I have been wanting to post this story ever since the Covid-19 pandemic began. It reminded me of the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. I knew we were in trouble when it began, because of my research into how the Spanish Flu affected the small town of Monmouth a little over one hundred years ago. So here is the article that was in the Monmouth Museum's Book 3 - Monmouth: Center, North, East and South page 177. There is added information and photos that I uncovered since the original publication.
In the early fall of 1918, with war raging in Europe, an
epidemic of gigantic proportions was
beginning to ignite and quickly explode at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. By the time the Spanish flu had run its
course throughout the United States more than 650,000 Americans would fall
victim to this extremely deadly virus strain.
The State of Maine would lose 5,000 of its citizens between
September 1918 and May 1919, many of them in the prime of their lives. The State Department of Health in their 2nd
Annual Report stated the following in their Report
of the Division of Communicable Diseases, “The most serious epidemiological
event of the year, and perhaps the most momentous of all time in the history of
our state was the epidemic of influenza which started in the fall of 1918 and
extended itself into the following year.”
The
town of Monmouth, although not devastated as some communities in Maine, was not
totally exempt as the local Board of Health reported a total of 708 cases of
influenza for the above time frame. This epidemic would be the cause of 11 deaths
with victims ranging in age from 2 to 42 years.
A
physician at Fort Devens in September 1918 describes the horrible death the
victims endured, “These men start with what
appears to be an ordinary attack of LaGrippe or Influenza, and when brought to
the Hosp. they very rapidly develop the most vicious type of pneumonia that has
ever been seen. Two hours after admission they have the Mahogany spots over the
cheekbones, and a few hours later you can begin to see the Cyanosis extending
from their ears and spreading all over the face, until it is hard to
distinguish the coloured men from the white. It is only a matter of a few hours
then until death comes, and it is simply a struggle for air until they
suffocate. It is horrible. One can stand it to see one, two or twenty men die,
but to see these poor devils dropping like flies sort of gets on your nerves.
We have been averaging about 100 deaths per day….”
The first to fall was Private Afton Berry of North
Monmouth. He died on September 24th
1918 at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. His mother,
Georgie A. (Fogg) Berry, was by his side. She comforted her 22-year-old son, as he lost
his fight with a deadly foe on home soil.
Mrs. Berry had been notified of Afton’s illness on Friday,
September 20th and left the next day for Fort Devens. Afton had only recently been drafted into
service, despite his request for an exemption for poor eyesight and a missing
finger.
On
Saturday, September 28th, 1918, Afton’s body returned home. Services, under the direction of the Monmouth
Lodge of Knights of Pythias No. 80, were held prior to the burial services at
Monmouth Center cemetery. Pallbearers from the lodge were Millard Day,
Leland Davis, Willard Day, and Will Carr. Survivors included Afton’s parents Mr. and
Mrs. Chandler Berry, two half-brothers Charles Berry and George Berry, and a
half-sister, Fanny Berry King.
The
Daily Kennebec Journal reported that the second to fall from this deadly virus
was Private Arthur Elery Wing, the son of late Henry O. and Ida Wing of North
Monmouth. Private Wing died at Fort Devens, on September 26th, 1918,
two days following Private Berry. Arthur
was the 517th death at Fort Devens from the Spanish flu while Afton
had been the 322nd death.
The
funeral for Private Arthur Wing was held at the home of his sister, Lois
Carter, in North Monmouth on Monday, September 30th at 2:00 p.m. The late, Betty Chick remembered, “that her
mother was very fond of her brother and was very sad to lose him before she saw
him again”. Arthur was laid to rest in Haskell,
(Glenside), Cemetery in Winthrop. Prior
to his enlistment Arthur was living in Winthrop and worked at Wadsworth and
Woodman.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts,
Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.,
2011. Original data: Town and City
Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts
Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT:
Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
Lois
(Magner) Carter and her daughter Betty Carter circa 1916. (Courtesy of Lois
(Chick) Witham and Frank Witham).
