The Devastation of Diphtheria and the Heartbreak of a Mother

Eliza Jane Maidment Poole

Although my grandfather Will Poole was called the oldest child in his family, I had always known that this was not the case.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, Pop was a quiet man and did not like to talk about certain things.  In particular, he did not like to discuss family matters.  Any information I gathered about his family came from my grandmother.

She told me how my grandfather had had an older brother but that he had died as a child.  To be honest, I couldn't remember how old he was or how he had passed away.

So as I was doing the Poole genealogical research at the Provincial Archives, I came across his older brother Ernest's birth record from 1889 and a surprise; the birth record of an older sister.   Her name was Susanna, born in 1887, and I am assuming that she was named for her grandmother Susannah Short Poole.  Now I knew Ernest had died as a child but what had happened to her?

A few years later, I was researching through the Newfoundland Vital Statistics Death Records.  I came across some of the most devastating news I had ever seen.  I had found out the fate of both Susanna and Ernest and so many other little children in Hant's Harbour, Newfoundland.


Susanna died on April 22, 1892 at the tender age of 4 1/2 years.  Four days later, Ernest who was just two months shy of his third birthday also passed away.  They both had succumbed to diphtheria.  As shocking as this revelation was, so too was the fact that between March 24th and the end of April, sixteen of Hant's Harbour's children had died from the disease.  Their ages ranged from 2 months to 19 years.  Seven of them, including Ernest, all died on the same day.

My first thought was how did my grandfather Will, who was just 10 months old, survive?  Did he even get the disease or did he recover from it unlike his older siblings?  Was it because he still had his mother's immune system that he was saved?   I guess we will never know.

How quickly my thoughts turned to my great-grandmother Eliza Jane.  It must have been the most devastating time in her life.  She was experiencing what her relatives, neighbours and friends were: losing their little ones.  Her precious little angels were leaving her forever.  The pain must have been unbearable but how fortunate she was that she still had her littlest baby.  Through all that pain there was a blessing.

While conducting further research, I came across similar instances of children who had died that year as a result of having been afflicted with diphtheria.  There were pockets all across the island; Harbour Main, Twillingate, just about everywhere.  It was obvious that there had been a diphtheria epidemic.

From 1888 to 1891 , 3,183 cases were documented resulting in 624 deaths.  The harrowing experience continued into 1892 but better reporting of the disease by families and the availability of treatments lessened the disease's impact in later years..  Had doctors been given the tools and medication that they needed earlier perhaps Susanna and Ernest would have been spared.

A diphtheria vaccine was introduced in 1924 but oddly, diphtheria still exists in the western world.  Unfortunately, there are parents who choose not to vaccinate their children against many childhood diseases.  If they only knew what it was really like to experience something so painful, so horrible, I wonder if they would change their minds.

Ice and Explosions

Will Poole c. 1916

My grandfather William Edgar Poole was a very quiet man who rarely spoke ill of anyone.  Joey Smallwood would from time to time get the odd chastising (not directly) but from my recollection that would be the extent of it.

That is until my senior high school year.  That was when I was required to read the novel Death on the Ice by Cassie Brown.  It dealt with the sealing disaster of 1914 involving the S.S. Newfoundland and the S. S. Stephano.  Because my grandparents were alive at the time of the disaster, I brought it up to them and relayed what I had read according to Ms. Brown.

There is no doubt that Poppy had his opinions but mostly kept them to himself ..... until I said the name Abram Kean.  And with that I had seen a side of my grandfather I didn't even know existed; an anger that did not hesitate to show.

I was astonished to say the least and asked my grandmother what I had said wrong.  I had done nothing according to her but I had actually unleashed a flood of memories, sadness and pain.  She told me that my grandfather had a berth on the sealing ship as did a friend of his.  He and his buddy (who's name I can not remember unfortunately) had been on the ship when my grandfather had a "bad feeling".  I assume it was that nagging inner voice, that gut instinct that we sometimes have and don't listen to nearly enough.  But that day, thankfully, he did.  He told his friend that he didn't have a good feeling about it all and was going to get off.  Now having a berth on a sealing ship was not an easy thing to obtain and considered quite a prize.  One was certainly a lucky fellow to get that chance!  His friend thought he was crazy to give up his spot but there was no changing my grandfather's mind.  Reluctantly his friend left with him but as years passed, he remained forever thankful to my grandfather

I don't think Pop felt especially lucky.  Perhaps there was a bit of survivor guilt coupled with the contempt he felt towards Abram Kean.  Although charges were never laid, Abram Kean, his son Westbury and the men's leader George Tuft were all found by an inquiry to have displayed errors in judgement.  But to most, including my grandfather, it was Abram Kean who caused the deaths and injuries to those men.  Many of the survivors, their families, friends and the general public wanted an end to Kean's career.  There were calls and protests for him to retire but to no avail.  To add insult to injury, Kean went on to receive the Order of the British Empire in 1934 for bringing in his 1 millionth seal pelt.

It may have been 1979, but to my grandfather no time had passed. 1914 had only been a blink away.

Pop continued with his life on the sea, fishing off the Labrador (where he met my grandmother) and joining the British Merchant Mariners that aided in the war effort.  During  this time, my grandfather was travelling between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia bringing supplies to the ships that were going over to Europe.  It was a time when every role in fighting the devastating war was extremely important.  After all, the previous year saw the Battle of the Somme and the fall of the Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont Hamel.

