Like Father, Like Son

Week 43: #52 Ancestors – Cause of Death

By Eilene Lyon

As Charlie Gusso was welcomed into the light of day, his father was expiring from his grievous wounds on a cold day in Milwaukee. That story is well-known family lore which I was able to confirm with church records (in German!).

Less well-known family lore, confirmed by the following news report, is the tragic tale of Charlie’s demise on November 30, 1931 in Watertown, South Dakota.

According to the article, two other farmers were assisting Charlie in loading pigs on a stock truck. Somehow, Charlie ended up between the truck and the barn, sustaining serious internal injuries. The men in the stock truck drove away, unaware of the accident.

It’s a shame that Charlie’s life was bookended by these two awful accidents. His father likely could not have been saved by any surgeon, but if Charlie had sought immediate medical care, he probably would have postponed his fate for many years.

Photo of a barn on what used to be the Gusso farm. (E. Lyon 2015)

Charles J. Gusso on Ancestry.com

Feature image: The Charles J. Gusso farm with Walter Gusso, Katie Gusso, Olive Springer Gusso and Charles. The other two sons, Henry and Bill, were not home at the time.

Note: Aside from completing the 52 Ancestors prompts for the year, I will be taking an extended hiatus from blogging. Not that I lack material – far from it! I need to focus on my two book projects, one of which has some (mild) interest from a publisher. Nose to the grindstone time!