1776 — “Throat Ail” (Diphtheria?), especially children, Athol, MA — 16

–16  Blanchard total of the breakouts Caulfield produces in footnote 52.

–2  Biglow family.     Vital Records of Athol, 185; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.

–2  Commins family.  Vital Records of Athol, 189; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.

–3  Dunton family.     Vital Records of Athol, 192; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.

–3  Foster family.       Vital Records of Athol, 195; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.

–2  Sanders family.     Vital Records of Athol, 218; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.

–2  Stockwell family. Vital Records of Athol, 221; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.

–2  Stone family.        Vital Records of Athol, 185; in Caulfield, 1942, p. 22, footnote 52.[1]

Narrative Information

Caulfield (Diphtheria section of his paper): “Though the disease in eastern Massachusetts seems to have quieted down considerably after the seventeen-sixties, it continued its periodic outbreaks in the small towns of the north-central section. An epidemic in Westminister in 1764 was followed by another in Athol in 1776 and another more severe one in Princeton and surrounding towns in Worcester County during 1786.”[2] (“Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Vol. 35, April 1942, p. 23.)

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

[1] Notes no causes stated. Caulfield does list these deaths with the other deaths in Athol epidemic which he believes was diphtheria.

[2] Cites Vital Records of Athol, 185, 189, 193, 195, 218, and 221.