What Killed Cornelius Mellema?

What Killed Cornelius Mellema???

Cornelius Mellema Jr. (photo) was born in The Netherlands.  

He is seated here wearing a suit and tie, with his wife Anna and seven children in Chicago in 1912.  He is 44.

Below is his birth certificate (in Dutch).  It says "In the year 1868 before us Mayor, civil servant of the municipality on the 13th day of February in the township of Zuidbroek, District Winschoten, Province Groningen, appeared Cornelius Mellema, age 33, occupation worker, resident of Zuidbroek, who has declared that on the 11th day of February of the year 1868, in the evening at 11:30 pm, within this municipality, a child was born of male gender, to whom the first name of Cornelius..."

Top portion of Cornelius Mellema Jr. Birth Certificate,
Zuidbroek, The Netherlands, 1868 

Cornelius Jr was 4 in 1872, when his family emigrated the USA.  In 1892 he was a house painter in Chicago when he married Anna Baumgartner (21).  Anna was born and raised in Chicago.   However Anna's father Paul was from Austria and her mother Frieda Tegge was born in Marienberg, Germany.

Cornelius Mellema Jr. and Anna raised their seven children in Chicago.  Cornelius died of lead poisoning (from the lead paint) in 1914 at age 46, two years after the family photo.  Anna lived to age 66.

The League of Nations banned lead paint in 1922 but the U.S. decided not to follow suit.  Lead paint was eventually banned in the USA in 1972.  History of Lead Paint LINK

Believe it or not, leaded gasoline is still used for general aviation (Helicopters and small planes) all around the world! Aviation Fuel Link

As of 2018, there are an estimated 37 million homes and apartments with lead paint in the United States.   Lead bullets, buckshot, lead fishing tackle, and lead-acid car batteries are still in common use today.  

Dutch Boy Lead Paint

Below is a "pedigree chart" of the Mellema family tree from MyHeritage.com.  George Howard "Howie" was Steve's father.   Steve's grandfather was also named George, usually referred to as "George R." so "Howie" used his middle name throughout his life.  His business stationary used the heading "G. Howard Mellema."  

Cornelius Sr. is Steve's Great-Great Grandfather who lived in The Netherlands and emigrated to the US with his wife and son in 1872, at age 38.

Here is a photo of Cornelius Sr. in Chicago.  He lived to be 93.

Cornelius Mellema 1834 - 1927.
Photo is Colorized

This is a Pedigree Chart of the Mellemas from MyHeritage.

"Pedigree chart" of the Mellema family.  
Steve's paternal origins are in The Netherlands, Austria and Germany

Here is the Mellema family photo again with names written below.  Second from the right is George Robert Mellema, Steve's grandfather.

The seven children are (in order of birth) Florence, Cornelius (Neal), Charlotte (Lottie), George, Robert (Bob), Raymond (Ray) and Grace.  Grace was born in 1907 so she is 5 in this photo (1912).

A genealogy of Cornelius Mellema (Family tree) is here:  Link

The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, more than two years after World War I started.  After the passage of the Selective Service Act in 1917, the US drafted 4 million men into military service.  George R. Mellema registered for the US Draft in September, 1918 (age 18).  Below is his draft registration card.  His occupation is listed as "Clerk, Pullman Co."  He was never enlisted.

George R Mellema never served in WWI. Perhaps he was a bit young? 

However Steve's father Howie served as an Army paratrooper in the Pacific Theater in WWII. He fought in New Guinea and the Philippines, and was part of the original occupation Army in Japan right after their surrender.

Thanks to my brother in law Steve Mellema for permission and a lot of the details of this story!
Thanks to my cousin Eva F. for help with the translation from Dutch!