What Was the Cause of Death?

Kris Hocker on 2 Jan 2015

Medical Certificate of DeathI’ve been data mining the Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1963 on Ancestry.com for records for Hockers (and Hackers). So far, I’ve compiled a collection of 691 death certificates for Hockers (male and female) and their children.

Since genetic disease has been on my mind a lot lately, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see what these family members died from. Here’s how the results tallied up:

  • Adherent pericardium: 1 death
  • Alcoholism: 2 deaths
  • Amytrophic lateral sclerosis: 1 death
  • Angina Pectoris: 3 deaths
  • Anoxia: 1 death
  • Apoplexy: 72 deaths
  • Appendicitis: 1 death
  • Arterio Thrombosis: 1 death
  • Arteriosclerosis: 31 deaths
  • Asphyxia: 3 deaths
  • Atelectasis: 2 deaths
  • Auricular fibrillation: 1 death
  • Bright’s Disease/Nephritis: 18 deaths
  • Bronchitis: 4 deaths
  • Cancer: 71 deaths
    • Abdomen: 2 deaths
    • Adenocarinoma: 1 death
    • Bladder: 3 deaths
    • Brain: 1 death
    • Breast: 11 deaths
    • Bone: 1 death
    • Cervix: 1 death
    • Colon: 9 deaths
    • Intestines: 2 deaths
    • Kidney: 2 deaths
    • Liver: 8 deaths
    • Mouth/Tongue: 1 death
    • Ovarian: 5 deaths
    • Peritoneus: 1 death
    • Prostate: 4 deaths
    • Rectum: 1 death
    • Skin: 2 deaths
    • Stomach: 10 deaths
    • Throat: 1 death
    • Unknown type: 2 deaths
    • Uterine: 4 deaths
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: 1 death
  • Cardiovascular Disease: 5 deaths
  • Cardio-Renal Disease: 9 deaths
  • Cardio-Repiratory Failure: 1 death
  • Cerebral Arteriosclerosis: 2 deaths
  • Cerebral Embolism: 1 death
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage (not as apoplexy): 3 deaths
  • Cerebral Meningitis: 2 deaths
  • Cerebral Thrombosis: 7 deaths
  • Cerebral Vascular Occlusion: 1 death
  • Chicken Pox: 1 death
  • Cholera Infantum: 3 deaths
  • Cirrhosis: 1 death
  • Congestive Heart Failure: 6 deaths
  • Congenital Debility: 2 deaths
  • Convulsions: 2 deaths
  • Coronary Arteriosclerosis: 3 deaths
  • Coronary Embolism: 4 deaths
  • Coronary Infarction: 1 death
  • Coronary Occlusion: 26 deaths
  • Coronary Thrombosis: 14 deaths
  • Dementia: 3 deaths
  • Diabetes: 5 deaths
  • Diptheria: 1 death
  • Dropsy (Edema): 1 death
  • Dysentery: 3 deaths
  • Electrocution: 1 death (work accident)
  • Encephalitis Lethargica (Sleepy Sickness): 2 deaths
  • Endocarditis: 4 deaths
  • Dilation (Dilatation) of Heart: 13 deaths
  • Epiglotal Spasm: 1 death
  • Fractured Skull: 6 deaths (4 from auto accidents)
  • Gangrene: 2 deaths
  • Gastric Ulcers: 2 deaths
  • Gastritis: 1 death
  • Gastro Enteritis: 4 deaths
  • Gastro-Intestinal Rupture: 2 deaths
  • Gun Shot Wound: 4 deaths
  • Heart Arrhythmia: 1 death
  • Heart Disease: 10 deaths
  • Heart Failure: 14 deaths
  • Heat Exhaustion: 1 death
  • Hemorrhage: 3 deaths — not associated with vehicular accident
  • Hyperemesis Gravidarum: 1 death
  • Hypertension: 1 death
  • Hypostasis: 1 death
  • Illio Collitis: 2 deaths
  • Inanition: 3 deaths
  • Indigestion: 1 death
  • Intestinal Obstruction: 2 deaths
  • Left heart failure: 2 deaths
  • Liver Atrophy: 1 death
  • Lymphosarcoma: 1 death
  • Marasmus: 2 deaths
  • Meningitis: 2 deaths
  • Mesenteric Occlusion: 1 death
  • Mitral Disease (including Mitral Stenosis): 8 deaths
  • Multiplesclerosis: 1 death
  • Myelogeneous Luekemia: 1 death
  • Myocarditis: 37 deaths
  • Myocardial Infarction: 11 deaths
  • Nephritis (Acute): 1 death (see Bright’s Disease for Chronic Nephritis)
  • Old Age: 1 death
  • Paralysis: 3 deaths (Apoplexy?)
  • Paralyis Agitans (Parkinson’s Disease): 1 death
  • Paresis: 1 death (late state Neurosyphilus)
  • Patent Foramen Ovale: 2 deaths
  • Pelvic Abscess: 1 death
  • Peritonitis: 2 deaths
  • Pernicious Anaemia: 2 deaths
  • Phlegmonous Erysipelas (Abscesses): 1 death
  • Pneumonia:
    • Bronchial pneumonia: 12 deaths
    • Catarrhal pneumonia: 1 death
    • Croupous pneumonia: 1 death
    • Hypostatic pneumonia: 7 deaths
    • Lobar pneumonia: 9 deaths
    • Pneumonia: 14 deaths
  • Pneumonia & Influenza: 4 deaths
  • Premature Births: 11 deaths
  • Protracted Labor:  2 deaths
  • Pulmonary Edema: 5 deaths
  • Pulmonary Embolism: 5 deaths
  • Pulmonary Infarction: 1 death
  • Pulmonary Thrombosis: 3 deaths
  • Renal Embolism: 1 death
  • Renal Occlusion: 1 death
  • Rheumatic Heart Disease: 2 deaths
  • Septicemia: 5 deaths
  • Shock: 1 death (fell in ice cold lake)
  • Stillborn: 23 deaths
  • Strangulated Inguinal Hernia: 2 deaths
  • Strangulation: 1 death (accidental, due to Epilepsy)
  • Streptoccocal Meningitis: 1 death
  • Suffocation: 1 death
  • Surgical Complications:
    • Caesarian: 1 death
    • Hysterectomy: 1 death
    • Prostate surgery: 1 death
    • Shock: 1 death
  • Syphilus: 1 death
  • Tertiary Luetic Aortic Aneurysm: 1 death
  • Toxemia-Eclampsia: 1 death
  • Tuberculosis: 25 deaths
  • Typhoid Fever: 5 deaths
  • Unknown: 2 deaths
  • Unknown, pending inquest: 5 deaths
  • Uremia: 18 deaths
  • Valvular Disease: 11 deaths
  • Valvular Insufficiency: 1 death
  • Vehicular Accident (Auto, Motorcycle, etc): 6 deaths
  • Whooping Cough: 1 death

