John Vincent, a veteran of the War of 1812, was declared by the Court to be a “habitual drunkard” in 1840. He was about 48 years old and, according to the 1840 census, had 8 children living at home including four under the age of 10. His wife, Maria, must have had a tough time with so many children and a husband who was often drunk. John’s father-in-law, David Watson, was appointed trustee of John’s property which was worth about $25,000 with debts of $5,000. By 1843, however, John Vincent was thankfully better and he regained possession of his property....
Sarah Jane (Watson) Stewart, was only 27 years old when she died in 1853. She’d been married to John Q Stewart for a little over four years and given birth to two sons. Her oldest, George, would’ve been 3 years old, but it is possible he preceded his mother in death. The youngest, Alexander, was only 22 months old. Sarah Jane’s mother, Betsy, had died 7 years earlier while Sarah Jane was probably still living at home. Betsy was buried alongside other family members at Warrior Run Church Cemetery in Delaware Run, Pennsylvania. Five years later, Sarah Jane’s older brother,...
Yellow fever did not recur; one either died or survived. It came in mysterious, vicious waves, killing anywhere from 12 to 70 percent of its victims. It started with shivering, high fever, insatiable thirst, savage headaches, and severe back and leg pains. In a day or so, the restless patient would become jaundiced and turn yellow. In the terminal stages, the patient would spit up mouthfuls of dark blood, the terrifying “black vomit” (vomito negro), the body temperature would drop, the pulse fade, and the comatose patient, cold to the touch, would die in about 8 to 10 hours. So...
