1918. My grandfather was overseas engaged in World War I. There was another world war raging – H1N1 virus – influenza – Spanish Flu. *“With no vaccine to protect against influenza infection and no antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections that can be associated with influenza infections, control efforts worldwide were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings, which were applied unevenly.” An estimated 500 million people were infected with the virus, about 50 million succumbed to death, 675,000 of those in the US.
one of the family homesteads
My grandfather lived near the McNeil uncles’ homesteads in Phillips County, Montana. There was another homesteader that lived nearby – Bertha Meyer. There was something to be said for a single lady proving a homestead in that rough country. My grandfather had great admiration for Bertha, called the “Black Dutch,” a title given because of her dark complexion and German descent . To hear my grandfather tell the tale, some of the people looked down on her because she was different. He saw her as a perfect wife for Uncle Al. The matchmaking scheme worked. Al and Bertha had only been married a short time when the country was invaded by Spanish Flu. Even in those rural areas of the plains, there was no place to escape the virus that reached into the darkest recesses of the world.
This is my grandfather’s account, “I was away in the army when the 1918 flu epidemic struck. Al and Bertha hadn’t been married long. Lee was staying with them. Both Al and Lee came down with the flu. A few miles away their brother, Uncle Claude, was coming down with pneumonia. All three died and were buried in Sun Prairie when the ground thawed enough to dig the graves. In the meantime, Bertha moved down to the folk’s place to nurse Ma and Leone, through the epidemic. Later Bertha had Al’s body brought to the church cemetery in Malta.” When my grandfather recounted the story, he also added that some of the family didn’t quite approve of Bertha. She rose to the challenge and became priceless to the family and community. Their opinion of Bertha changed drastically after the flu passed. Three of the McNeil boys died, including Bertha’s husband. They all lost much and their lives were never the same.
My Great Grandmother with her brothers, three of which died in the epidemic
We now find ourselves being attacked by another enemy – Coronavirus. The past few weeks, mankind has become one people – not in the manner that they are all in agreement – but in the manner that disease is no respecter of persons. The playing field has become level. Old, young, rich, poor, white, black, social standing or not, clean, dirty, famous, unknown – all stand on level ground beside the other, though the older seem the most fragile.
I personally know some people who are sick with high fever, cough, and other symptoms that are shared by thousands of people across the world. I know of a young couple in our corner of the world who have been hospitalized with the same symptoms. None of these have come in known contact with anyone who has recently traveled to a foreign country.
And I think, as mankind, do we learn anything from this? We usually don’t understand the gravity of a situation until we are directly affected. Be diligent. Be wise. Check on your neighbor. Be proactive. Learn from history. Handle with prayer. Handle with care. Don’t think it can’t happen to you or yours.
You might just be that “Bertha” to someone! Priceless.
Bertha, the “Black Dutch”, to the far right
Can you imagine how devastating it would have been had they had the mode of transportation we have today? My ancestors traveled mostly by horseback or wagon.
*CDC