North Carolina and the Spanish Flu - The Pandemic of 1918-1919

Everything Old is New Again

 

It's March 16, 2020, and our nation - our world - is experiencing a global pandemic of a disease called, COVID-19, or "Coronavirus." As we are all dealing with the "new normal" of living under restricted conditions and closed schools and businesses,  I couldn't help but wonder what things were like, just over 100 years ago, when many of our ancestors lived (or died) under a similar threat - the "Spanish Flu" epidemic of 1918-1919. As I've read up on it, I've learned that not much is different now, than it was a century ago. Lack of preparedness, attempts at and orders for social distancing, and an overwhelmed healthcare system have been facets of both outbreaks.

Photo source:  https://www.wunc.org/post/what-have-we-learned-flu-pandemic-1918

What's in a Name?

This flu, also referred to as "the grippe" or "The Spanish Lady" struck the United States in multiple waves, at the exact same time as the height of World War One. Also, people were being hit with other diseases, such as typhoid fever and tuberculosis (which devastated my family), at the same time. (Several of my family members also died of a disease called pellagra, during this time. You can read more about that by clicking here.) The disease, though having gone down in history mostly known by the "Spanish Flu," moniker, actually first broke out in the United States, and was officially named, "Group A Influenza." Within months, it would spread worldwide, and eventually infect almost one-half of the earth's population. In North Carolina, where the bulk of my ancestors lived, over 13,000 souls were lost, including at least 17 physicians.

Detail of cartoon featured in October 1919 issue of the Health Bulletin.

A Blessing in Disguise

Another result of this deadly pandemic was that it brought about an explosion in community activism and volunteerism, another aspect that seems to be shared with our current crisis. Today, like in 1918-1919, neighbors are checking on one another, communities are banding together to be sure children and the elderly are fed and cared for, and various random acts of kindness are taking place, all over our cities. "People helping people" seems to one of our most patriotic and community-building acts, brought about in troubled times, but always showing the heart of our nation.

Though tragic in it's effect on the state, this influenza pandemic actually led to some positive and lasting outcomes in North Carolina. After exposing the inadequacies in the state's medical systems and lack of preparedness for an event such as this, this deadly influenza outbreak instigated organizational and structural changes in the immediate years that followed it. New hospitals were built, more specialized and comprehensive health institutions were created and/or former ones, like County Health Departments, were strengthened and given improved focus - especially on rural areas. And, perhaps most impactfully, it solidified the role of WOMEN in the field of medicine.

This Red Cross veil, from Wilmington, NC, was worn in 1918 during the WW1 flu pandemic that killed over 600,000 Americans.

I've searched my entire family tree (4610 people) and haven't found a soul for whom I have a death certificate whose cause of death was given as or caused by Influenza, in either 1918 or 1919. However, I do have at least 15 who died of pneumonia or, specifically, lobar pneumonia, during that period and, although the flu was not given as a contributory cause in any case, I imagine it could have been a possible instigator, in some. As mentioned above, my family members were stricken, severely, by pulmonary tuberculosis and pellagra. These two diseases caused no less than 25 deaths in my family, between 1912 and 1929, including that of my grandfather. But, that's a story for another post. 

How did the Influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 affect your family and/or the state or community in which they lived? Please share in the comment section, below. 

Thanks for reading, and please stay healthy and safe!

Renate

Addendum: I remembered, after posting this, that my paternal grandparents, Anna/Annie GREEN and Calvin YARBOROUGH had gotten married in 1919, so I took a look back to see what date that had occured on. Sure enough, their nuptials took place on February 23, 1919, right in the middle of the influenza pandemic. Interesting. Perhaps that accounts for why they were married at the home of the Baptist minister, instead of at the church, although that was not an uncommon thing to do at the time. But, maybe, just maybe it was because of the pandemic.

Bottom of marriage record for Annie Green and Calvin Yarborough, showing that they were married at the home of M.S. Stamps (I think), the Baptist minister, at his home near Louisburg, on February 23, 1919.
Three witnesses were present: Joe Leonard, JS Wiggins, and Mary Bell Davis.

Permalink to this post:  https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2020/03/north-carolina-and-spanish-flu-pandemic.html

Sources:

Burns, Kevin, Flu Pandemic of World War I, North Carolina Museum of History, Digital Article. Accessed Mary 16, 2020 at 7:15 p.m.

Chase, Steven, "The Influenza Outbreak of 1918-1919," Revised by Lisa Gregory, NC Government and Heritage Library online article, accessed March 16, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.  https://www.ncpedia.org/history/health/influenza

Cockrell, David L. ""A Blessing in Disguise": The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and North Carolina's Medical and Public Health Communities." The North Carolina Historical Review 73, no. 3 (1996): 309-27. Accessed March 16, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/23521395.

Live Science, website, https://www.livescience.com/topics/live/coronavirus-live-updates. Accessed March 16, 2020 at 7:47 p.m.

McKown, Harry,  "October 1918 -- North Carolina and the 'Blue Death'," This Month in North Carolina History, October 2008.

