Tallahassee was hit by a yellow fever epidemic in 1841 which lasted from May through October. Estimates of deaths ranged from 230 to 400, although the exact number is not known. Mrs. Rebecca Scott was one of the victims and her grave in Old City Cemetery is located in a walled plot which contains the graves of at least two other victims from her family.
13 comments:
I am glad we no longer have epidemics like yellow fever to contend with. Thank God, we have come a long way in our health care issues. I enjoyed your post, Lois
Interesting photo! It must have been a difficult life back then. I was surprised by the use of the term "consort" rather than "wife" on the grave stone. The engraving doesn't give the cause of death - how did you know it was yellow fever?
So sad...Nick and I were just talking about yellow fever last night if you can believe that! His great grandfather from Louisiana was out hunting and drank some bad river water and contracted it. I do genealogy and have been stumped on this side of his family since it's really hard to find records in the rural south. His great grandmother was pregnant at the time with his grandma when his ggrandfather died (1926) and everyone believed his grandmother had special healing powers. When she was young, she would have to visit sickly neighbors to "heal" them. It was also common to name the child after their deceased father so her name is "Alvin Clarence Williams"! She always went by AC :)
Hi Dan! When you enter the gates of Old City Cemetery, there is a stand with brochures you can read that sort of gives you a little self guided tour of the points of interest in the cemetery. I got the yellow fever information from that brochure.
That is so interesting Tanya! My ex-husband's family (from Arkansas) talked about some family members who could heal people's ailments too. Not sure about any specifics though!
Hi Lois
I photographed a headstone yesterday, for similar reasons. It is often to easy today to forget how life was often hard for those who have gone before.
On a different note I have no landline, hence net, been moving house, so I am slower with blog at the moment.
Oh, Lois...you're gonna be the death of me!
Just kidding!
Interesting photo and I appreciate the history lesson. Sometimes the good old days weren't so good.
Fascinating, I love old cemeteries, and must say am not frightened by it at all. But it does always make remember of our mortality. We life now, work, argue, fuss, make fun, worry, laugh, but in the end we will all end up at that graveyard, side by side. And then our generation will be forgotten, the things we did, said, it all will be gone and considered out of date for the living. Just collecting dust, everything will be forgotten.
Graveyards always make me very complentative...
There are a number of yellow-fever victims buried in our Old Live Oak Cemetery too. We are fortunate these days to be spared such dread diseases.
Thank goodness for modern medicine! Losing that many people in a town as small as mine would be devastating.
Lois, his family is also from Arkansas, his grandma's side from Louisiana, and grandpa's from Arkansas! I guess they had similar beliefs back then! She has some really interesting stories :)
good catch! and yes thankfully we have moved on!
RIP Rebecca
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