{"id":2216,"date":"2018-04-14T18:05:12","date_gmt":"2018-04-14T23:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/?p=2216"},"modified":"2019-01-07T09:47:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T15:47:07","slug":"yellow-fever-epidemic-of-1878-in-grand-junction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/yellow-fever-epidemic-of-1878-in-grand-junction\/","title":{"rendered":"Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Grand Junction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grand Junction Deaths<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878<\/strong><\/p>\n

56 White Victims as Published in the Bolivar Bulletin<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Miss M.B. Moore \u2013 A teacher from Memphis \u2013 age 30 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. E.W. Belew \u2013 A refugee from Granada, Mississippi \u2013 age 25 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Hewitt \u2013 A refugee from Memphis \u2013 age 25 years<\/p>\n

George Lloyd \u2013 A clerk, age 60 years<\/p>\n

W.J. Owens \u2013 A farmer \u2013 age 35 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. W.J. Owens \u2013 A house wife \u2013 age 30 years<\/p>\n

Miss Julia Culligan \u2013 A child of 14 years<\/p>\n

Robert Clampitt \u2013 A carpenter, age 35 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Mollie Clampitt \u2013 Housewife, age 30 years<\/p>\n

Harris Clampitt \u2013 Child of Robert and Mollie Clampitt \u2013 age 9 years<\/p>\n

Chalmers Clampitt \u2013 Child of Robert and Mollie Clampitt \u2013 age 11 years<\/p>\n

W.W. Pledge, Jr. \u2013 Express Agent, age 22 years<\/p>\n

C.V. Prewitt \u2013 A farmer, age 30 years<\/p>\n

Ernest Prewitt \u2013 Son of C.V. and A. Prewitt, age 2 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Eugenia Stinson \u2013 Wife of A.F. Stinson, age 24 years<\/p>\n

Cyrus F. Stinson \u2013 Son of A.F. Stinson, student, age 8 years<\/p>\n

Samuel Stinson \u2013 Son of A.F. Stinson, age 7 years<\/p>\n

Charles Stinson \u2013 Son of A.F. Stinson, age 5 years<\/p>\n

Frank Hawkins- Ran a boarding house, age 50 years<\/p>\n

Frank Lavender \u2013 Marble cutter, age 28 years<\/p>\n

Harry Lavender \u2013 Son of Frank Lavender, age 5 months<\/p>\n

N.P. Hazzard \u2013 A clerk, age 16 years<\/p>\n

Jasper Lavender \u2013 A marble cutter, age 23 years<\/p>\n

Dr. N.H. Prewitt \u2013 A physician, age 45 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Nannie C. Prewitt \u2013 A housewife, age 45 years<\/p>\n

R.P. Milam \u2013 Mail agent, age 23 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Bettie Hayes \u2013 A milliner, age 39 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Melora Smith \u2013 A housewife, age 45 years<\/p>\n

Beauregard Smith \u2013 A student, age 16 years<\/p>\n

Mary Tucker \u2013 A daughter of Smith Tucker, age 6 years<\/p>\n

Susie Tucker \u2013 A daughter of Smith Tucker, age 3 years<\/p>\n

J.H. Prewitt \u2013 A farmer, age 40 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Mollie Prewitt \u2013 Wife of J.H. Prewitt, age 35<\/p>\n

T.E. Prewitt \u2013 Son of J.H. & Mollie P. Prewitt, student, age 18 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Susan Pledge Jennings \u2013 Of Madison, Alabama, 24 years<\/p>\n

Booker Swann \u2013 Telegraph operator, age 22 years<\/p>\n

Thomas E. Jones \u2013 Express Agent, age 25 years<\/p>\n

Mr. Handy \u2013 A telegraph operator<\/p>\n

James Netherland, Jr. \u2013 Hotel clerk, age 19<\/p>\n

Parvin Netherland \u2013 Son of James Netherland, age 3<\/p>\n

A Stranger \u2013 Occupation unknown<\/p>\n

A Stranger \u2013 Occupation unknown<\/p>\n

Dennis Flannery \u2013 Saloon keeper, 30 years<\/p>\n

Mary Flannery \u2013 Daughter of Dennis Flannery, 3 years old<\/p>\n

Mrs. Dennis Flannery \u2013 Housewife, 25 years old<\/p>\n

W.J. Woods \u2013 Saloon keeper, age 45 years old<\/p>\n

Annie Woods \u2013 Daughter of W.J. Woods, age 15 years<\/p>\n

Mollie Woods \u2013 Daughter of W.J. Woods, age 18 years<\/p>\n

Willie Woods \u2013 Son of W.J. Woods, age 7 years<\/p>\n

Kittie Woods \u2013 Daughter of W.J. Woods, age 5 years<\/p>\n

Virginia S. Bowers Patterson \u2013 Wife of M.A. Patterson, age 59 years<\/p>\n

Smith Patterson \u2013 A teacher, age 37 years<\/p>\n

William W. Bass \u2013 A farmer, died October 16, 1878, age 30 years<\/p>\n

Mrs. Mary Prewitt \u2013 Wife of P.H. Prewitt, age 70 years<\/p>\n

Mary L. Bledsoe \u2013 Wife of James Bledsoe, age 17 years<\/p>\n

Mae Prewitt \u2013 Daughter of S.L. Prewitt, age 3 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 56 Yellow Fever victims of Grand Junction listed above are all white. There were 20 Negro deaths.\u00a0 Their names were not given for publication.\u00a0 Of the whites who had the fever, 15 survived and are now considered well. Ten are considered convalescent, and three are still sick on October 31, 1878.<\/p>\n

