Sickness in the 1850s -- Garndiffaith (General)

by mrsbruso , Tuesday, March 06, 2012, 12:36 (4641 days ago) @ Roger Griffiths

I am including a paragraph from one of my gggrandmother's letters, which talks about an illness that was devestating the area in the 1850s. We take so much -- sanitation and anti-biotics -- for granted. Things that wouldn't give us much concern today could have deadly consequences . . .
Pontypool bank is broke and Newport they say it cause great distress round the Country.

Garndiffaith October 9th 1851.

My Dear Child,

"With regard to state off things they are very gloomy at present = here = together with disease and death you will be surprised. When I tell you that we have awful fever - like black or putrid fever raging in the Garn = 2 at the Varteg shop, one 25 and the other 12, one was carried to Llandenny Charles Herbert sisters son = they had white silk scarves and you will be surprised to find that it has carried off 3 out of one house next door to us=Isaac Griffin, little George that was in school first then his mother the day his mother was buried his little sister died and was put in the coffin and buried with her mother all within one month."

A portion of a letter from Elizabeth Bush Vining to her son, Thomas, in America.