In 1917, Pop and his fellow mariners were in Halifax on one of their voyages.  It was the 6th of December and they had left Halifax Harbour and were on their way back to St. John's.  Shortly after their departure, they felt the explosion and immediately were made aware of what took place.  The result hit him hard; the thousands who died and even more injured.  What we all know as The Halifax Explosion was his second brush with death.

In 1918 as the Great War was coming to an end, he left the Merchant Marines and returned to Labrador to marry his sweetheart.  As a first mate, he was exemplary in his duties.  So much so, he was asked to stay as they wanted him to work towards becoming a Captain.  He chose a different path; to live quietly, on the Labrador with the woman he loved.

My grandfather, Will Poole was born on this date in 1891.  He lived to be 90 years old.

Pop circa 1971 (photo: Loretta Poole)

Necessity Breeds Love ........ Sometimes

Louis David Chevalier

My great-great grandfather Louis David Chevalier of Riviere Ste. Paul, Quebec, was twice married.  His second wife was a young woman he employed to look after his children upon the death of his first wife, Catherine Kendall.

The young woman was Bridget Sisk from Ferryland, Newfoundland and I am supposing that she was contracted for the position through a Mr. Thomas Wright.  A Jerseyman, Mr Wright was found to be in both Ferryland and Labrador and may have acted as an intermediary in such matters

It was not long before the young woman and the gentleman 17 years her senior found each other romantically.  It was Quebec's Lower North Shore after all, not the bustling cities of Montreal or London or even St. John's.

Bridget gave birth to their first child, John Joseph, in 1871 but they were not married until August of 1872 on the same date that their child was baptised.  Like most from the Southern Shore, she was a devout Irish Catholic.  Louis recognized how important her religion was to her and although he was a Protestant, Louis made sure she remained true to her faith.  There were many times that he readied his horses and carriage when the weather allowed and brought her to the nearest Roman Catholic church to attend mass  He clearly respected her beliefs and in this case necessity did breed love.

Bridget and Louis spent almost a dozen years together until her death in 1879.  It was on December 3rd of that year that she gave birth to a daughter.  Like so many women of her time, Bridget developed an infection from childbirth and died a couple of weeks later.  Something that a simple antibiotic could cure today cost Bridget her life.  That little girl, my great-grandmother, became her namesake, Bridget Chevalier (m. Salter).

Louis David Chevalier and 

2 unknown women.

Memorial Day

Esau Roberts 

(Photo courtesy of Leon Hancock
 via Irene Richard)

As a little girl, my grandmother Poole would pick forget-me-nots and pin them on my top.  It is one of those special moments you never forget; looking in the mirror at the tiny, blue flowers while she dabbed her perfume in my hair.

That was every July 1st, Newfoundland's Memorial Day; the day in which we honour those who fell in the Great War.  It was that date in 1916 which saw the young men of Newfoundland up against the Germans in Beaumont - Hamel, France.  It turned out to be one of the darkest days in the nations's history and it was all over in just 30 minutes.  Only 68 men of the 801 answered the roll call the next day.

As did many of her generation, my grandmother saw friends come home from that war broken and wounded and knew of some who did not return at all.  It was a heart breaking time.

One of her cousins, Esau Roberts of Seal Islands, Labrador, was a Royal Naval Reservist (1935X) during World War I.  I discovered the following clip from the Daily News Events of the Year 1917:

R. N. R. HEROES RETURN

By the express yesterday, twenty one Royal Naval Reservists, who have been on duty for two years and over, returned on furlough. The men are: John BUTTON, C.A. ROSE, Josiah PORTER, Thomas J. RAHAL, Esau ROBERTS, George BRAKE, Albert PORTER, W. H. BARTLETT, Enos RYAN, E. DUNN, J. HIBBS, Harvey TORRAVILLE, William RYAN, J.E. ELLIS, Peter BUTT, W. H. HARDING, A. COCHRANE, H. GEORGE, B. BRACE, W. BRADBURY, S. DAVIS. At the station they were met by the Ladies Reception Committee, detachments from the Volunteers and Royal Naval Reserve and the Acting Premier, Hon. J. R. Bennett. The men were addressed by Hon. Mr. Bennett, and later on driven to Government House.

Having been gone for so long it must have felt so nice to have such attention paid to them.  After all, it was the Premier no less!  They deserved all that attention and so much more.  It is such a shame that so many were not as fortunate.

He entered the Royal Reserve in 1915 and was discharged on February 28, 1918 due to deteriorating eyesight.

Esau went on to marry Victoria Flynn where they and their children lived in Forteau, Labrador.  He died in 1971 at the age of 79.

Below is the birthday greeting post card that was given to my grandmother Maud Salter from Esau in January of 1918.  As a joke he added that it was sent "in remembrance of his birthday".  He was "now 26 and getting old haha".

After all he had been through he was still quite a kidder.

To Dearest Cousin Miss Maud Salter,

With best wishes and gladest thoughts, 

From Esau 

Alice Maud Salter Poole

Alice Maud Salter Poole

This site is dedicated to my grandmother, Alice Maud Salter Poole.  She was the oral historian in my life.  Had it not been for her, most of my family history on my maternal side would not have been passed along.

As so many who are searching for their ancestors in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as the Lower North Shore of Quebec have discovered, recorded evidence is sometimes difficult to come by.  If there is only one piece of advice I can give anyone discovering their family history it is make sure you get every story from your elders that you can AND write them down.  That is the one important lesson I have learned through my 30+ year journey and I know it will continue to be valuable to me onward.

Thank you Grammie for all your wonderful stories.  I love you, I miss you and I'll be forever indebted to you.  X/O