The Health Link In Genealogy
Wow, can that be right? A health link in genealogy is not what you expect when searching your family history. This is exactly what I got.
I now know that some family health problems are not new within my family. They are genetic and I have proof. I have actual documents proving that these problems have definitely been passed down through generations. I know that science tells us this now. However, when you have no knowledge of a disease within your family and all of a sudden it shows up, it can be a bit baffling. That is when it pays to know your family history.
Back in my twenties, I encountered some weird symptoms. I finally got a doctor to listen to me. I was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency. The doctor let me know that usually only adults over 60 experience this problem and not to the extent that I was at with the disease. It must be hereditary. Well, no one in my family had ever heard of the disease. Unfortunately for me, all my grandparents were deceased at this point in my life. I am not sure if they would have known that it was hereditary and had skipped 2 generations on one side and 3 generations on the other side. Lucky me! I got to meet the disease at the crossroads.
While researching my maternal grandmother’s family in Co. Clare, Ireland, I happened upon the death record of my great grandfather, Thomas Clune. Guess what disease killed him? Pernicious Anemia. I almost fell off my chair. Pernicious Anemia is the clinical name for vitamin B12 deficiency. My connection was made. My mother was floored. She had never heard of this disease until my diagnosis. I went searching for connections to the homeland and found that they were streaming through my very blood right here in present day USA!
Jump ahead several years and I was researching my father’s elusive side of the family. My father had absolutely no clue where the family originated. While his father was alive (my grandfather), we all had begged for information. He would always say the family came down through Nova Scotia into Boston, MA. He really had no idea and no further information. Well, he was half right. His mother’s side of the family (Brown/Taylor) did indeed come over from England and Scotland through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada. In 1890, they immigrated down into Boston, MA. Thank you to the Canadian Census records for this information.
The search went onto the Degnan side in Boston, MA. I knew that Lillian Brown had married Peter Degnan after 1910 and had my grandfather in 1915. Through the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) records I found Peter’s birth record in Boston which listed his parents’ names. They were from Ireland, Patrick and Margaret. Hurray! A breakthrough is always exciting. I then discovered the wedding record for Patrick Degnan and Margaret Galvin. The blessing that came along with this wedding record was that the names of their parents were listed with where they were born (Ireland). Why didn’t they list their hometowns??? Researching is so very frustrating sometimes.
I finally came across Patrick Degnan’s death certificate. This was my great-great grandfather. He is listed as dying from Pernicious Anemia. Good grief! I had a double whammy. This side of the family disease had skipped 3 generations. No one even knew about Patrick Degnan never mind the disease that killed him. It amazes me still. I did finally find out that the Degnan’s came over from Co. Longford, Ireland. This information came from Patrick Degnan’s naturalization papers. A wealth of information can be found if you check naturalization paperwork.
Another such incident came recently. I mailed away to England for the death certificate of my paternal great-great grandfather, George Bench. I was looking to confirm the names of his father and mother. Once again, I opened the letter and had to chuckle. I did not get the name confirmation that I was researching. However, I did find out how the man died – diabetes. This disease also claimed my grandmother and now has its grips on my father. I knew about this disease but didn’t realize how far back it went. George died in 1899 at the age of 52. Crazy! It’s just another genetic connection discovered through records.
I have discovered other family disease links through death certificates. In several instances, what appeared to be a new disease in the family was really an old disease popping up once again several generations down the road. A road that had been cut off from the past has been repaved through research and records. I have found my family’s health link through genealogy. Have you?
Colleen M. Johnson, CMJ Office
