Antebellum Jefferson, Texas: Everyday Life in an East Texas Town

45. Health and Welfare

562 Health When A. W. Moore visited Jefferson in January 1846, he observed that it had “the appearance of being as sickly a place as exists under the sun.” Josiah Gregg made a similar statement in August 1841: “all the country bordering the lake and either branch of the cypress must always be very unhealthy, owing to the stagnancy of the waters, and the marshiness of their borders.” Moore and Gregg were apparently basing their observations on contemporary theories of miasmatic causes of disease in which swamps were often considered the culprit. The primary killers in the south were yellow fever, cholera, and smallpox. All diseases that affected groups of people were thought to be contagious . Jefferson was, in fact, a very healthy place. There appear to have been a few cases of cholera in January 1850, but there were no reported deaths. There is only one instance of an outbreak of disease prior to the Civil War that could be considered an epidemic and that caused deaths. We can be certain that this was the only occurrence because all towns were quick to identify problems in other towns and to establish quarantines. Towns were diligent in informing others of disease outbreaks, although sometimes the initial reportage understated the conditions, perhaps out of hope. On the other hand, rumors of disease that were false were immediately quashed by town officials because they quickly led to suspension of business activity. 45. Health anD welfare 563 Health and Welfare The only instance in Jefferson was a minor smallpox epidemic in late February 1859 that affected 10 persons and killed three. The outbreak occurred in a hotel and was thought to have reached the town through a business traveler. The Jefferson Herald immediately issued a warning: SMALL POX.—We are sorry to announce to the public that this troublesome disease is now raging in our city. Up to the present time there has been but eight or nine cases reported. The disease is in a mild form and yields readily to medical treatment. The city authorities have passed laws, which if carried in effect will no doubt put a stop to its further spreading. We are truly sorry that this sad calamity has befallen our prosperous city; but it is the fate of all places, of any commercial importance. We will from week to week, give our readers the true condition of the disease, and hope soon to announce that all is healthy again. Robert Nesmith reported that Jefferson immediately began to be depopulated, which was the normal course of action for residents during an epidemic. A handbill was prepared and sent to Marshall, which established a quarantine. Men were placed on every road likely to be traveled by persons from the infected region. A young man from Marshall by the name of Stone who had been in Jefferson became ill on the way home and collapsed about a mile and a half from town. Citizens of Marshall went to his assistance, built a shanty for him, and provided for his needs. Within a few days, however, favorable news was reached from Jefferson, and the quarantine was lifted. The favorable news was that the epidemic had been contained and that there was little danger to visitors. The Jefferson Herald reported that cotton receipts were light because the prevalence of the disease had been exaggerated and that it was, in fact, small and “confined to a locality which will prevent its further spreading.” In early March, Mayor Saufley issued a proclamation that persons visiting Jefferson need not fear contraction of the disease. The proclamation was followed by a circular issued in late March under the signature of 85 citi- 564 Antebellum Jefferson, Texas zens and businessmen that only 10 persons had been affected, three had died, and only two were still in danger (a negro woman and a boy, who eventually became well) and that they had been “safely secured from any intercourse whatever with any portion of the community.” Shadrach Eggers, the editor of the Jefferson Gazette, visited Marshall in early April and reported to the editor of the Marshall Harrison Flag that business had improved rapidly after the smallpox panic had ended. The editor of the Harrison Flag visited Jefferson shortly thereafter and provides the last newspaper mention of the epidemic: SMALL-POX IN JEFFERSON.—We paid a flying visit to Jefferson, in the early part of the present week...