Southern Graves

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. "Summe...

Departed this life, at the residence of her mother, near Waverly Hall, Harris county, Georgia, on the 16th inst., MISS GEORGIA WHITEHEAD. - 22 April 1880 Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun (Georgia) The broken gravestone for Georgia is at the Waverly Hall Cemetery. She was born 14 August 1849 to J. Thomas and Catharine McGehee Whitehead. Her death on 16 April 1880 was noted in the Harris County Census Mortality Schedule for that year. "Disease or Cause of Death" was listed as Neuralgia of head . From WebMD : Occipital neuralgia is a condition in which the nerves that run from the top of the spinal cord up through the scalp, called the occipital nerves, are inflamed or injured. You might feel pain in the back of your head or the base of your skull...Occipital neuralgia can cause intense pain that feels like a sharp, jabbing, electric shock in the back of the head and neck. Symptoms include aching, burning, and throbbing pain that typically starts at the base of the head and goes...

A small family plot in Alta Vista Cemetery at Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia holds the remains of a mother and son. Mary Francis Crawford Puckett (1828-1912) and son Lester Durant Puckett (1855-1908) hailed from South Carolina, but found their way to Gainesville about the 1870s. I suspect this was after the death of husband and father Puckett. A set of books tops the Puckett family stone, which sits between smaller headstones for mother and son. A closed book often represents a completed life. This set of books, however, could be a nod to Lester's career path: he taught school and studied law. Obituaries for Mary and Lester follow. Gainesville News (Georgia) 24 July 1912 - pg. 1 [via Georgia Historic Newspapers ] Mrs. Puckett Dead. After an illness of more than a year, Mrs. Mary Francis Puckett died at her home at Sycamore street and Brenau avenue at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. She was eighty-three years of age and had been confined to her bed for a year or more on account of a...

Elisha Millican Canup, born 1865, was a son of Jackson Canup, and a husband to Cleo Burton.  He died in 1930 at Rabun County, Georgia (possibly in Mountain City). While viewing his death certificate, I came across an unfamiliar term.  What caused Elisha's death was a disease called Pellagra .  It is defined as "a deficiency disease caused by a lack of nicotinic acid or its precursor tryptophan in the diet. It is characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea, and mental disturbance, and is often linked to overdependence on corn as a staple food." An article at Wikipedia also notes this: …Soon pellagra began to occur in epidemic proportions in states south of the Potomac and Ohio rivers . The pellagra epidemic lasted for nearly four decades beginning in 1906.  It was estimated that there were 3 million cases and 100,000 deaths due to pellagra during the epidemic. I thought the "in states south of the Potomac and Ohio rivers" bit interesting.  Appalachia Georgia certainly...

Mary Nell Mulkey was born 9 July 1924 in Tennessee to Paul H. Mulkey (d. 1956) of North Carolina and Ethel Ross (d. 1960) of Georgia.  This little darling only lived  4 years, 3 months, and 7 days.  Her death being caused by a bacterial infection of Diphtheria.  From Wikipedia - In the 1920s, there were an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 cases of diphtheria per year in the United States, causing 13,000 to 15,000 deaths per year.  Children represented a large majority of these cases and fatalities. Mary Mulkey was laid to rest in the Harmony Church Graveyard at Blue Ridge, Fannin County, Georgia.  Her parents joined her years later.  The tombstone placed for Mary is topped with a lamb – a symbol of innocence and purity – and an extended epitaph was added to the back. Darling Mary Nell Dau. of Mr. & Mrs. P. H. Mulkey July 9, 1924 Oct 16, 1928 We had a little treasure once She was our joy and pride We loved her ah perhaps too well For soon she sl...

Mr. H. E. Ellis, 81 years old, formerly of Locust Grove, died at a private sanitarium in Atlanta…   is how the obituary begins.  Henry Ellis, born in Georgia, was a son of T. J. and Nancy (Dunn) Ellis. The obituary (24 December 1925 McDonough Advertiser ) further states: Mr. Ellis was a Confederate veteran, member of Company E, Second Georgia Regiment, Wheeler's Cavalry, who during the days of the war between the states volunteered to do his share for the south in the great struggle that lasted four years. Henry married Martha Rebecca before 1881, and he later became a widower when she died in 1890. When Mr. Ellis died in the late morning of 20 December 1925, cause of death was listed as Uremic intoxication .  This is generally a by-product of kidney failure, when waste enters the bloodstream. I found something interesting on Henry's death certificate.  Both the informant and the physician was noted as H. C. Ellis of McDonough, Georgia.  The obituary confirmed m...

