1747 — “Throat Distemper” (Diphtheria), MA (>89) and Kensington, NH (48-52)-137- >141

–137->141  Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.[1]

 

Massachusetts            (~89)

 

Bridgewater                ( 41)[2]

–3  Alden family. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–3  Bass family.   Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–3  Beal family.    Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–3  Brett family.   Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–4  Brown family. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–2  Dunbar family. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–4  E. Haward fam. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases…Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–2  S. Haward fam. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases…Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–3  Kingman fam.  Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–3  Packard fam.    Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–2  Shaw family. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, 1942. 21.

–3  C. Washburn fam. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases…Colonial Children.” Transactions, p. 21.

–2  Z. Washburn fam. Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases…Colonial Children.” Transactions, p. 21.

–4  Whitman family.  Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases…Colonial Children.” Transactions, p. 21.

 

East Bridgewater        ( 10)

–4  Angier family. Vital Records of East Bridgewater, 335; in Caulfield, “Some Common…”

–3  Hayward family. Vital Records of East Bridgewater, 357; in Caulfield, “Some Common…”

–3  Kingman family. Vital Records of East Bridgewater; 367-68; in Caulfield, “Some…”

 

Cohasset                      (   3)

–3  Stodder family. Vital Records of Cohasset, 229; in Caulfield, “Some Common…”

 

Halifax                                    (   5)

–2  Andrews Bars family, April-Oct. Vital Records of Halifax, 2, 3; in Caulfield, “Some…”

–3  Austin Bars family

 

Kingston                     (~30)

–~30  Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, Apr 1942, p.21.

 

Scituate                       (   ?) Caulfield notes “three palmer children had throat distemper in 1747.”

 

New Hampshire         (48-52)

–48-52  Kensington. Sawyer in Merchant. Hampton Union, 6-27-2008.

 

Narrative Information

 

Caulfield: “In southeastern Massachusetts the disease was most erratic in its progress, or so it seems from the records now available. Multiple deaths began to occur in Bridgewater about December, 1746, and were followed [end of p21] during 1747–1749 by others in East Bridgewater, Kingston, Scituate, Cohasset, Braintree and Halifax.[3] It was said of Kingston:

 

Jan. 7. 1747, 8. The Sickness in this Town remains exceeding bad; but here has been one Instance the like of which has not been known in the Memory of Man, viz. Mr. Thomas Cushman of this Town had jive Children of his own and another related to him in his House, four of his own Children died about a Week ago within the Space of eight Hours, of the Throat-Distemper, and this Week the other two Children died, and the Family left childless. About 30 have died in this small Town in a few Months past, and three of them grown in years, the rest Children.[4]

 

(Caulfield, Ernest. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Vol. 35, April 1942, p. 22 of pp. 4-65.)

 

Merchant: “The Rev. Roland Sawyer wrote of the…epidemic in his history of Kensington….[5] “throat distemper” ravaged the town…1747 — 48-52 children died.” (Merchant, Dean. “History in Focus: Diphtheria Epidemic.” Hampton Union, 6-27-2008.)

 

Source

 

Caulfield, Ernest. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Vol. 35, April 1942, pp. 4-65. Accessed 1-17-2018 at: https://www.colonialsociety.org/node/865

 

Merchant, Dean. “History in Focus: Diphtheria Epidemic.” Hampton Union, 6-27-2008. Accessed 1-18-2018 at: http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/diphtheriaepidemicHU20080627.htm

[1] Caulfield notes other localities and deaths, but it is not clear if the deaths were in 1747, 1748, 1749 or 1750.

[2] Caulfield, in footnote 48, notes that “Most of these deaths, for which no causes are stated, occurred in 1747.”

[3] Caulfield footnote 48: Vital Records of Bridgewater, II. 423-427, 434, 436, 440-442, 458-459, 5080509, 532-535, 554-555, 569-579. , II. For East Bridgewater see Vital Records of East Bridgewater, 335; for Scituate, see records of Second Church (New Eng. Hist. Gen. Reg., LX, 62); for Cohasset, see Vital Records of Cohasset, 229; for Halifax, see Vital Records of Halifax, 2, 3.

[4] Caulfield footnote 49: Independent Advertiser, January 11, 1748. For further data bout the epidemic in Kingston, see 2 Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc., III. 216; Vital Records of Kingston, 319-322, 373, 375.

[5] The work mentioned is not cited. We believe it to be reference to: Sawyer, Roland D. The History of Kensington, New Hampshire, 1663-1945. Farmington, MA: 1946.