Some of the causes of death were sad and some of the causes were surprising in that I’d never heard of them.

For instance, one of my great great uncles died of Encephalitis Lethargica. Apparently, between 1915 and 1926 there was a worldwide epidemic of the disease which attacks the brain and leaves the person in a statue-like position, speechless and motionless.1 In both instances the Hockers died in the 1930s after having the disease for four and eleven years, respectively.

My heart hurt seeing the number of premature and stillborn babies that were born to Hocker families, including one pair of Siamese twins. Some of these children would have likely survived in neonatal wards today though they had little chance of survival in the early 20th century.

Heart disease, renal disease, cancer and strokes seem to be the top killers amongst this group of Hockers. And heart disease and stroke are still common causes of death today.

2014 in Review

Kris Hocker on 31 Dec 2014

Top 10

On this last day of 2014, it’s time to take a look back. I don’t have specific goals for this website—other than to provide access to my family research. So, how did I do?

In 2014, I wrote 63 new posts with most posts being written in January—April and July—September. May, June and December were my worst months. Here is how the year stacked up:

  • January — 10 posts
  • February — 7 posts
  • March — 4 posts
  • April — 4 posts
  • May — 1 post
  • June — 2 posts
  • July — 13 posts
  • August — 9 posts
  • September —6 posts
  • October — 2 posts
  • November — 3 posts
  • December — 2 posts (including this one)

My longest writing streak? 2 days in a row.

I started the 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks challenge at the beginning of last year. The goal was to write a post about an ancestor each week. Although I started off well, my participation was rather hit or miss. I posted my last contribution at the beginning of September.

All told, I only wrote 22 posts for the challenge, less than 50% of the goal. Because I preferred to write about something new that I’d learned about each ancestor, it wound up being too time consuming. If I had just written about what I already knew, maybe I would have been more consistent. Sigh. I much prefer the hunt for new information and the reward of finding it over documenting it.

