In genealogy circles, family stories are highly suspect. Some are outright lies. Others are just wishful thinking. But some events started the story, so it is worth investigating every story to see what is behind the story.
Where Did the Story Come From?
The “early death” story is from my Mom. Her siblings had never heard the story. She said that her father told her that he was going to retire early from his medical practice and explore the world because people in his family died young. He did retire, but according to my Mom, my grandma did not want to travel. He died at age 59 of an apparent heart attack despite a recent physical exam from the local Veterans Administration Hospital, giving him a clean bill of health.
Argument with Leo
There is a second family story that may be related to the first. While looking at old photographs at a family reunion, my mother’s older brothers, Jim and Jack, recounted a story to me about their father and Leo. I do not know if Jim and Jack were still living at home or had just come to visit. My grandfather’s cousin, Leo, had come to the house and was quite upset. My grandfather and Leo retreated to my grandfather’s office. My uncles heard the loud voices and assumed they were arguing about something. My uncles never saw Leo again and assumed that the argument was so severe that the families no longer had any contact.
Investigating the Story
Leo died at age 55. Jim and Jack would have been in their early 20s. My mom remembers her parent’s going to Leo’s funeral in another town. My mom was 16 years old and living with her parents at the time of Leo’s death. So it is reasonable that Jim and Jack never saw Leo again because he died.
According to the newspaper articles at the time, Leo was in perfect health. He was a vibrant member of the community and had seen patients at his dental office that day. He had even done some gardening after he came home. He died of a sudden heart attack in the evening. I don’t have a copy of Leo’s death certificate because it is extremely difficult to get a death certificate out of Nebraska.
In 1960 my father graduated from dental school and was traveling around the country, taking state boards so he could practice dentistry. While he was gone, my mother and I lived with her parents over the summer. My maternal grandfather had retired from his medical practice, and they had moved to Denver, Colorado. After a while, he was bored, and a friend talked him into going to work for the Veterans Administration hospital. As part of the employment process, he was required to take a physical exam. He told my mother that they found nothing wrong. He also applied for his birth certificate. He dated the application on May 20, 1960, and the state of North Dakota approved the delayed birth certificate on May 23, 1960.
My father passed all his chosen state boards and decided that we would move to Seattle. My mother’s parents were supportive of the move despite how far away we would be. My mother wanted to spend her few remaining days before our move with her parents, but my father’s parents wanted to see us also. My mother’s father insisted that we spend a few days with my paternal grandparents in Oklahoma. We drove from Colorado to Oklahoma. Shortly after we arrived, my mother’s father died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. My maternal grandfather was 59 when he died. He lived four years longer than his cousin Leo.
In this small clip of my grandfather’s death certificate, there are several items of interest. 1) The physician who signed the death certificate states that he started seeing my grandfather in a medical capacity on July 21, 1960 — seven days before his death. 2) The immediate cause of death is listed as coronary occlusion that lasted for 3 hours and that he died at 7:30 AM. 3) The secondary causes are listed as Coronary artery disease and coronary arteriosclerosis. The length of time that he had both of these conditions is listed as “?.” 4). The physician has last seen my grandfather on July 21st, the same day he first saw him. At the top of the death certificate is the stamp “DOA,” so my grandfather’s death was recorded at the hospital, but he died at home.
The physical exam is likely to have occurred between May 20, 1960 (when he ordered his birth certificate) and July 21, 1960. If there were no signs of coronary artery disease or coronary arteriosclerosis at the time of the physical exam, it is unlikely the secondary causes are correct. Due to the early death of Leo, my grandfather would have been extremely interested in any heart anomalies from the exam. Could my grandfather have found out that he had these conditions and told my mother he was fine? Sure. But the question marks for these disorders on the death certificate imply that he was telling the truth.
Callaghan Deaths
Leo and my grandfather share common grandparents – Michael and Bridget Callaghan of County Monaghan, Ireland. Four of Michael and Bridget’s children immigrated to the United States: Margaret, Catherine, Bernard, and Marie. Strangely Margaret, Catherine, and Bernard all died at the same age. Marie was the last one to immigrate and she died younger than the others. They were all born during the potato famine so their early years would have been terrible.
| Name | Age at Death |
| Margaret McGee | 68 |
| Catherine Pasonault | 68 |
| Bernard Callahan | 68 |
| Marie Van Buskirk | 63 |
Second Generation
Now let’s look at the next generation—the Callaghan grandchildren from Margaret, Catherine, and Marie. Bernard did not have any children.
| Whose Child | Name | Age at Death |
| Margaret | John | 59 |
| Margaret | Theresa | 70 |
| Catherine | Leo | 55 |
| Catherine | Louise | 72 |
| Catherine | Mary | 67 |
| Catherine | Antoinette | 62 |
| Catherine | Denice | 87 |
| Catherine | Daniel | 91 |
| Marie | Dorothy | 2 |
| Marie | Dorance | 67 |
| Marie | Warren | 89 |
| Marie | Wanda | 87 |
John, Leo, and Antoinette all died “suddenly of an apparent heart attack”. I haven’t been able to find any newspaper reports or death certificates for Dorance or Mary.
Third Generation
I haven’t fully investigated all the members of this third generation of Americans descended from Michael and Bridget Callaghan, but I don’t know of any unusual early deaths attributed to heart attacks.
Fourth Generation
In 2014, I had a noticeable case of supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation with no apparent cause. I could feel the fast irregular heartbeat, but it can kill with no warning. At an appointment with my cardiologist, he said that I had to see a specialist. My husband and I just looked at him in shock and said we thought he was a specialist. He laughed and said in cardiology, he was a “plumber,” and I needed an “electrician.” We didn’t react in the way he wanted, so he left the room to call the specialist and make an appointment for me.
At the appointment with the Electrophysiologist (cardiac electrician), he asked why I was there. It was probably his usual opening statement with new patients, but I just looked at him and said I was there because my cardiologist made the appointment and said I needed to come. I had no comprehension of why I was there. He checked his notes and told the nurse to schedule me for surgery. Then he explained what was wrong with my heart. Fortunately, in terms, an electrical engineer could understand. I know all about relays and circuits but was having some difficulty correlating my cords and mechanical relays with his squishy muscles and nerves.
The surgery is called “Ablation” and he burns the “bad circuits” with radio-frequency heat. According to the American Heart Association, this process does not hurt. That is not true. Each individual “zap” of the radio-frequency may or may not hurt, but a collection of them over several hours adds up. I know exactly where my heart is now because of all the places that needed to be burned.
At my post-operative check-up, the Electrophysiologist asked me about my family history of heart attacks and which were “plumbing” problems versus “electrical” problems. I told him about my maternal grandfather and the rather strange wording on the death certificate. He asked whether there had been an autopsy. I said I didn’t know. After thinking about it a little longer, he decided it didn’t matter. The good results of my grandfather’s physical exam so shortly before his death combined with my “no cause” for the supra-ventricular tachycardia led him to the only conclusion left – family history. There is no currently identified genetic marker for this issue, but “family history” is on the list of potential causes for this health issue when none of the standard reasons apply.
Family Story – True or False?
Is the story that the Callaghans die early true? Yes. Certainly many did and they did suddenly from an apparent heart attack in while appearing to be healthy people. Is the cause of the early deaths supraventricular tachycardia? It does run in families but is usually a silent killer so there is no way to tell for sure. Did my grandfather and Leo argue over this topic or some other family issue? Only the two of them will ever know, but Leo’s death so closely after their discussion is thought-provoking.
