The Health of a Miner

My grandfather, George "Mike" Michael Martin, was born 20 September 1900 in Hocking, Monroe County, Iowa. By the age of 17, he was working in the coal mines, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. As with most miners, the work took a toll on his health.

At some point, my grandpa Mike was involved in a typical mine accident. A large piece of coal fell on his leg and crippled him for life. I've never learned much about exactly what happened and when, but the end result was an open wound that never healed and constant pain for the rest of his life. I have no remembrance of him going to work, but he is listed as a working miner on the 1950 census, so it obviously happened after that.

This wound impacted Mike's ability to get around easily—he walked with a limp. I have no memories of my grandparents ever having a car. Living in a small town (West Frankfort, Illinois), they could easily walk to get groceries and whatever they needed. My grandfather managed to get to the local Elks club, but when we weren't visiting, I don't know if he walked there or if someone picked him up. 

All this made my grandpa a somewhat cantankerous man (but never with his grandkids). He was used to being taken care of and waited on by my grandmother and my aunt as he sat in his big recliner by the window. 

At some point, my grandmother had a heart attack, and the roles were reversed. He suddenly had to take care of her, and his whole demeanor changed. I remember him becoming an excellent caretaker who seemed a bit lost when my grandmother died in 1967.

Despite having to retire early from the mines, my grandfather was like most coal miners - he dealt with black lung disease for much of his later life. This resulted in a lot of coughing and even more discomfort.

My grandfather died on January 1, 1973, five days after the birth of his first great-grandson. His official cause of death was hemorrhage due to erosion of the carotid artery due to cancer of the tongue. Two other conditions were noted - inanition and cachexia or lack of nourishment and general exhaustion. It's unclear what led to the cancer, but it was likely his bad habit of chewing tobacco when he was younger. 

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This week's #52 Ancestors in 52 weeks topic was Health.