1767-70 — Diphtheria epidemic (12% of population, mostly children), Oxford, MA –96-144

—     144  Corbly. The Last Colonials. 2009, p. 147.

—     144  Grob. The Deadly Truth: A History of Disease in America. 2002, p. 83.[1]

–96-144  Blanchard.[2]

—       96  Vital Records of Oxford, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849. 1905.

—       54  Caulfield. “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children.” Transactions, p.23, fn. 53.[3]

 

Narrative Information

 

Caulfield[4]:

–3  Ballard family.                 Vital Records of Oxford, p. 268.[5]

–2  Barton family.                  Vital Records of Oxford, p. 269.

–2  Bogle family.                    Vital Records of Oxford, p. 270.

–2  Campbell family.              Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 272-273.

–2  Claflin family.                  Vital Records of Oxford, p. 274.

–2  Eddy family.                    Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 280-281.

–3  Fuller family.                    Vital Records of Oxford, p. 282.

–5  Harris family.                   Vital Records of Oxford, p. 284-285.

–3  Hudson, Benjamin fam.   Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 287-288.

–4  Hudson, Joseph family.    Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 287-288.

–2  Humphrey family.            Vital Records of Oxford, p. 288.

–4  Lamb family.                    Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 290-291.

–3  Learned family.                Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 292-293.

–7  Moore family.                   Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 297-298.

–2  Phillips family.                 Vital Records of Oxford, p. p. 301.

–2  Pratt family.                      Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 302-303.

–4  Shumway family.             Vital Records of Oxford, pp. 306-307.

–2  Watson family.                 Vital Records of Oxford, p. 313.

 

Corbly: “Between 1767 and 1770 nearby Oxford, Massachusetts, lost 12 percent of its population in the worst diphtheria epidemic in New England’s history; 144 persons died, mostly children between the ages of two to 14. Martha’s uncle and aunt buried eight of their 11 children. Martha and her husband, Ephraim, lost three girls of their six children in less than ten days.”[6] (Corbly. The Last Colonials. 2009, pp. 147-148.)

 

Vital Records of Oxford:      [Note: we have omitted a number of deaths in 40s or more.]