Although I didn’t write very often. I did receive more than 19,000 page views. All things considered that’s not too shabby for this little blog. Here are the ten most viewed pages of 2014:

  1. Andreas Huber (1723—1784) (#8 in 2013)
  2. Pennsylvania Warrant Township Maps (#9 in 2013)
  3. Andreas Huber Origins: Trippstadt, Ellerstadt, or Ittlingen? (#5 in 2013)
  4. Friday Finds: Trinity Lutheran Birth and Baptismal Records Online (#4 in 2013)
  5. Huber Immigrants (#7 in 2013)
  6. Jacob Hoover (ca 1746—1800) (#6 in 2014)
  7. Lancaster County Deed Books Online
  8. How to Use Online Land Records at the PA State Archives (#3 in 2013)
  9. Pennsylvania Genealogical County Map (#2 in 2013)
  10. Home Page/Archives (#1 in 2013)

Once again, most of these pages made the list in 2012 and 2013. It’s not surprising that the general information posts were popular. Nor is it a shock that the Huber family posts made this list—since the Hoover surname is one of my most researched!

I believe that more of those visitors who viewed the Andreas and Jacob Huber posts were more than likely looking for information on the ancestor of President Herbert Hoover. However, they do provide valuable information for the descendants of Andrew Hoover of Fayette County, Pennsylvania—who is frequently confused with the president’s immigrant ancestor. Although I’ve determined that I’m not a descendant, I’m glad I did the research and shared the results.

So, that’s a look at my blogging for 2014. What did your year look like?

Coming Soon in Print

Kris Hocker on 17 Dec 2014

Lancaster PA Online Deeds Books A-D

Lanc Co PA Deed Index

An Index to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Online Deeds

I’ve been working on a print version of my An Index to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Online Deeds, Books A-D, 1729-1760. The proofing for the print format is almost complete. I want to review it one last time in hard copy, then it should be available for purchase through Lulu.com and eventually Amazon and other book sellers.

The book includes indexes arranged by both grantor and grantee, the location of the land or type of deed (i.e. mortgage), and, if provided, the name of the spouse. It also includes both the deed book page number and the online film image number for easy access to the appropriate online image file. It will be sized 8.5″ x 11″ for easy skimming.

Stay tuned for the announcement.

An Index to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Online Deeds, Books A-D, 1729-1760 is now available as a paperback book. You can purchase it on Lulu.com for $14.95.

1702 Marriage of John Jones & Margaret Waterman

Kris Hocker on 17 Nov 2014

I’ve been researching and gathering information on John Jones of Philadelphia, because I think I may be descended from him—although at this time it’s a really big leap. So, I’ve been searching through the Quaker meeting records on Ancestry, looking to document information that I’ve found in online forums.

One of the items I’m searching for is the maiden name of John Jones Jr.’s wife. According to an abstract of John Jones Sr.’s will, his son John was married to a woman named Margaret as of 28 Feb 1708. According to the Quaker meeting records, John Jones married Margaret Waterman. They announced their intention to marry on 29 Jan 1702 and again on 26 Feb 1702:

John Jones and Margaret Waterman appeared at this Meeting Declaring thier Intentions of Marriage with each other it being the first time Sarah Goodson and Hannah Carpenter are appointed to Enquire concerning her Clearness and make report thereof to the next monthly.1

I was surprised by the date. My understanding was that John Jones (the father) married Margaret Waterman, widow of Humphrey Waterman, in 1696 and had their first child in 1697. What was with the 1702 date?

My confusion soon cleared, however, when I found the actual marriage record. It reads:

Whereas John Jones Son of John Jones of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania Merchant & Margaret Waterman Daughter of Humphrey Waterman late of the same place deceased having declared their intentions of taking Each other in Marriage before Several Monthly Meetings of the people of God called Quakers in Philadelphia aforesd according to the good order used amongst them Whose proceedings thereinafter due deliberation thereof and consent of parties and relations concerned they appearing clear of all others were approved by the said Meetings Now this is to certify all whom it may concern that for a full accomplishment of their said Intentions this Eleventh day of the first Month in the year according to the English account one Thousand Seven hundred & two they the said John Jones & Margaret Waterman appeared in a publick & solemn assembly of the aforesaid people mett together att their publick meeting house in Philadelphia aforesaid and in a solemn manner according to the Example of the holy men of God recorded in Scriptures of Truth He the said John Jones taking her the said Margaret Waterman by the hand declared as followeth (viz.) Friends In the Fear of the Lord and before this Assembly I take this my friend Margaret Waterman to be my Wife promising through the Lords assistance to be a failthfull & Loving husband till it shall please the Lord by death to Separate and then & there in the said Assembly the said Margaret Waterman Likewise declared as followeth (viz.) Friend In fear of God & before this Assembly I take this my friend John Jones to be my husband promising through gods assistance to be a faithfull & loving wife till it shall please God by death to Separate us and for a further confirmation thereof they the said John Jones & Margaret Waterman now (assuming the name of her husband) Margaret Jones did then & there to these presents sett their hands and we whose Names are here underwritten being present amongst others att the Solemnization of their said Marriage & Subscription as aforesaid have also to these presents as witnesses thereunto subscribed our Names the day & year above written2

The marriage intentions and marriage record refer to John Jones Jr. and Margaret Waterman, daughter of Humphrey Waterman. The couple signed the record “John Jones Junr.” and “Margaret Jones Junr.” Then—it appears to me—the family members signed after them.