October
would bring the news of the death of Horton Pierce Blake, the youngest son of
Fred K. Blake. Fred had been notified of
Horton’s illness on the 15th from Boulder, Colorado, where Horton
was living. Mr. Blake’s son had left a
year earlier for health reasons and letters from him told of his improved
health and enrollment in a high school for his senior year. Fred accompanied his son’s
body home from Colorado. They arrived at Monmouth Center on
Thursday, October 31st. The
funeral service was held at the Monmouth Methodist Episcopal Church at 2:00
p.m. that afternoon.
The
Lewiston Evening Journal reported the following, “Comforting words were spoken and the choir sang “Why Do We Weep” and
“Sometime We Will Understand”. Monmouth
Troop No. 1 led by Scoutmaster Roy Woodbury acted as bearers and escort. The teachers and students of Monmouth Academy
attended in a body, as did the Men’s Bible Class and the Monmouth Grange. The bearers were Burpee Boyd, Foster King,
George Anthony, Stanley Smith, Irwin Pike and Oliver Austin, the last-named
being a classmate. The white casket was
covered with beautiful flowers speaking mutely of the love of friends and the
high esteem in which this young man was held.
Among the tributes were a floral shield from Monmouth Academy, the troop
emblem from the Boy Scouts and other flowers from the church, the Men’s Bible
Class, Monmouth Grange, Knights of Pythias, East Monmouth Auxilary and the
Epsworth League. Among the friends from
out of town were J.O. Pierce of Lewiston and Harold Andrews of Bangor.”
Horton
P. Blake was laid to rest in his family’s plot at the Ridge Cemetery. His friends and fellow students of Monmouth
Academy dedicated the June 1919 issue of “The Amaracus” to him.
In the months of November and December 1918 no
deaths were recorded with influenza or pneumonia listed as the cause. However, with the beginning of a new year
January of 1919 brought more deaths and heartache to Monmouth.
Frank H. Gilman. Eva M. (McKechnie) Gilman. (Courtesy of Monmouth
Museum Glass Negative Collection & Gerry and Jessie Sanborn).
On
January 13th 1919 Harold Lesley Gilman, the 2-year-old son of Frank
H. Gilman and Eva McKechnie Gilman, died after being sick for only one week. Three days later, on January 16th,
Frank, Harold’s father died after being sick only three days. Frank was only 29 years
old. Eva Gilman, who was pregnant with their son Floyd, was left to raise him
and his two sisters, Laura and Madeline, ages 7 and 6.
The
Lewiston Evening Journal for Wednesday, January 15th informed the
readership of this family tragedy where little Harold’s funeral was held at the
home of his parents that very afternoon.
Frank had done his best to care for his family as no nurses could be
secured until that day. Following his
son’s death, he collapsed and was now at death’s door with double pneumonia, the
doctors giving him only 24 hours to live.
The very next issue of The Lewiston Evening Journal, of January 16th
1919, told of the above tragic loss to the community:
The funeral for Frank H. Gilman was held at his
home on Main Street, Saturday, January 18th. It was a private service due to a ban on
public gatherings because of the increase in influenza cases. His body was escorted by the Knights of
Pythias to the town tomb, where he was placed with his son. They were later laid to rest in the Ridge
cemetery.
The Monmouth Center tomb was built in 1899 although some say 1900, which perhaps when it was dedicated. Rufus G. King donated the funds to have the tomb. Thanks to Mr. King the dead would no longer have to be stored in farm buildings. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Frank
was Chancellor Commander of the Monmouth Chapter of the Knights of Pythias and
a graduate of Monmouth Academy. He was
employed at the A. V. Blaisdell’s saw-mill.
Besides his wife and children, Frank left behind his father and mother,
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Gilman, a brother James A. and a sister Ethel E.
January
23rd 1919 brought yet another death with the passing of Edith M.Fogg, wife of Benjamin F. Fogg.
Although she died in Lewiston, she and her husband had both resided in
Monmouth. She passed away from pneumonia
after being sick for only 1 week with the influenza. She was 40 years old. She is buried the Monmouth Center cemetery
with her husband.
