Archive Record
Metadata
Title |
1918 Influenza Epidemic |
Accession # |
2020.01.0012 |
Description |
Information on the 1918 influenza or "Spanish Flu" epidemic. Located in the file category "Disasters". The Spring 2020 newsletter had the following article on this topic, written by Catherine Stone: During the winter of 1917-1918, Lovell experienced an outbreak of measles that spread throughout the community. Vaccines to prevent the disease did not become available until 1963, so the highly contagious disease, though not often fatal, spread throughout town. These cases inspired Lovell's Town Columnist, Cyrus K. Chapman to write in April 1918: "The measles still linger in places. All of this loss of schooling and sickness might have been avoided if strict quarantine had been enforced in the beginning. If small pox can be stamped out with the first few cases, why should whooping cough, mumps, and measles run wild over a community as it has here for six months?" These sage words may have helped the citizens of Lovell avoid the ravages of the influenza epidemic which first appeared in the United States during the Fall of 1918. Some of the first cases were clustered at Camp Devens, a World War I training camp outside of Boston. Approximately 850 soldiers died at the camp, including 29 year-old Lovell resident Benjamin Heald. Ben was the oldest son of Ira and Lilla Heald. He was born in Lovell on July 2, 1889 and grew up in his family's homestead at the foot of Heald Pond. The pond was named after his family and was at that time referred to as Heald's Lake. He lived with his parents all of his life, including after his marriage to Margery Woodrow of Sweden. He had worked at the family mill and on the farm with his father and younger brother, and for several summers he also worked for Mrs. Hattie Lyons at Boulder Brook Camp on Kezar Lake. His obituary described him as "quiet and unassuming in his manners with a desire to advance in everything useful". In July 1918, Ben was called into service and was sent to Camp Devens for training. His younger brother Ivan had arrived there a few weeks earlier before being transferred to Camp Edgewood in Maryland. At the beginning of September, Ben was home on vacation and, according to his obituary, was "well and strong except he had had some cold". He returned to the camp on September 8th and died there on September 19th. His death was attributed to pneumonia. It is important to point out that many physicians were incorrectly diagnosing influenza cases as pneumonia, and Ben was no exception. Ivan left his Maryland training camp and attended his brother's funeral. He was four years younger than Ben and was most likely a devoted younger brother. Sadly, tragedy struck the Heald family again. On October 9th, having returned to Camp Edgewood, Ivan was dead from influenza. Cyrus Chapman, upon reporting the second death, remarked as follows: "Ivan Heald died at a training camp in Maryland. His brother, Benjamin Heald, died at Camp Devens some three weeks ago. They were fine boys, and it is a sad case as they were all the boys in the family. But they gave their lives for you and I, just as much as they would have if they had been in France. The Huns have a lot to answer for when this war is settled." Another Lovell boy, Albert Kimball, was also sent to Camp Edgewood in Maryland. He too contracted influenza and died on October 12th. He was the son of Oscar and Belle Kimball and was only twenty-two years old. By the beginning of October, there were "quite a number of influenza cases in town". Schools were closed, churches services were canceled, Lodge meetings were postponed, and Wiley's Hall (for entertainment) was closed. As reported in the Lovell Town Column, "all public places" were closed. What is interesting, though, is there were no reported influenza or pneumonia deaths in town until parents of an eighteen month old daughter died on the same day. Algie and Ethel McAlister of Lovell Village died on December 18th. The following was written about them: "They were both young people whom everyone loved who knew them well and will be greatly missed by the baby, mothers, brothers, sisters, and other relatives and friends and those especially at Stoneham where they always have lived until this spring when they moved to the Village." Their death was described as "the saddest case which has happened around here for some years". Christmas was quiet that year in Lovell, but by the start of 1919 the sick were improving and no new cases were reported. Schools, churches, Lodges and other public events resumed normal operations. In retrospect, Lovell was fortunate to have so few deaths during this epidemic, which killed between 17 million and 50 million people worldwide. The town's small population of about 575 people helped. Yet just as important appears to be the town's response to the epidemic. The people of Lovell followed Chapman's advice regarding the spread of illness and succeeded in limiting the number of deaths. |
Search Terms |
"Yesterday's News" |
Object Name |
File, Document |