  1. John Amidown           March 30, 1768             1 year Son of Noah and Abigail, p. 267.
  2. Noah Amidown          Nov 9, 1769                27 yrs                                            p. 267.
  3. Doroty Ballard            July 1, 1769                  3 yrs  Daughter, Ephraim and Martha. 268.
  4. Eunice Ballard            April 12, 1769 or 70     1 yr    Daughter of John and Mary.   p. 268.
  5. Martha Ballard            July 5, 1769                  9 yrs  Daughter, Ephraim and Martha. 268.
  6. Mary Ballard               March 16, 1770           32 yrs  Wife of Ephraim.                    p. 268.
  7. Triphena Ballard         June 26, 1769                5 yrs  Daughter, Ephraim and Martha. 268.
  8. Abraham Barton         Nov 28, 1768  age not noted  Son of Isaac and Sarah            p. 269.
  9. Elijah Moore Barton   June 13, 1769                4 yrs  Son of Stephen and Dorothy  p. 269.
  10. Gideon Barton            Oct 17, 1770                 4 yrs  Son of Stephen and Dorothy  p. 269.
  11. Isaac Barton                Dec 24, 1768   age not noted  Son of Isaac and Sarah            p. 269.
  12. Isaac Barton                Oct 9, 1769                 30 yrs                                                  p. 269.
  13. Nathan Barton             Nov 27, 1768                4 yrs  Son of Nathan and Tamer       p. 269.
  14. Elizabeth Bogle          Feb 27, 1768  age not noted  Daughter of John and Mary    p. 270.
  15. Esther Bogle               March 3, 1768 age not noted Daughter of John and Mary    p. 270.
  16. John Bogle                  July 7, 1767    age not noted   Son of John and Mary             p. 270.
  17. Sarah Brown               June 24, 1768 age not noted  Daughter of James and Mary  p. 271.
  18. Sarah Campbell           Oct 11, 1768   age not noted Daughter of William & Mary p. 273.
  19. William Campbell       Oct 6, 1768     age not noted  Son of William and Mary       p. 273.
  20. Elizabeth Child           June 21, 1767  age not noted  Daughter of Nathaniel & Abigail 273.
  21. Joshua Claflin             Oct 5, 1767     age not noted  Son of Abner and Hannah      p. 274.
  22. Sarah Claflin               Oct 2, 1767     age not noted  Son of Abner and Hannah      p. 274.
  23. Ruth Conant                Sep 8, 1767                   2 yrs  Daughter of Ezra and Ruth     p. 275.
  24. Dorothy Davis             Oct 31, 1767   age not noted  Daughter of Elisha and Mary  p. 277.
  25. Ruth Davis                  Apr 26, 1767   age not noted  Wife of Capt. Samuel Davis   p. 278.
  26. Enoch Eddy                May 9, 1768                20 yrs  Son of Ebenezer and Ruth      p. 280.
  27. Lucy Eddy                  Jan 15, 1769                  3 yrs  Daughter of Thomas & Hannah 280.
  28. Sarah Eddy                 Nov 30, 1769                4 yrs  Daughter of William & Sarah     281.
  29. William Eddy             Dec 1, 1769                   9 yrs  Son of William and Sarah       p. 281.
  30. Hannah Fuller             Sep 21, 1768   age not noted  Daughter of Jonathan & Mary p.282.
  31. Jonathan Fuller            Jan 26, 1769    age not noted
  32. Mary Fuller                 Sep 21, 1768   age not noted
  33. William Fuller             Sep 2, 1768     age not noted  Son of Jonathan and Mary      p. 282.
  34. Abijah Harris              July 28, 1769?               8 yrs  Son of Samuel and Margarit   p. 284.
  35. Asa Harris                   March 30, 1769           13 yrs  Son of Samuel and Margarit   p. 284.
  36. Mary Harris                 July 18, 1769                3 yrs  Daughter of Samuel & Margarit 285.
  37. Moses Harris               May 25, 1769              12 yrs  Son of Samuel and Margarit   p. 285.
  38. Timothy Harris            Apr 29, 1769                 6 yrs  Son of Samuel and Margarit   p. 285.
  39. Daniel Hovey              Nov 1768        age not noted  Son of Daniel and Content     p. 286.
  40. Benjamin Hudson       Sep 1, 1768     age not noted  Son of Benjamin and Sarah    p. 287.
  41. David Hudson             Aug 5, 1768    age not noted  Son of Joseph and Mehetable p. 287.
  42. Dorcas Hudson           Jan 14, 1767    age not noted  Son of John and Thamazin      p. 287.
  43. Hannah Hudson          Nov 8, 1768    age not noted  Daughter of Benjamin & Sarah p.287.
  44. John Hudson               July 18, 1768  age not noted  Son of Joseph and Mehetable p. 287.
  45. Joseph Hudson           Aug 4, 1768    age not noted  Son of Joseph and Mehetable p. 287.
  46. Mary Hudson              Oct 18, 1768   age not noted  Daughter of Benjamin & Sarah p287.
  47. Mercy Hudson            July 10, 1768  age not noted  Daughter, Joseph & Mehetable p.287.
  48. Phebe Hudson             Apr 7, 1768     age not noted  Daughter, Joseph & Mehetable p.287.
  49. Jemima Humphery      July 17, 1769                8 yrs  Daughter of Arthur and Mary p. 288.
  50. John Humphery           July 18, 1769              10 yrs  Son of Arthur and Mary          p. 288.
  51. Peter Humphery          June 11, 1769                8 yrs  Son of Ebenezer and Ruth      p. 288.
  52. Mary Humphrey         June 11, 1769                7 yrs  Daughter of Ebenezer & Ruth p.288.
  53. Abiel Lamb                 Apr 13, 1769               10 yrs  Son of Abiel and Abigail        p. 290.
  54. Ama Lamb                  Jan 16, 1769                  3 yrs  Daughter, Reuben & Rebeckah p.291.
  55. Edmund Lamb            Apr 9, 1769                   8 yrs  Son of Abiel and Abigail        p. 291.
  56. Lydia Lamb                 Apr 8, 1769                   6 yrs  Daughter of Abiel & Abigail  p. 291.
  57. Zeruiah Lamb             Feb 17, 1769   no age noted   Daughter of Abiel & Abigail  p. 291.
  58. Abigail Learned          Jan 30, 1767    no age noted   Daughter of Isaac & Elizabeth p.292.
  59. Ebenezer Learned       Dec 16, 1769                 1 yr    Son of Jeremiah & Elizabeth    p.292.
  60. Ruth Learned              Dec 4, 1768                   6 yrs  Daughter, Samuel & Mehetabel p293.
  61. Samuel Learned          Jan 2, 1769                    5 yrs  Son of Samuel and Mehetabel p.293.
  62. Susannah Learned       Dec 8, 1768                   3 yrs  Daughter, Samuel & Mehetabel p293.
  63. Abigail Meriam           Nov 28, 1768              28 yrs  Wife of Joshua Jr.                   p. 295.
  64. Mary Meriam              Nov 24, 1768  no age noted   Daughter of Joshua & Susannah 296.
  65. Ebenezer Moore          July 14, 1769                3 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 297.
  66. Edward Moore            July 23, 1769              10 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 297.
  67. John Moore                 July 8, 1769                12 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 298.
  68. Lemuel Moore            Sep 22, 1769               26 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 298.
  69. Mary Moore                Dec 29, 1768               13 yrs  Daughter of Richard & Mary  p. 298.
  70. Nehemiah Moore        July 24, 1769              16 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 298.
  71. Richard Moore            Aug 6, 1769                  8 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 298.
  72. Rufus Moore               July 31, 1769                6 yrs  Son of Richard and Mary        p. 298.
  73. Samuel Nickols           Nov 24, 1768              12 yrs  Son of William and Mary       p. 300.
  74. John Phillips                Jan 11, 1767    no age noted   Son of Joseph and Lydia        p. 301.
  75. Jonathan Phillips         Dec 1, 1768                   1 yr    Son of Jonathan and Sarah      p. 301.
  76. Sarah Phillips              Dec 1, 1768                   3 yrs  Daughter of Jonathan & Sarah p.301.
  77. Abigail            Pierce             Nov 1, 1768                27 yrs  Wife of Jacob Pierce               p. 302.
  78. Abraham Pratt            Nov 7, 1768    no age noted   Son of Abraham and Mary     p. 302.
  79. Lydia Pratt                  July 8, 1768    no age noted   Daughter of Elias and Lydia   p. 303.
  80. Mary Pratt                   Sep 4, 1769                 23 yrs Wife of Joseph Pratt                p. 303.
  81. Mary Pratt                   Sep 2, 1770                   2 yrs  Daughter of Nathan & Mary   p. 303.
  82. Ruth Pratt                    Oct 25, 1768   no age noted   Daughter of Abraham & Mary p.303.
  83. Abigail Shumway       Nov 29, 1770                3 yrs  Daughter of Jeremiah & Abigail 306.
  84. Henry Shumway         Oct 1, 1769                   5 yrs  Son of Jeremiah and Abigail   p. 306.
  85. Pearly Shumway         Apr 29, 1769                 9 yrs  Son of Jeremiah and Abigail   p. 307.
  86. William Shumway      Oct 6, 1769                   4 yrs  Son of Jeremiah and Abigail   p. 307.
  87. Anna Stone                 June 15, 1768  no age noted   Daughter of Uriah and Mary  p. 309.
  88. Elizabeth Stone           June 21, 1768                1 yr    Daughter of Jesse & Elizabeth p.309.
  89. Daniel Town               Aug 20, 1769  no age noted   Son of Isaac and Huldah         p. 310.
  90. Rachel Town               March 16, 1768           26 yrs                                                  p. 311.
  91. Sarah Town                 May 28, 1769              12 yrs  Daughter of Moses and Bithiah  311.
  92. John Watson               Oct 25, 1768                 7 yrs  Son of William and Mary       p. 313.
  93. Mary Watson              Apr 14, 1767               10 yrs  Daughter of William & Mary p. 313.
  94. Samuel Watson           June 17, 1768  no age noted   Son of William and Mary       p. 313.
  95. Sarah Watson              June 8, 1767                  9 yrs  Daughter of William & Mary p. 313.
  96. William Wolcott.        Nov 8, 1769                  3 yrs  Son of Josiah and Isabella       p. 314.

