Imagine thirteen siblings, seven of whom were still underfoot, and a 23-year-old mother managing an impossible workload on top of earlier-than-expected summer heat. It was 1913 in New Madrid County, Missouri, and in the Lancaster household, the demands of survival often outpaced the resources available.
Sixteen-month-old Edith Irene, daughter of Cordelia Morrow and Charles Monroe Lancaster, died that June of a severe form of gastroenteritis, listed on her death certificate as illio colitis.
In the early decades of the 20th century, diarrheal deaths in infants surged every summer. Anecdotal evidence suggests these deaths more often came during the "second summer" of a child's life, after breastfeeding was discontinued. Unpasteurized cow's milk and solid foods fit for an infant were difficult to keep fresh in the Missouri heat.
Ileocolitis (the more common spelling) is just one way the inflammatory bowel condition could be described on a death certificate. "Summer diarrhea," "disease of the season," and "summer complaint" are other ways the illness could be recorded. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, high fever, and bloody diarrhea—leading to rapid and fatal dehydration in an infant. Bacterial infections like E. coli and Salmonella, spread through contaminated milk, were often the cause. Crowded living, imperfect sanitation, and a lack of pasteurization also contributed.
To understand Edith's final days, look at the world inside her front door. It was a bustling, high-energy household: seven siblings underfoot, and a young mother who was navigating the complex dynamics of a blended family. In 1913, without the luxuries of modern plumbing or around-the-clock medical care, a home this size required constant labor. When looking at the tragedy of Edith's infection, don't see a lack of love. Instead, see a family living on the edge of what was humanly possible to manage. In the crowded, hot summers of southeast Missouri, even the most vigilant parents were often at the mercy of a world that hadn't yet caught up to the science of safety.
According to her death certificate, Edith was laid to rest at Hickory Grove Cemetery in Scott County, Missouri. I fear her grave is unmarked.
 |
| Cropped image. Original by Brent Gillespie (2008) via FindAGrave. |
By 1930, likely due to a combination of public health efforts, medical care improvements, more hygienic practices, better living conditions, and the introduction of refrigeration technology, deaths of children due to "summer complaint" dropped dramatically. But we shouldn't forget that tens of thousands of infants died every summer in the early decades of the 20th century. In the context of history, the aptly named "summer complaint" was a noteworthy cause of child mortality.
For further reading: The Phenomenon of Summer Diarrhea and Its Waning, 1910-1930 (National Library of Medicine)
Genealogical Note: Supplemental Data for Researchers
Children of Charles Monroe Lancaster (1856-1932):
- 1st wife: Victoria Dickerson (d. aft. 1885) m. 1879
- Hattie Ann Lancaster (1883-1933)
- at least two other children b. & d. young
- 2nd wife: Lavina Rachael Parker (d. bef. 1900) m. 1888
- Margaret May Lancaster (1890-1958)
- James R. Lancaster (1891-1970)
- Arthur Charles Lancaster (1892-1971)
- Mittie Isabelle Lancaster (1894-1919)
- Homer John Lancaster (d. 1968)
- Bessie Lancaster (d. 1923)
- Rolan Robert Lancaster (1897-1974)
- 3rd wife: Cordelia Morrow (1889-1972) m. 1904
- Otis Monroe Lancaster (b. abt. 1906)
- Cora Thelma Lancaster (1908-1989)
- baby boy Lancaster (b. & d. bef. 1910)
- Leslie Lee Lancaster (1910-1911)
- Edith Irene Lancaster (1912-1913)
- Eva Marie Lancaster (1914-1962)
- Ethel E. Lancaster (1916-1979)
please consider supporting my blog.
Comments