Really interesting strategy to figure out the progress of an infectious disease.
My family in Quebec City was devastated by the 1832 cholera, which killed thousands in the city. The reason I know why almost all of them were cholera victims was that the dates of their deaths were in the time window of the first wave of the epidemic and they were all buried in the Cimetière Saint Louis, which the city opened to consign the bodies of people who died of cholera (later for victims of any other infectious diseases). Tallying and analyzing the burials in that cemetery would be a good piece of historical research on the epidemic.
(Not so) fun fact: the Grosse Ile quarantine station in Quebec, which was the port of entry for well over a hundred thousand Famine Irish, the ancestors of six million people of Irish descent in North America today, was actually built in 1832 to control the spread of cholera from immigrants.
Thanks for reading. Yes, I kept running into so much connected to cholera in my one place study of Union Cemetery, in my own family genealogy and again when I tracked down my 3 times Great Grandfather who was an amateur gravestone carver. If you write about nineteenth century history and genealogy but don't mention cholera, it's not legit.
What a fascinating explanation of the ways cholera moved across the landscape - or rather how the people transmitted it. Great research, sleuthing and piecing this history together in such a clear and understandable way. Thanks!
This piece really captured my attention. I have several lines who lived in Washington, Clinton, and Perry counties, and many of their descendants still do. My 3x G-Grandfather, John McCartney died in June of 1849. He is included on the Mortality Schedule with a cause of death as "unknown." Based on your wonderful map, the percentage of known cholera deaths in Perry was low, but I have to wonder if this was his actual cause of death. The next time I get down that way, I'll be certain to go by Breese and see the Cholera Cross.
Thank you, Cynthia. I thought this is maybe one of my best posts but it only got ten likes. Maybe I shouldn't have used the term "watery diarrhea" in the first paragraph.
Lol, well one good thing about having been an RN for 27 years is that there’s very little like that that’s going to put me off. I’ve had to stop even checking how many likes I get on some things because I’ll drive myself crazy.
An excellent piece of research David, the attention to detail and the explanations are invaluable. Wonderful how you have managed to piece all of this together.
Good work! That's a fine piece of research and analysis to come up with a rational reason why the Altepeter family were spared. Gads, but cholera is scary! A one to two-day incubation period only adds to its fearful rapidity of onset and death.
Really interesting strategy to figure out the progress of an infectious disease.
My family in Quebec City was devastated by the 1832 cholera, which killed thousands in the city. The reason I know why almost all of them were cholera victims was that the dates of their deaths were in the time window of the first wave of the epidemic and they were all buried in the Cimetière Saint Louis, which the city opened to consign the bodies of people who died of cholera (later for victims of any other infectious diseases). Tallying and analyzing the burials in that cemetery would be a good piece of historical research on the epidemic.
(Not so) fun fact: the Grosse Ile quarantine station in Quebec, which was the port of entry for well over a hundred thousand Famine Irish, the ancestors of six million people of Irish descent in North America today, was actually built in 1832 to control the spread of cholera from immigrants.
Thanks for reading. Yes, I kept running into so much connected to cholera in my one place study of Union Cemetery, in my own family genealogy and again when I tracked down my 3 times Great Grandfather who was an amateur gravestone carver. If you write about nineteenth century history and genealogy but don't mention cholera, it's not legit.
What a fascinating explanation of the ways cholera moved across the landscape - or rather how the people transmitted it. Great research, sleuthing and piecing this history together in such a clear and understandable way. Thanks!
This piece really captured my attention. I have several lines who lived in Washington, Clinton, and Perry counties, and many of their descendants still do. My 3x G-Grandfather, John McCartney died in June of 1849. He is included on the Mortality Schedule with a cause of death as "unknown." Based on your wonderful map, the percentage of known cholera deaths in Perry was low, but I have to wonder if this was his actual cause of death. The next time I get down that way, I'll be certain to go by Breese and see the Cholera Cross.
Thank you, Cynthia. I thought this is maybe one of my best posts but it only got ten likes. Maybe I shouldn't have used the term "watery diarrhea" in the first paragraph.
Lol, well one good thing about having been an RN for 27 years is that there’s very little like that that’s going to put me off. I’ve had to stop even checking how many likes I get on some things because I’ll drive myself crazy.
😂
An excellent piece of research David, the attention to detail and the explanations are invaluable. Wonderful how you have managed to piece all of this together.
Good work! That's a fine piece of research and analysis to come up with a rational reason why the Altepeter family were spared. Gads, but cholera is scary! A one to two-day incubation period only adds to its fearful rapidity of onset and death.