Joseph D. Brogdon, son of George Brogdon, was born 14 January 1873 in Georgia.  By 1898, Joe was farming for a living and married to Annie (1877-1955). No pains no griefs no anxious fear, Can reach our loved one sleeping here. Joe D. Brogdon died 1 December 1925 in Suwanee, Gwinnett County, Georgia.  His death certificate viewable at FamilySearch.org lists cause of death as Carbuncle . The U.S. National Library of Medicine describes a carbuncle as "a skin infection that often involves a group of hair follicles. The infected material forms a lump, which occurs deep in the skin and may contain pus." Using today's numbers, sources such as the Mayo Clinic reveal there are more than 200,000 cases in the United States per year.  And many heal on their own. Yet problems may arise.  If left untreated, carbuncles may lead to any of the following:  Abscess of the brain, skin, spinal cord, or organs such as the kidneys; endocarditis; and sepsis.  Carbuncles can spread...

Part of me hates I've pared Ida's life down to a cause of death defined post. Ida Lee was born 11 October 1885 in Gwinnett County, Georgia to W. S. and Francis (Bailey) Fowler.  She married Norton N. Pruett after 1911. Ida was just 36 years old when she died on 24 January 1922.  Cause of death, per her death certificate available at FamilySearch.org, was noted as Puerperal Septicemia .  Septicemia is essentially blood poisoning.  If not treated promptly, it can lead to "circulatory collapse, profound shock, and death." Puerperal Septicemia, also known as puerperal or childbed   fever , is "an infectious, sometimes fatal, disease of childbirth; until the mid-19th century, this dreaded, then-mysterious illness could sweep through a hospital maternity ward and kill most of the new mothers.  Puerperal fever results from an infection, usually streptococcal, originating in the birth canal and affecting the endometrium. This infection can spread throughout the bod...

For those of you who like reading old obituaries (I know I'm not the only one), this one's worth your time.  I haven't personally visited the grave of little Louis, but couldn't help sharing when I stumbled upon this: Georgia Weekly Telegraph and Journal & Messenger 6 December 1870, page 5 [telegraph.galileo.usg.edu] OBITUARY. Death has invaded a happy home, and robbed it of its brightest jewel.  Cherished hopes have been blighted, and fond hearts are bereaved. Little LOUIS LECONTE, son of William L. and Virginia T. LeConte, a bright and beautiful boy -- sweet as a fragrant flower, and sparkling as a gem of the sea -- died at the residence of his parents, near Adairsville, Georgia, on Friday night, 11th of November, of membranous croup. What a dark night it must have been to that stricken household! Methinks the stars must have looked less bright, and the winds have sighed with deeper sadness, as fond hearts, all crushed and broken, bowed around the bier of the ...

This post was written just over six years ago. Wow. I've been blogging a while. Enjoy the knowledge. Nancy Pairlee Yarbrough Tilley Brown was born 28 April 1877 and died 7 February 1968 in the state of Texas. While looking at her death certificate, specifically the cause of death and medical certification section, I came across something I had not seen before. The first part was self-explanatory: Section 18, Cause of Death - Part I - Death was caused by (immediate cause) Cancer of Bladder . Part II is where I saw something new to me: Under "Other Significant Conditions Contributing To Death But Not Related To The Terminal Disease Condition Given In Part I" was Arteriosclerosis. C. V. A. I remember from school that arteriosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries, but I had to search on C. V. A. It stands for "cerebrovascular accident" and means cousin Nancy had a stroke. From eMedicinal.com : "Arteriosclerosis (build-up of calcium on the in...

Did you have a nice Memorial Day weekend? I hope so.  This was the first in ages that I wasn't at a "traditional" job.  So I was free and fortunate to be able to attend a local Memorial Day service.  I posted about it here . Earlier in May, Elizabeth Shown Mills shared a link on facebook about a lecture being given by University of Georgia History Professor Stephen Berry.  It was about coroners in the 19th century South.  From lecture summary:  "He discussed the role of a coroner as an agent of the state and talked about the records created from coroner inquests. He argued that coroners can shed light on the emerging patterns of death within a society…" It was a highly informative and very interesting lecture.  As of this writing, it is still available (free!) on C-Span.org . I was able to visit a couple of cemeteries this month.  One I wrote about for yesterday's post .  The other was "the older one" across the way.  I was looking for ...

