandmothers died a mysterious death. She was a tubercular patient at the local city hospital in 1938 and when the nurses changed shifts they found her dead on the ground in front of the hospital. The newspaper articles I found stated that she "fell or jumped" from a 3rd story window. People in the family think she may have been pushed. Her death certificate said she died of "internal injuries" and "pneumonia" so I agree with texdav and feel caution should be undertaken about the cause of death on death certificates.
I recently found the death certificate for a sister of one of my great-grandmothers. She died in 1938 at a fairly advanced age from "intestinal obstruction, fecal impaction" with contributing causes as "Senility and heart disease".
Her husband had died about ten years before her and apparently her daughter's family took car of her (as the death occurred at the residence of her daughter's family).
The surprising thing is they were very well off financially, lived in Kansas City and just outside Chicago (her death was in Kansas City), so medical help was certainly obtainable.
But, seeing that made me almost ill...it is an awful way to die.
I had an uncle who was killed in a car accident in 1972. The passenger who was with him was seriously injured. From the get go the accident was a bit odd. Sunday morning, two guys going to the 7-11 for smokes, hardly any traffic plus my uncle drove a truck for a living so he was a professional driver.
About a decade after the accident the passenger told us just how the accident happened. As they were going to the 7-11 they had the radio on. The song that was playing was Gallery's "Nice To Be With You". THEY BOTH HATED THAT SONG !! They changed the station and the same song was playing on that station as well. Then again they changed to another station and here it is again...GALLERY.."oh its so nice to be with you !!" Long story short because the two guys were so preoccupied with the radio trying to find a station that wasn't playing the Gallery song ( big hit on the radio at the time )...their car slammed into a telephone pole killing my uncle right on the scene.
Footnote to this..about ten years ago I was working at a radio station that did the oldies format. One night because it was on our playlist I had to play Gallery's Nice to be With You. My aunt who was a regular listener to my show calls me up and says "..did you really have to play THAT song ??".
Last edited by tantan1968; 04-17-2015 at 11:32 PM..
I had an aunt ( 30 years old, single, schoolteacher) who died in the 1918 flu epidemic in North Dakota. Her body was brought back to central MN for burial.
An uncle ( 37, farmer , married 3 young boys ) died of pneumonia in the late 1930's
Every year I put a flower on each of their graves Memorial Day weekend.
My moms uncle blew himself up with dynamite. I think it was over his wife wanting to leave him. He did it in the hills of Virginia. The neighbors and family that ran to see what happened, said it was a grizzly scene. Bits of body and clothing hanging from the trees. circa: 1910 ish
Another uncle was shot and killed just for walking up to a neighbors home. That one really bothered my mom, as her future sister in law was a member of the killers family. If that murdered uncle was as sweet and gentle as my grandpa, I cant see why they did it. Mom said they were just mean ol' county hillbillies. circa: 1920's-1930
My great grandparents were struck by a hit and run driver. My gr.grandfather was killed right away, but my gr. grandmother lingered awhile before she died.
Another ancestor died "in wilderness" during the Revolutionary war. We don't know if the Wilderness was a battlefield, or if he just died in some remote wilderness.
I had an aunt ( 30 years old, single, schoolteacher) who died in the 1918 flu epidemic in North Dakota. Her body was brought back to central MN for burial.
An uncle ( 37, farmer , married 3 young boys ) died of pneumonia in the late 1930's
Every year I put a flower on each of their graves Memorial Day weekend.
From the same family..........my dad's oldest brother got in an argument with my grand father, packed some clothes in a home made back pack, left the farm heading up the railroad track walking.
NEVER heard from again.........happened in about 1900 when my dad was 10
I recently found the death certificate for a sister of one of my great-grandmothers. She died in 1938 at a fairly advanced age from "intestinal obstruction, fecal impaction" with contributing causes as "Senility and heart disease".
Her husband had died about ten years before her and apparently her daughter's family took car of her (as the death occurred at the residence of her daughter's family).
The surprising thing is they were very well off financially, lived in Kansas City and just outside Chicago (her death was in Kansas City), so medical help was certainly obtainable. But, seeing that made me almost ill...it is an awful way to die.
Agreed. But I don't see it as that unusual, especially not in 1938. The pain must have been unbearable, however. If you consider the sister of your great-grandmother was likely not very verbally responsive, she may not have been able to explain what she was feeling. Constipation is very common in elderly people, and when untreated, it can lead to impaction, then bowel obstruction, and eventually, death. I agree, that's a terrible way to die, but then again, dying isn't pretty no matter how you go.
From the same family..........my dad's oldest brother got in an argument with my grand father, packed some clothes in a home made back pack, left the farm heading up the railroad track walking.
NEVER heard from again.........happened in about 1900 when my dad was 10
Have you researched what happened to your uncle?
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circa: 1910 ish
