There is a family story that created a mystery for me. My Granduncle, Marshall Babcock, died in 1952, and the story said that his death was hastened by the fate of his son, Jack Marshall Babcock. Unfortunately, that was the extent of the family information. No one could state how Jack died and then, Ancestry.com to the rescue. As the website is continually adding new materials, I discovered death records from the America Foreign Service which filed a "Report of the Death of an American Citizen" form. This form along with the contents of a "Death of an American Abroad" packet helped fill in many blanks, as well as create new questions.
Jack served in WWII and when he died in Florence, Italy, on 16 June 1950, at the age of 27, he was working as an "aircraft mechanic." This was possibly a skill he acquired in the military and continued to pursue. But was he still in the military or was he working in the civilian sector? In addition, the attending physician declared his cause of death was "Bulbar Paralysis." From what little I have researched this condition, it seems to occur in older people and be a progressive disease. I need to find out more. Chasing your family roots is a never–ending quest.
Submitted and posted by Ron Setzer
Ron, you might find info about Bulbar Paralysis on the website for the National Library of Medicine. See post at http://rootcellarramblings.blogspot.com/2012/02/follow-friday-national-library-of.html.
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