 

Sources

 

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

 

Corbly, Don. The Last Colonials. Self-published, 2009. Google preview accessed 3-1-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=YOzaAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Grob, Gerald N. The Deadly Truth: A History of Disease in America. Cambridge, MA: President and Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard University Press, 2002. Partially Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=U1H5rq3IQUAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Vital Records of Oxford, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849. Worcester, MA: Franklin P. Rice, 1905. Google preview accessed 2-11-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZHpA9d4aVMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Cites: Ernest Caulfield. A True History of the Terrible Epidemic Vulgarly Called the Throat Distemper (New Haven: Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 1939, pp. 99-113); Ernest Caulfield, “Some Common Diseases of Colonial Children” (Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Vol. 35, 1951, pp. 15-24); John Duffy. Epidemics in Colonial America (LSU Press, 1953, pp. 123-129).

[2] We have gone through the Vital Records of Oxford (“Deaths” section) and have listed 96 deaths (though none of these listings included a cause of death). We did omit to note a handful of deaths of people over 30, in that this was primarily a children’s disease. It is possible that the number of 144 deaths actually refers to a broader area than Oxford itself. Diphtheria is a contagious disease, and if it was killing children there in multiple years it is not unlikely that children in other nearby localities would have caught the disease and died as well.

[3] It should be noted that Caulfield only notes instances wherein two or more children within a family died.

[4] Cites Essex Gazette, October 17, 1769 and January 9, 1770 and then a number of pages in Oxford Vital Records.

[5] It should be noted that these deaths, attributed to diphtheria by Caulfield, while listed in Oxford Vital Records, does not note cause of death. It appears to us to be a very reasonable presumption that these were diphtheria deaths.

[6] Martha and Ephraim Ballard lived in Bowman’s Brook, MA. She left a diary from which Corbly derives the losses in her family. No source cited for death toll of 144, but it would appear to be Caulfield and or Duffy.