Dr. N.H. Prewitt<\/strong> sent this letter to the Bolivar Bulletin<\/em> before he succumbed to the Yellow Fever epidemic in October of 1878:<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thoroughly demoralized by the deaths of so many friends and relatives.\u00a0 My brother, Joe, was convalesing, got up and arranged personal effects and moved over to Brother Dr. Tom Prewitt\u2019s, relapsed, and I saw him put beneath the sod day before yesterday.\u00a0 Sister Nannie O. Prewitt, the widow of the late Jack Prewitt and mother of R.P. Milam, one of our first cases, died the night before.\u00a0 She contracted the fever while waiting on that dear son. I took her to my house.\u00a0 She was the oldest sister of my wife and a member of the Presbyterian Church.\u00a0 I have three convalescents in my house.\u00a0 Arthur is up and running the whole post office Department at this place.\u00a0 Sister Alice Prewitt, wife of dear C.V. Prewitt, who is dead, also has the fever along with little Susie and her dear mother.\u00a0 What terrible times! Excuse so much personal news.\u00a0 Since my last letter, we have lost our noble Tom Jones of the Express Office.\u00a0 The Lavender brothers and Tom Jones all died within 15 minutes of each other.\u00a0 The Lavenders were accountable in their work of burying the dead and their places cannot be easily filled.\u00a0 We are dependent on Isaac Toler, John Stone, and Tony Jordan (all colored) to bury the dead.\u00a0 We cannot too highly praise these colored men.\u00a0 Mr. Clampitt died yesterday.\u00a0 The death number to date is about fifty.\u00a0 There are several new cases under treatment with three or four dangerous.\u00a0 Dr. Tom Prewitt is now relapsed and in critical condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bolivar Bulletin <\/em>Article, October 10, 1878:<\/p>\n

Honor to Whom Honor is Due \u2013 While others have nobly done their duty, Dr. Nathan H. Prewitt, of the Junction, is singularly conspicuous among the heroic physicians of the stricken South in standing so true to his professional obligations to the public.\u00a0 He and his brother, Dr. Tom Prewitt, are entitled to the largest measure of praise for their devotion and self sacrifice which they have manifested all through the terrible fever scourge at the Junction.\u00a0 The following letter from the distinguished Dr. W.H. Beatty speaks for itself.\u00a0 \u201cTo Mr. G.W. Armistead, Editor of the Bolivar Bulletin<\/em>: At the call of your state, I was sent to Grand Junction and found things in a terrible condition.\u00a0 Most of the best people had (I think wisely) fled.\u00a0 One of the local doctors was very sick and the other, Dr. Nathan Prewitt, would have been in bed but for his indomitable energy and determination. He really had the fever when I arrived, but he took me to see every sick person in town at a time and under circumstances when any other man I ever saw would have been in fear, and during my entire stay of three weeks, he aided me in every possible way in my efforts to relieve his sadly afflicted neighbors and friends.\u00a0 But for him, I could have done nothing and would have left in despair.\u00a0 Your readers already know what terrible ravages the disease made at Grand Junction. I want them to know that but for Dr. Nathan Prewitt, it would have been vastly worse, and therefore, ask that you publish this, which will take Dr. Prewitt by surprise more than anyone else.\u00a0 Signed, W.H. Beatty, M.D.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nathan H. Prewitt died October 11, 1878 of Yellow Fever and lies buried in the Grand Junction Cemetery.\u00a0 He was born August 6, 1829.\u00a0 He was the son of James and Elizabeth Hill Prewitt (both buried at Mt. Comfort Cemetery.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the Jackson Tribune and Sun<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Shocking Inhumanity Near Milan<\/p>\n

Young Howlett, aged 10 years old, a grandson of Mr. Pledge, the hotel man of Grand Junction, passed up to Milan a few days ago where his grandfather was staying.\u00a0 Being from an infected area or town, although having stayed in it only a few hours, he could not remain in Milan.\u00a0 His grandfather rented an isolated cabin a mile or more from town and hired a Negro woman to take the boy and stay with him until the days of his quarantine were completed.\u00a0 The first night in the cabin was a terrible one in his experience. A few persons whom fear and cowardice had made brutes of themselves went to the cabin, stoned it, shot into it, and ran the poor little fellow out into the night and darkness, and fired shot after shot at him as he fled in wild terror.\u00a0 The little fellow remained all night in the woods wandering and hiding in pitiless cold.\u00a0 Next morning he crept into Milan and his grandfather took him to a place of safety.\u00a0 Now we respect quarantine, we respect the fears of the people in these terrible times, but such treatment as this little boy received is simply inhumane and brands the authors as brutes and cowards.\u00a0 We know the respectable people of Milan condemn the acts denounced by us fully as much as we do and we further know that the Milan authorities and quarantine officers are guiltless of any connection with the perpetrators, but they should hunt down the guilty and see that they are punished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grand Junction Deaths Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 56 White Victims as Published in the Bolivar Bulletin   Miss M.B. Moore \u2013 A teacher from Memphis \u2013 age 30 years Mrs. E.W. Belew \u2013 A refugee from Granada, Mississippi \u2013 age 25 years Mrs. Hewitt \u2013 A refugee from Memphis \u2013 age 25 years George […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3655],"class_list":["post-2216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-prewitt-n-h"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2216"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2219,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216\/revisions\/2219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}