OK, I am going to rewrite this post a bit. I’ve heard from the Grand Rapids History Museum about Rose’s death, so that information will be added into this post.
As I mentioned in the earlier versions, I have written a lot in the past about the Mulder family. The pivotal couple was Peter and Nellie (Gorsse) Mulder, who immigrated from the Netherlands with their two-year-old son Charles (Karel) and baby Jan. Here is one of many articles: Peter and Nellie Mulder
All those years ago, when my grandparents gave me the photo of the couple with all their mainly grown children, I thought it was so wonderful.
But guess what? I finally have a digital copy of a photograph from much earlier. This photo is thanks to another cousin interested in the family’s history. Her grandmother was my great-grandfather’s sister, Cora. So let’s see who is in this new, even older, photo.
The couple seated are, of course, Peter and Nellie. Here they are still young. Charles, my great-grandfather, born 1885, is standing between them. I was startled how much he looked like my cousin Scot. Standing in the middle is Jennie, born 1887, the first to be born in Michigan. She married Edward Ralph Kooistra. On Peter’s lap is Cora, the grandmother of the woman who had this photograph. Cora was born in 1890 and married John Lawson Gerow. The baby on Nellie’s lap is indeed Rose/Rosa Melanie as indicated on the photo. Rose was born in 1892, so the photograph is probably from 1892 or 93, making Peter 26 and Nellie 23. So now you see how really young they were here! Peter worked as a furniture finisher in Grand Rapids, Michigan, so the photo would have been taken in that city.
Rose Melanie was named after Peter’s grandmother, Rose Melanie Bataille Mulder. When she died, a bequest to Peter gave him the money needed to bring his family to the United States. Unfortunately, Peter and Nellie’s daughter Rose passed away in 1904.
New info from family and the Grand Rapids History Museum
2nd cousin Niki says that Rose died in the Great Flood of 1904. Her impression is that her body was taken away on a boat. How horrifying. So I looked up the flood. Sure enough, there was a horrible flood in Kent County in 1904. CLICK HERE This article states that no lives were lost. Well, isn’t that a strange thing then that a branch of our family carried the story that Rose died in the flood and that her death coincides with the time of the flood?
I contacted the Grand Rapids History Museum to ask why the family might have thought that Rose died in the flood, but that history asserts that no lives were lost in the flood. It only took two days to get a response.
The museum found a death certificate that lists Rose’s death as gastro-enteritis and cardiac asthenia. The date of her death is listed as March 24,1904. This is the day the Great Flood has been reported to have begun. The museum states that it is likely that she died due to illness the day the flood began rather than die during the flood. Really, this fits with Niki’s understanding that her body was taken away in a boat. She died “in” the flood, meaning that during the flood she passed away. Because of the flood, her body was taken away in a boat. Rose was born on 27 March 1892, so she was just short of twelve when she died. You can see on the death certificate that Rose was sick for before the flood began.
So what caused her illness? My cousin and her husband, both medical doctors, posit this theory:
The death certificate indicates that Rose had cardiac asthenia for 3 months. This is an obsolete term for being very thin and weak, probably bed-ridden. Gastroenteritis could be infectious or something like an ulcer or Crohn’s Disease if she had this for months. Crohn’s is very debilitating and really tears up the gut mucosa. Rose then became acutely ill (toxic or ?? toxaremic), possibly with a high fever of 106 degrees. We don’t know what caused that but it was some sort of infection, possibly even from a perforated bowel if she had Crohn’s. Kids can also get stomach ulcers that can perforate. There would have been no treatment available then except aspirin for the fever. Well water was often contaminated with bacterium H-pylori which causes stomach ulcers. We don’t know if the family had a well or drank city water, of course.
Peter and Nellie followed Dutch tradition and named a future daughter Rose as well. After this photo was taken, they had Henry in 1897 (married Hettie Mae Simpson), Peter in 1900 (married Alida Vader), Nellie in 1902 (never married), and Rosa in 1906 (married John C. Kohles).
The discolored tape down the middle of the photo can probably be removed digitally by a photo restorer. Since I know several people who do this work, I might have this done at some point. Although this isn’t the oldest photo in my “collection,” it feels as if it is because these are direct ancestors who immigrated from the Netherlands–and they are young. Additionally, I am seeing my great-grandfather (who I knew) here as a child!
The Family Kalamazoo 
Remarkable, Luanne! The stories you uncover are always tales of amazing journeys and a reminder of how important immigration has been to the fabric of America. Onward.
So well put, Sheila! I just updated with a new piece of information. The 2nd cousin, Niki, says that Rose died in the Great Flood of 1904. But an article online says nobody died in the flood. I have written to the Grand Rapids History Museum for information!
It’s probably more accurate to say that no deaths were reported?
Hmm, maybe? It is too big of a coincidence that the family story is she died in the flood and she did, in fact, die right at that time.
I agree that it sounds like too big a coincidence.
The museum is going to research it for me!
How wonderful!
Wow—that’s incredible! What a wonderful photo. Did you know that there was a Free Photo Restoration group on Facebook? I have seen some incredible repairs done by that group.