  • John Jones Senr
  • Margaret Jones Senr
  • Jane Waterman
  • Richd Jones
  • Saml Jones
  • Marcy Waterman
  • Eliza Waterman
  • Grace Jones
  • Yeamans & Mary Gillingham

These names seem to be consistent with the family members of John Jones, merchant, of Philadelphia who came from Barbados in 1683, and his wife Margaret, formerly the widow of Humphrey Waterman, who also came to Philadelphia from Barbados. Furthermore, I also found the record of the marriage between John Jones [Sr.] of Philadelphia and Margaret Waterman in the records of the Abington Monthly Meeting. It was recorded in the minutes of the meeting on 30 Nov [9th mo] 1696.3

I’m not sure how Yeamans & Mary Gillingham fit in, but their names are grouped with the rest of the family members, so I expect I’ll be researching them, too.

Liturgical Days to Remember

Kris Hocker on 4 Nov 2014

I’ve been reading communion lists and calculating dates recently. Here are some of the days I saw that I had to look up.

  • Easter (calendar)
  • Quasimodo Sunday (aka “St. Thomas Sunday”): 1st Sunday after Easter
  • Misericordia Sunday: 4th Sunday of Easter
  • Cantate Sunday: 4th Sunday after Easter
  • Rogate Sunday: 5th Sunday after Easter
  • Pentecost (aka “Whitsunday”): 50th day after Easter (calendar)
  • Trinity Sunday: 1st Sunday after Pentecost (calendar), 8 weeks after Easter

Many of the lists indicated the date of the church service by the number of Sundays after Trinity, making it a useful date to know.

Update: William H. Hocker & the Aetna Explosives Co.

Kris Hocker on 3 Nov 2014

Aetna Explosives Co. Crew, ca 1916?

I was finally able to review Harrisburg city directories to see when my great grandfather was living in the city. I hoped that they would narrow the window for his possible employment at the Aetna Explosives Company in Mt. Union, Pennsylvania. It didn’t narrow the timeframe nearly as much as I was hoping it would.

William H. and Isobel A. Hocker were living at 35 N. 18th Street in 1915.1 The directory does not give a date of publishing beyond the year, but Jun 8, 1915 is stamped on the table of contents, indicating that it was published before this date. By the time the 1916 city directory was compiled, William and family were no longer living in Harrisburg.2 Nor were they listed in the 1917 city directory.3

So, sometime between the birth of his first child in May and the compiling/publishing of the 1916 Harrisburg city directory, Will was likely hired to work at the Aetna explosives plant. Unless, of course, he worked somewhere else outside Harrisburg first.

This timeline means that he very likely could have been working at the Aetna Explosives Plant in Mt. Union at the time of the 21 Sep 1916 explosion. He doesn’t reappear in the Harrisburg city directory until 1918—which has Jul 19, 1918 stamped on the table of contents.4 He was most likely back in Harrisburg before that date.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know which explosion the family story refers to.

Going Pink

Kris Hocker on 1 Oct 2014

The site is going pink for breast cancer awareness month in honor of all those family members who are surviving breast cancer and those who have  been lost.

Friday Find: Reviews in History

Kris Hocker on 19 Sep 2014

Book lying open on desk

Book lying open on deskLooking for some of the sources used in Our Daily Bread, German Village Life, 1500-1850, I found the Reviews in History website. While books reviews may not be an ideal source, I was able to pick up several nuggets of information from reviews of books by Sheilagh Ogilvie. Obviously, the book itself would be a better source—or the original documents referenced in the work—but when you can’t get the book (or can’t afford it; some of these textbooks are expensive!)—a discussion of the content may provide some valuable information you might otherwise not have found. For instance, I learned that “Women could work in guilded occupations only if they were the wife of a master or if they were a guild master’s widow, and had inherited his guild licence.”1 This provided a possible source of income for the widow of my ancestor—a shoemaker in his village—and explained one reason why she might have been able to wait several years to remarry, even with a household of young children.