The
next death followed on January 25th with the passing of Eublas
Robertson. On the 21st The Lewiston Evening Journal reported
that he was improving from his bout of the influenza and pneumonia, but
according to his death record his heart gave out. Eublas passed away at his home on Main
Street, where he resided with Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Gilman. He had lived with the Gilmans from a young
age and was like a son to them. Eublas, age 34, left behind his wife, Lillian
(Goodwin) Robertson, and a young son, Orville Gilman Robertson. He also left behind his mother Mrs. Emma
Robertson of Lewiston; several brothers among whom were Thomas Robertson, of
Monmouth; Robert Robertson of Lewiston; Walter Robertson, who was with the U.S.
Army in France; Wilfred Robertson of Turner; Douglass Robertson of Montana; and
two sisters Mrs. Alice (Robertson) Wetstein, and Miss Bertha Robertson of
Lewiston. Eublas was buried in the
Ridge Cemetery.
Eublas Robertson in front of the Gilman stables on Main Street in Monmouth.
(Photo courtesy of Jesse Sanborn).
The
month of February there were no deaths from the flu, however, in March there
was another spike in the cases. In North
Monmouth the Lewiston Daily and Evening Journals reported the closing of school
and the mill due to this resurgence of the influenza. Later in March the Academy was forced to
close until the first of April as the number of cases increased in Monmouth
Center as well.
The first to die in
March was Katarzigna Gielarowski, 24, of North Monmouth on the 19th
of the month. She was born November 24th
1896 in Poland the daughter of Andrew and Agnes Niezgoda She had lived in Monmouth 6 years moving here from Franklin, New Hampshire.
Katarzigna
married Valenty Gielarowski in Winthrop, Maine on October 3rd 1914. She was working in the mill at North Monmouth
at the time of her marriage as did her husband. On the 17th of
March, two days prior to her death she, at 6 months into her pregnancy,
miscarried a little boy. At the time of
her passing, she had been sick one week with the influenza and pneumonia.
Katarzigna
was laid to rest at Glenside Cemetery in Winthrop. She left behind her husband Valenty and two
little boys, William J., (age 4) and Stanislaw J. (age 2).
North
Monmouth would lose another member of their community with the death of little
Bessie Dudley, age 11, on the morning of Sunday, March 23rd. She
was the daughter of James A. and Grace E. (Frost) Dudley. She was considered a very bright pupil and at
the top of her class. Her funeral was held at Glenside Cemetery on
Tuesday, March 25th in Winthrop instead of her home, due to the illness of other
family members who had also contracted the flu. Besides her parents, Bessie was survived by
four sisters; Mattie, Mamie, Jamsie and Angie Dudley.
Bessie Dudley is shown here with her grandfather, George Daniel Frost, and her two older sisters Mamie and Mattie. The couple in the top row is Bessie's Uncle Walter Frost and his wife Florence. This photo was taken in West Winthrop circa 1913. (Photo courtesy of the author).
The Lewiston Daily Sun reported the following: "Influenza has been epidemic at North Monmouth for ten days or more, there having been eighty or more cases at one time, with hardly a home that was not affected."[6]
On the afternoon of
March 23rd another Monmouth resident was taken from her family and
friends. Annie (Collins) Torsey, the
wife of Daniel E. Torsey, had moved to Monmouth with her husband to take care
of his sister, Mrs. Warren Plummer, around 1914. Annie was the daughter of Jeremiah and
Mary Collins and hailed from Brockton, Massachusetts. Mrs. Torsey left behind a brother and two
sisters, who all resided in Massachusetts. Annie
was a member of the Methodist Church, Monmouth Grange, National Grange and the
G. K. Norris Woman’s Relief Corps. The
funeral was held at the home of Warren Plummer on north Main Street. Her body was placed in the town tomb and she
was later interred at Glenside Cemetery in Winthrop
The
final victim of this epidemic in Monmouth was, Harmon M. Hanson, the two-year-old
son of Albert E. “Allie” Hanson and his wife, Ida E. (Esponette) Hanson. He died on March 28th, 1919. The Hanson family lived in North Monmouth and
Allie worked in the woolen mill there as a spinner. Harmon was buried in Glenside Cemetery in
Winthrop. Besides his parents he left
behind a brother, Robert A., age 12 and a sister, Flossie M. Hanson, age 10.
On a lighter note, the 1919 Amaracus featured the poem shown above about
the Spanish Flu. It also demonstrates
the importance placed on education by Prof. Chick at Monmouth Academy.
