Something Interesting

I noticed while mapping the cemetery that an unusually high number of people died in 1889. Digging thru a large stack of items gleaned from local newspapers by John Shepperson ( Thanks John !) I came across a short item that told of the high number of deaths that year in the Harmon family from Typhoid-Malarial Fever. Here is the article: : "September 6, 1889; Charlie Harmon, son of the late Peter Harmon, died of Typhoid Malarial fever at his mother's residence in Washington County, August 30th. He was interred at Union this county. A crowd of relatives and friends followed him to the grave. His father, Peter Harmon died of the same fever just three weeks ago. There are three more of the family sick. They have the sympathy of the entire community."

The other three also passed away and are buried in Union on the same marker.

I always thought that Typhus and Malaria were two different diseases. So I start searching around on the internet and find this description:

"Typhoid-malarial Fever is a common term from the American Civil War. It was proposed by an Army surgeon, Joseph Janvier Woodward, to describe the many cases of camp fever that combined elements from typhoid fever, malarial remittent fever, and scurvy to varying degrees. He felt that Typhoid-malarial Fever was the most common of the camp fevers, which included all of the continued fevers suffered by the men in the army. The term was adopted by the army board to describe these fevers with combined symptoms. "

Many children and older adults passed away that year from this affliction. Many families losing several children.