A long time ago
Feb 16, 2023 11:48:52 #
I stopped at a tiny cemetary on a cold, gloomy February day last week, It's a well tended little area half buried in the woods that have sprung up there. Located in the Allegheny Mountains of North Central Pennsylvania was a small logging town back then called Antes that existed from 1821-1926. It's now Black Moshannon State Park. I stopped at the one headstone and read the names listed there. They were the names of their six children who had died that month back in 1881. Back home, I did some historical research on the family and found that the children had died of diptheria between 6-15 February. I had my little Olympus XA rangefinder in my coat pocket and snapped a photo....just a reminder to me to keep of what our settlers went through during that long ago February. I've included a photo of the family that I found while researching them
Feb 16, 2023 13:13:04 #
Feb 17, 2023 19:13:40 #
kpmac wrote:
A really interesting post. Great job.
Agreed. Life - as it was.
It brought to mind a Lyle Lovett tune about a family going thru life many years ago in a Texas town.
Here's a link if you have interest in a song that always makes me sad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJADHPqSRig
Feb 17, 2023 20:37:49 #
Hawkowl
Loc: Ithaca, NY
Can you imagine losing six children in ten days? I wonder how they coped. Yes, life was so much more precarious before now. I remember reading that in the mid 1800s in the US, 40% of childbirths resulted in the woman dying.
I'm impressed that you were able to find a photograph of the family! Nice job.
I'm impressed that you were able to find a photograph of the family! Nice job.
Feb 17, 2023 23:23:37 #
Mar 4, 2023 11:24:45 #
So sad to lose all 6 so suddenly; after having and growing them to those ages. Good job on your research, and good you had your faithful XA with you. I also researched a family from a few graves, not even a cemetery, along the road in western NY. Turned out, the wife was a granddaughter of Thomas Stanton, one of the founding fathers of Connecticut.
Mar 30, 2023 13:11:45 #
Apr 8, 2023 07:24:10 #
joelbolden wrote:
I stopped at a tiny cemetary on a cold, gloomy Feb... (show quote)
Great story. It was definitely worth doing the research to get that photo. Different times.
Erich
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