When I learn about an ancestor there is a list of things I want to know about them. Three of them are:

Where is this town/city/country that they lived? I find it quick on a map.

What did they do for a living? I sometimes have to look this up.

What was their cause of death? Most the time, at least in the beginning, I always had to look this up.

When I learn the answers to these three questions, I usually have an immediate appreciation for them. I think, “Wow, they lived in that tiny village?” or “I’ve never heard of this disease.“

When I was looking at the information our family has on my paternal 2nd great grandpa Ole Olesen Halling, I looked at his cause of death. He died when he was 86, from a disease called Pemphigus. I looked it up on the internet.

The disease looks terrible.

This is the description I found: Pemphigus causes blisters on your skin and mucous membranes. The blisters rupture easily, leaving open sores, which may ooze and become infected. Pemphigus is an autoimmune disorder. Pemphigus can occur at any age, but it’s most often seen in people who are middle-aged or older. It tends to be a long-lasting (chronic) condition, and some types can be life-threatening without treatment. Treatment with medication usually controls it.

Of course there is a lot more information. I won’t share any more, except to say that the disease exists today, and is treated with steroids. Knowing that Ole died in 1902, I looked up when steroids were first discovered as a medication that can treat disease. I found that it was not discovered or used for treatment until 1950. This made me feel sad for him. I’m sure he suffered a lot, from the disease and did not have much relief, at least not what they use now to treat it. The disease finally caused his death.

What a trooper he was. He was 86 when he died. He lived for a time with a painful disease. I love him. I am encouraged to do my best knowing that he held on during his life. He lived his life, had a family, worked, came to America. It might not have been pretty, but he kept going.

We can do hard things.

That is what I think of when I think of Ole Olesen Halling. What a good man. I want to meet him someday, and tell him thank you for being strong and enduring.