1,770

lornajarrettblanchard January 1, 1870

—>1,770 Blanchard. (See Census note below on significant undercounts–this is a minimum.)

— 1,770 U.S. Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xvii.

— 9 Alabama Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 212.[1]

— — Arizona Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 7 Arkansas Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 215.

— 51 California Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 217.

— 5 Colorado Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 219.

— 19 Connecticut Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 221.

— 2 Dakota Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 1 Delaware Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 1 District of Col. Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 1 Florida Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 29 Georgia Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— — Idaho Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 131 Illinois Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 233.

— 172 Indiana Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 235.

— 45 Iowa Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 237.

— 20 Kansas Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 239.

— 35 Kentucky Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 241.

— 50 Louisiana Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 243.

— 32 Maine Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 245.

— 82 Maryland Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 247.

— 33 Massachusetts Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 249.

— 37 Michigan Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 251.

— 31 Minnesota Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 253.

— 6 Mississippi Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 255.

— 60 Missouri Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 257.

— — Montana Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 3 Nebraska Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 261.

— — Nevada Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 4 New Hampshire Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 265.

— 18 New Jersey Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 267.

— 11 New Mexico Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 269.

— 369 New York Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 271.

— 19 North Carolina Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 273.

— 80 Ohio Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 275.

— 2 Oregon Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 262 Pennsylvania Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 279.

— 2 Rhode Island Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 281.

— 41 South Carolina Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 283.

— 36 Tennessee Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 285.

— 16 Texas Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [US] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 287, 289

— 3 Utah Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 291.

— 3 Vermont Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 293.

— 7 Virginia Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 295.

— 2 Washington Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 2 West Virginia Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

— 31 Wisconsin Census. “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State…” 1872, p. 301.

— — Wyoming Census. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics… 1872, p. xxiii.

Narrative Information

U.S. Census Office on the 1870 Census: “If the value of the Statistics of Mortality in a census of the United States, taken under existing laws, depended upon the return of substantially the whole body of deaths occurring during the year covered by the enumeration, the results would not be worth the space occupied by publication, much less the expense of collection and compilation. At no one of the three censuses taken under the act of May 23, 1850, has the aggregate number of deaths returned by the assistant marshals risen above two-thirds of the number of deaths probably occurring during the year of enumeration, as that number is deduced from the experience of other countries, from the experience of sections of our own country having an established system of registration, and from the ascertained law of the national increase. With such wholesale omissions from the number of deaths, therefore, if the Statistics Mortality depended for their value on any assumed completeness in the returns of assistant marshals, the whole would deserve a contemptuous rejection at the outset, and not an elaborate and expensive compilation and publication; but as matter of fact, the value of the following statistics arises from the consideration that these tables distribute a body of deaths approaching half a million,[2] among the several periods of life, between the two sexes, according to cause of death and month of death, by race, by nationality, and by occupation. Deeply as it is to be regretted that the census of the United States does not afford the material for determining exactly the death-rate of States and sections, and of deducing the effect of the various conditions of life upon the duration of life, from statistics complete and accurate in every particular, the Tables of Mortality in the census have still their value….

“It is easy to explain the cause of the wholesale omissions from the return of deaths in the census, which have been referred to. To take the recent census as an example, the census law required the return of all deaths occurring in families, from the 1^st of June, 1869, to the 31^st of May, 1870; in all, twelve months. The enumeration if the course of which this was to be accomplished began on the 1^st of June, 1870, and closed, nominally, on the 1^st of October, but really about the 1^st of January, 1871. Thus, the officers of the census were called upon to recover all the deaths occurring during the census year, at a distance in time ranging from one day to nineteen months from the dates at which such deaths severally occurred. The antecedent improbability of success in such an attempt would be of the strongest; while the actual experience of three censuses has shown that assistant marshals fall short of the true number of deaths by not far from 40 per cent., as a rule. In some cases assistant marshals fail to put the question; in others, heads of families, or persons answering for them, fail to recall the fact of a death occurring during the year, especially when ten or eleven months have already elapsed since the date of death, and the mind, not unnaturally, refers to the even as having taken place a year or longer before. In still another large number of cases, persons die out of families, which class of cases seems not to have been in contemplation of the census law, which makes the return of mortality a family return. In still other cases, deaths occur in families, but the very death itself breaks up the family and scatters the surviving members, leaving no one to report the death in the census. In still other cases, deaths occur in what are constructively families for the purposes of the census, i.e., boarding-houses, hotels, &c., but the common tie of membership or association is here so casual and so slight that the chances are altogether against the circumstance being retained in memory six or eight months after….” (United States Census Office. “Remarks Upon the Statistics of Mortality.” P. ix.)

[Blanchard note: Other Census reports also mention the problem of correctly identifying the cause of death as well as the various competing names in circulation in areas or regions for the country for the same disease.]

CDC: “Epidemic typhus, also called louse-borne typhus, is an uncommon disease caused by a bacteria called Rickettsia prowazekii. Epidemic typhus is spread to people through contact with infected body lice. Though epidemic typhus was responsible for millions of deaths in previous centuries, it is now considered a rare disease. Occasionally, cases continue to occur, in areas where extreme overcrowding is common and body lice can travel from one person to another. In the United States, rare cases of epidemic typhus, called sylvatic typhus, can occur. These cases occur when people are exposed to flying squirrels and their nests.

“Symptoms of epidemic typhus begin within 2 weeks after contact with infected body lice. Signs and symptoms may include:

Fever and chills
Headache
Rapid breathing
Body and muscle aches
Rash
Cough
Nausea
Vomiting
Confusion

“Epidemic typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age….There is no vaccine to prevent epidemic typhus….

“Body lice thrive in areas that are overcrowded and where people aren’t able to bathe or change clothes regularly. To avoid body louse infestations:

Bathe regularly and change into clean clothes at least once a week.
Wash louse-infested clothing at least once a week. Machine wash and dry infested clothing and bedding using hot water (at least 130°F), and dry on high heat when possible. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
Do not share clothing, beds, bedding, or towels used by a person who has body lice or is infected with typhus.
Treat bedding, uniforms, and other clothing with permethrin. Permethrin kills lice and may provide long-lasting protection for clothing for many washings. See product information to learn how long the protection will last. If treating items yourself, follow the product instructions carefully. Do NOT use permethrin products directly on skin. They are intended to treat clothing.
People should avoid contact with flying squirrels and their nests.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemic Typhus. Last reviewed 1-18-2019.)

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemic Typhus. Last reviewed 1-18-2019. Accessed 8-7-2019 at: https://www.cdc.gov/typhus/epidemic/index.html)

United States Census Office, Department of Interior. Ninth Census – Volume II. The Vital Statistics of the United States, Embracing The Tables of Deaths, Births, Sex, and Age. Washington: GPO, 1872. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=GssqAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

[1] “Table VI. Mortality of the [U.S.] and of Each State and Territory, From Each Specified Disease and Class of Diseases, With Distinction of Sex and Month of Death, during the Census Year Ended June 1, 1870.” (Ninth Census. Vol. II, 1872.)

[2] Number of deaths noted as 492,263 on page xvii.