| Note |
- Occupation: Mine Electrician Places of Residence: Barclay, Tyler, andthe Adrian area of Pa. Obituary: Newspaper clipping in the possessionof Jean Reid Edwards. Date and name of the paper are cut off. JOHN J.REED DIES IN DUBOIS HOSPITAL--- WELL KNOWN TYLER RESIDENT IS VICTIM OFINFLUENZA--BURIAL IN PUNXSY. John James Reed, a brother of Alec andRobert Reed, of this place, died yesterday afternoon at 1:35 o'clockat the DuBois hospital. Pneumonia following influenza causing hisdeath. The deceased, who had been employed as an electrician at Tylerhad for the past three weeks been devoting practically all his time tothe care of those suffering from influenza at the Tyler emergencyhospital, and it was there he contracted the disease that caused hisdeath. The deceased, who 42 years old, was a member of theMasonic order of the St. Marys Lodge. He was well-known and highlyesteem in this city. He was twice married and leaves his widow and oneson Gerald to the second marriage. One son, James, of DuBois, and onedaughter, Agnes, of Detroit, of the first marriage survive. Healso leaves the following brothers and sisters: Andrew, of Sykesville;William S., of Knoxdale; Mrs. Margaret Warren, of Knoxdale; David, ofBeaverdale; Robert and Alex of Punxsutawney; and Mrs. Nellie Swan, ofReynoldsville. The body will be brought to Punxsutawney tomorrowand funeral services will be held at the home of Alex Reed on WoodlandAvenue at 2 o'clock. Rev. J. S. Hays will officiate. Burial in CircleHill Cemetery. Newspaper clipping in the possession of Jean ReidEdwards. The Daily Press, St. Marys, Pa., Thursday, September 1,1983. GRIST FROM OLD MILLS, The St. Marys, Benzinger Twp. HistoricalSociety. EPIDEMIC OF 1918.--- Those of us who write the 'Grist fromold Mills' articles are often influenced in the topics we choose bythe more sublime and romantic nostalgia of yesteryear.Unfortunately, the lives that our ancestors led were often filled withhardship of a time that we today do not sometimes consider. Inthis respect, it is probably fitting that from time to time we devotethe lines of this column to those not so happy days that part andparcel comprise the heritage from which we have survived and evolved. A recent story in Time magazine about the frightful and almostunbelievable resurgence of the bubonic plague of the MIddle Agesprompted this article. Although the influenza epidemic of 1918 was notas diabolical as the Black Death, which ravaged Europe in the 1300's,it was a terrifying time which left a pall upon a community of people,who would not soon forget those near and dear who fell victim to anunseen enemy. Joseph Riesenmon, Jr.'s History of NorthwesternPennsylvania recounts what it was like in St. Marys during thatinfamous flu epidemic: 'The influenza and pneumonia epidemic of 1918struck heavily in northwestern Pennsylvania. In many of the cities,emergency hospitals were provided and it was with great difficultythat all patients were properly cared for. Many of the physicians werevictims and nurses and physicians who were able to practice theirprofession were busy day and night. The situation throughout theentire region was much the same. The town of St. Marys was especiallyafflicted. Up to October sixteenth, St. Marys was free from thedisease, but in that day, sixteen cases were reported. In five days,between four hundred and five hundred cases were reported in theborough and township. W. G. Bauer, who at that time was chief burgess,acted as soon as the first cases were reported by the physicians; herealized the local Board of Health needed assistance and thusorganized an Emergency Health Committee composed of leading citizens.The Elks Club offered their fine home as an emergency hospital, and onOctober 21, the hospital was opened to receive patients. TheBoard of Health at that time consisting of Dr. A. F. Davis, F. S.Hammond, William Cheatle, W. F. Marshall,and P. F. Sweeney, and theEmergency Committee, together handled the situation in a manner whichwon them the highest acclaim on the part of the citizens of the town.The physicians of St. Marys-- they were Dr. C. G. Wilson, Dr. AlfredA. Mulhaupt and his wife Dr. Helena Mulhaupt, Dr. A. F. Davis, Dr. J.C. Cochran and Dr. A. C. Luhr-placed themselves at the disposal of theEmergency Committee. The local physicians being unable to copewith the ever increasing number of cases coming to the hospitalhourly, it became necessary to appeal for medical help, and thefollowing from out of the town responded: Dr. Roy H. Blair, of theState Department of Health, Drs. Heimbach, Larson, and Denny of Kane,Drs. Robinson, African, and Brown of Warren, Dr. Patton of Bradford,and (Dr.) Rev. Eben J. Russ, although retired from practice for quitesome time, again assumed his title and helped where he could. Onthe twentieth the first death was reported, Edward Kreckel, and hisfour-month-old daughter died shortly afterward. Two days later, thedeaths had mounted to thirteen, and were constantly rising. Several ofthe local boys in the various war camps had died, and their bodieswere being shipped home. Thirty-two deaths occurred in the EmergencyHospital. The physicians were working day and night, and the EmergencyCommittee was on the job twenty-four hours a day. Trucks pressed intoservice as ambulances were constantly on the streets. From everywherecame the call for help, and those two weeks, and more, were days andnights to try the nerves of the strongest. When the epidemic finallyspent itself it was found that in the short time it had claimed thelives of close to a hundred and fifty persons. Newspaper clipping inthe possession of Jean Reid Edwards. Name and date of the paper arecut off. 65 AND STILL GOING STRONG. Yesterday marked the 65thanniverary of the founding of the Andrew Kaul Memorial Hospital, whichoccurred on April 20, 1922. Mrs. Fred Erich was the firstpatient and Robert Lion was the first St. Marys baby born there.At the right and rear is the boiler building and was also the hospitallaundry for many years. The building was originally the Monasteryfor the Benedictine Fathers of the community. The original building isstill the central portion and main entrance of the hospital todaywhich over the years has undergone several additions and all types ofrenovations. The Spanish Flu epidemic which struck the community inOctober of 1918 and caused at least 117 deaths during October,November, and December, during which the Elks Club Building wasconverted into an emergency hospital, lead to the founding of AKM. The original hospital was badly gutted by a fire in 1934 and rebuiltin 1939. During that period of time the former St. Benedict's Academybuilding served as the hospital.
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
1876 - 1918 (42 years)