Ervin R. Crow was born 10 February 1851 in Georgia to William and Syntha (Hudgins) Crow.  For his work life, Ervin was a farmer.  He married about 1871, and went on to have ten children.  Only six were still living by the 1900 census. Ervin died 19 June 1919 in Suwanee, Gwinnett County, Georgia.  Cause of death was Pericarditis with effusion .  Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium (the sac surrounding the heart).  A pericardial effusion is an abnormal amount of fluid between the heart and the pericardium.  It's worth noting a secondary factor listed on Ervin's death certificate:  nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys). Ervin's epitaph reads, in part: Farewell my wife and children all, From you a father Christ doth call. Ervin's wife lived almost ten years more after his death.  I must admit, her name is a bit confusing.  She seems to have been noted as Caroline most often, yet her tombstone proclaims her as Carlyone Parriett...

Mrs. Elizabeth (Strickland) Moore married William H. Sudderth 22 November 1866 in Gwinnett County, Georgia.  The first daughter the couple had together was born 26 February 1869.  Daughter Eunice never married, and stayed with her parents throughout her life. William H. Sudderth, who spent his life farming, died 28 September 1920 at a hospital in Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia.  Just six months after he was recorded in the U.S. Federal census .  Mr. Sudderth's death certificate (image at right via FamilySearch.org; click to enlarge) shares he was born 13 November 1842 to George Sudderth and Elsie Vaughn.  William's cause of death was listed as Uremic coma .  The free [medical] dictionary describes the condition as, "Loss of consciousness caused by the toxic effects of the nitrogen-containing wastes and inorganic acids that accumulate in the bloodstream of patients in renal failure. Coma in renal failure usually occurs after other uremic symptoms, such a...

Jesse James Peavy was born 22 March 1859 in Dooly County, Georgia to Michael S. Peavy and Mary Ann Hudson.  Jesse followed the farming vocation for about 60 of his 77 years on earth.  He started when but a child and retired about the age of 70. Jesse married Mrs. Narcissa Caroline Herring 31 August 1887.  A justice of the peace of Dooly County did the honors.  Though I do find Jesse and Narcissa in the 1900 U.S. Federal census, I'm unsure whether or not they had any children.  And when trying to find Narcissa's maiden name, I came up with Peavy .  It'll take more time for me to sort that out! Narcissie died August 1908 at just a little over 60 years of age.  She rests, gone but not forgotten , at Harmony - Smyrna Cemetery. A relatively short time later, Jesse married again.  This time to a woman named Dora.  I know of at least one child they had together:  Jesse James Peavy, Jr. Jesse Sr. died 23 February 1936.  His weather-worn tom...

This may, or may not, turn into an oft written about topic (causes of death defined) here.  How would you feel about that? Someone who is interested in tombstones and obituaries is naturally drawn to death certificates, right? Good.  Me, too.  It's also not a bad idea to learn one's medical history.  That knowledge might come in handy one day. So! Charlie Homer Peavy, son of yesterday's Charlie Peavy , was born 24 October 1878 in Dooly County, Georgia.  He spent at least thirty years of his life in the agricultural industry, farming his last field about 1933.  This blue eyed young man married at least once, maybe twice, but was "single" at the time of his demise in 1936.  Charlie H. Peavy was buried at Harmony-Smyrna Cemetery. Charlie's cause of death was listed as "chronic brights." [You can see his death certificate here at FamilySearch .  Sign-in required.] Bright's Disease Defined Per Wikipedia - Bright's disease is a historical classif...

The Jackson Four Yesterday I introduced you to " the Jackson four ," a group of three siblings and their sister-in-law buried in Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetery at Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia. Today I would like to focus on the sister-in-law, Mittie P. Jackson: In Memory of Mittie P. Jackson Wife of B. M. Jackson Born Nov 7, 1882 Died Feb 12, 1919 Here is one who is sleeping in faith and love, with hope that is treasured in Heaven above. While searching for information about Mrs. Mittie Jackson, I was fortunate to find her death certificate via FamilySearch.org and the Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927 database. In it, her cause of death was described as "puerperal eclampsia." This condition lasted for 1 & 3/4 days, and a contributory cause was her pregnancy of five months. An online medical dictionary (with the American Heritage Medical Dictionary listed as the source) describes this condition as "Convulsions and coma that are...