I did not! Do you know the exact name of the group, Amy? I just updated with new info: The 2nd cousin, Niki, says that Rose died in the Great Flood of 1904. But an article online says nobody died in the flood. I have written to the Grand Rapids History Museum for information!
It’s called Photo Restoration a Free Service. Good luck!!
Goosebumps!
I know! And even more goosebumps, this is an update I just made: The 2nd cousin, Niki, says that Rose died in the Great Flood of 1904. But an article online says nobody died in the flood. I have written to the Grand Rapids History Museum for information!
That is a wonderful family portrait – and so fun to see ancestors when they are young adults and as children! You might want to look for more articles. Sometimes deaths get reported a while after the initial reports.
The Grand Rapids History Museum is going to try to help me with this. That flood must have been a huge event for the city.
Love it!! It’s so cool to have photos that old. I have a photo of my grandfather (born in 1892) when he was about five years old, and I was amazed it was even in existence! But I can’t imagine how cool it would be to have one of my great-grandfather at that age. I always enjoy your posts and seeing your photos!
Aw, thank you so much! Wonderful photo to have of your grandfather! I have ones that age for my grandpa who was born in 1908, but nada as a child for the grandfather born in 1877!
Also, I think Rose must have died in the flood. I agree it’s too much of a coincidence. And since communication technology was not as advanced as it is now, it’s easy to imagine that not all the facts would have been reported accurately. 🤔
Yes! That is what I am thinking, too. And maybe at the museum they can prove that Rose died in the flood through some research. If so, that will change the recorded history of the flood!
Such treasures emerge when different branches of the family collaborate.
Exactly!!! That is why I like posting the photos in my hands so that others can share them.
What a fabulous photo and I am so happy she shared it with you. They were indeed so young! I read the above comments and am excited to read if you learn that Rose indeed died in the great flood.
I am hopeful that they do have a way to confirm that that is how Rose died. Then the history can be changed to “death of an eleven-year-old girl” instead of “no deaths.”
[…] Rose’s Death and the New Photo of the Young Mulders […]
So glad Susie shared the photo with you. It has been so interesting to read about our shared ancestors. Thank you for allowing me access to your blogs. I would appreciate being able to read alll of your blogs. In the family reunion photo you showed in one the couple on the right were not my parents, Jack and Josie Gerow, but were most likely my aunt and uncle, Eleanor (Gerow) West and her first husband Lloyd West. I plan on sending Susie early photos of them and could send our to you. I also have an old family reunion photo of the Mulder males. I can’t identify many. But perhaps with your family connections you might identify more folks.
Niki, thank you so much for sending the info and the photo! I will update that info on the Mulder familly reunion photo. When I was a kid, I saw a lot of Eleanor and Lloyd because they were so often with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Ruthann. Who was her second husband? Also, do you know why Eleanor and Lloyd got married in NYC? Were they living there at that time or did they travel there to get married?
When you are on thefamilykalamazoo.com at the top of the page, click on the MULDER tab and that should take you to most of the Mulder posts. It’s not foolproof, but pretty good. There are posts about ancestors going back to several times great-grandparents in the Netherlands. And be sure to read about Jan Mulder (the Indonesia blog posts) who was a Japanese POW in WWII. I would love any and all photos you would care to share. My email address is luanne[.]castle[@]gmail[.]
Wow! Amazing info and now we know for sure what happened to Rose. Just as a suggestion, I’m thinking the 106 on the death certificate could be from the list of numerical codes they wrote on death certificates to indicate the cause of death. There are lists that you can find online, and I’ve seen where there are different versions of these based on the year. So it might be worth looking into. 🤔
Thank you for this information!
On this website: http://www.wolfbane.com/icd/icd3h.htm it says that 106 on the death certificate as you led me to over half a year ago haha is for pulmonary emphysema, which gives a THIRD illness on top of the two written out. But maybe they are all related? A google search shows me that a child can get emphysema if she has an abnormality.
I looked it up as well, and I noticed the link you posted is for 1920. The codes did change periodically though, so if Rose died in 1904, it’s likely that the list of codes was different. At http://www.wolfbane.com/icd/index.html, it has a list of what years updates were made. There was one in 1900 and then another in 1909, so I’m thinking Rose’s would have come from the 1900 version, which would have been in place until 1909. Still, it’s puzzling because in 1900, code 106 says “cerebral hemorrhage” and by 1909 it says “ankylostomiasis” which apparently is an intestinal parasite infection. Still, that one does fit in a little better with gastroenteritis. 🤔🧐
I also thought of this, that maybe the codes on some of these death certificates were written in during a different year than when the person died. I went on Ancestry and looked through a bunch of Michigan death certificates from 1900 and compared them with the list of 1900 codes, and some matched the list and some didn’t.
Oh wow. Maybe that IS what happened, in which case the numbered diagnosis is less than reliable, right? Because it wasn’t by the “attending physician” or someone at time of death.
Yes, that’s what I’m thinking too. Because the handwriting of most of those numbers doesn’t seem to match anyone’s writing on the other parts of the certificate. I’m thinking this would be a good blog post in itself. 🤔
It would. By you because I don’t know enough about it!