Stasio, Frank and Magnus, Amanda, "What Have We Learned from the Flu Pandemic of 1918?, " WUNC, North Carolina Public Radio Program, "The State of Things," accessed online March 16, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.  https://www.wunc.org/post/what-have-we-learned-flu-pandemic-1918

Six Degrees of Separation - Maternal and Paternal Ancestors in Same Church: Who Knew?

Six Degrees of Separation
You know what they say about "six degrees of separation," right? According to Wikipedia.org, it's the idea that all people are six (or fewer) social connections away from one another.  Well, this belief has proven true, over and over again, in my research; and today's finding is no exception.

Family Origins
My father's family is mostly from Louisburg, Franklin County, NC. My mother's maternal side is originally from Littleton, NC (Halifax and Warren Counties at different times), but her line migrated to Norfolk, VA around the beginning of the 1900s. I have researched both sides, thoroughly, and that research is ongoing. Today, I was looking for information about one of my father's paternal aunts, Quinea/Queenie YARBOROUGH, and her husband, Rev. Joel W. KING. both of whom were originally from Louisburg. I'd discovered, some time ago, that Joel died in Norfolk, which intrigued me, so I was using my access to ProQuest's Historical Newspapers: Black Newspapers Collection to see if I could find mention of him (or Quinea) in the Norfolk Journal and Guide.

My initial search was a little frustrating, because most of the results were for another Rev. Joel King, the brother of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, once I added the middle initial, "W", and removed the "Rev." from my search, I ended up with one very eye-opening result. It was an article with the following headline: "Minister, Sister Will Receive Double Funeral." Whaaat? I went on to read the article and learned that it was, indeed, about the correct Joel King and that, sadly, he and his sister, who also lived in Norfolk, had passed just a day apart, both after "a long illness." The two were to be funeralized, together, on June 25, 1966, the same day this article ran.

So, what does this have to do with the "six degrees" rule? Keep reading to find out!

Jerusalem Baptist Church
Jerusalem Baptist Church, in Norfolk, VA, has been home to my mother's family since at least the 1930s. My grandmother, Mary Davis, began attending there, with her children sometime during that decade, and remained a faithful member until her death in 1986. My uncle, the late Howell Hill, Sr. was head of the Deacon Board (among other leadership roles) and was one of the church's most faithful and dedicated members for his entire life. Just last year, in May 2019, our family attended a beautiful recognition ceremony, held in his honor, at Jerusalem. My mother, though we lived across the bay, in Hampton, always maintained her connection to Jerusalem, and attended, from time to time, for special services. She also was invited to speak there on more than one occasion. All my life, I've known of my maternal family's tie to Jerusalem, and I remember, dearly, their pastor during my childhood years, Reverend T.M. Venable.

Here I am with my first cousins in May 2019, in the Fellowship Hall at Jerusalem. 

Our family showed up for  the service to honor my uncle, Howell Hill (seated center) for his lifetime of service at Jerusalem, in May 2019. Less than two weeks later, he went to heaven. 

What I didn't know about my family's connection to Jerusalem is that it also extended to my paternal side! Yes, in reading the article about the double funeral, I learned that my paternal ancestor, Quinea/Queenie YARBOROUGH King, along with her husband Joel, and his sister, Mrs. Louisiana Cooke, were all also members of Jerusalem, and thus, would have, without a doubt, known and interacted with my maternal family! This is amazing to me, and I can't help but wonder if any of my family members knew this!  After all, my mother and father met sometime around 1956-57. However, there is no evidence that my father ever attended services at Jerusalem with my mother, since she was living and working in Hampton by the time they met. They married in 1958 and my mom quickly joined my father in Bremerhaven, Germany, where he was stationed at the time. From there, they moved to Cleveland, OH and then to Hampton, VA, and I believe chances are slim that they would have "crossed the water" with their four children to go to church at Jerusalem.

Who Knew?
I have to believe that, although my parents didn't have their ceremony at Jerusalem, their union certainly would have been announced to the church. If Quinea and Joel were active church members, certainly their antennae would have been raised upon hearing that my mother married someone named YARBOROUGH, from Louisburg, and most assuredly she would have inquired of my grandmother about it, so I believe this connection must have been a known one, and just another of the many tidbits of information that no one ever bothered to share with me about our family. Quinea was, after all, my father's aunt. She was his (deceased) father's older sister. Oh, and not only did these two sides of my family share a church family, but they are also buried in the same cemetery - Calvary Cemetery, in Norfolk. The next time I go to visit my Norfolk ancestors' graves, I will definitely be visiting my native Louisburg family, also!

It's amazing to me, just to to think of this. Two parts of my very disjointed family, worshipping and serving in the same space at the same time - and no one, at least to my knowledge, seemed to have thought to mention this to me in all the interviews (inquisitions, really, lol) I conducted of my elder family members who might have known. It's another family history mystery, for me; but I'm so glad I uncovered it, today!

And the research continues....


Renate


Sources:

Wikipedia contributors. (2020, February 15). Six degrees of separation. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:56, March 10, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Six_degrees_of_separation&oldid=940887573

Minister, sister will receive double funeral. (1966, Jun 25). New Journal and Guide (1916-2003) Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.virginiamemory.com/docview/568893686?accountid=44788