ADDITIONAL NOTES ON
MATAGORDA YELLOW FEVER VICTIMS

The following information was gathered from several sources.
The source is noted before each entry.
 

John Matthews' Diary
 

" Saturday, September 27, 1862 . Yellow Fever broke out in Matagorda.
 

October 8th. 40 cases of yellow fever in Matagorda. Batallion[sic] B. moved from Matagorda to Peyton's Creek

October 10th. Cold norther, first of season, continued blowing until Saturday, when wind fell off. Still very cold. 60 cases of yellow fever still in Houston ."

In the narrow spaces between the lines of Mr. Matthews' diary there is no room for further comment.

Yet the fever was in an extremely virulent form.

When the tale of the yellow fever was told, as it was so often, the town's old ladies, in telling it, usually spoke of the unseasonable cold weather and of how grateful the people were as the fever seemed to disappear with the first frost.

They nearly always added, "And there were only three doctors for the whole country; so more often than not the patient was dead before the doctor could even see him."

Historic Matagorda County , Volume 1, p. 100
 

(The article about Albert Wadsworth includes the following statement.)
 

"It was through blockade-running that yellow fever was brought to Matagorda in 1862. It is said that there were so many deaths that there were not enough living to bury the dead." (Albert Wadsworth was a blockade-runner!)

Additional information from
 

1850 - 1850 Census of Historic Matagorda County [ Texas ] by Matagorda County Genealogical Society
 

1860 - 1860 Census of Historical Matagorda County [ Texas ] by Shirley Ledwig Brown, 1981

CC - Register of the Parish of Christ Church Matagorda , Texas 1839-1938

HMC - Historic Matagorda County , Volumes 1 & 2 by Matagorda County Historical Commission, 1986

MC - Matagorda Cemetery  by Bay City Senior High School Junior Historians, 1974

Matagorda Cemetery Matagorda , Texas  by Robert W. "Wes" Young, 1997

(Other members of the family besides the ones who died of yellow fever are included here to aid in research of entire families.)

MR - Matagorda County , Texas Marriage Records 1837 - 1899  by Ural Lee Donohoe and Jackie Jecmenek
 

Mrs. William D. Barbour
 

MR: William D. Barbour married Sarah P. Gillette 15 May 1861
 

(The newspaper article indicates that Lydia Stanley was the mother-in-law of Sarah.)
 

1860:

184-174

Lucy Stewart 52 F Kentucky

Greenberry Stewart 32 M Stock Raiser Indiana

John Stewart 20 M Stock Driver Texas

W. Scott Stewart 17 M Stock Driver Texas

1850:

23-23

R. T. Vanslyke 35 M Post Master New York

Martha C. Vanslyke 24 F Indiana  (Almira's sister)

Lucy Vanslyke F 5 Texas

Catharine 2 F Texas

Greenbury Stewart 22 M Gunsmith Indiana (Almira's brother)

CC: Mrs. Bates, of yellow fever after a few days illness, aged 31. Being an unbaptized adult, the burial service could not be used- see the Rubric.

HMC: v 2, p. 524

Almira Bates was the sister of Martha C. Stewart who married Robert. T. Van Slyke and was the aunt of victims Robert and Lucy Vanslyke.

1850:

92-92

William Baxter 40 M Carpenter England

Esther Baxter 37 F New York

Caroline Baxter 16 F Texas

William Baxter 14 M Texas

Demis M. Baxter 12 F Texas

Elias Baxter 13 M Texas

Amanda Baxter 10 F Texas

Robert Baxter 8 M Texas

Alin B. Baxter 6 F Texas

Silas Baxter 4 F Texas

Mary Baxter 2 F Texas

Daniel Youmans [Yeamans] 42 M New York

George Oldham 25 M Unknown

HMC v. 1, p. 49 indicates that Josephine was buried at Matagorda Cemetery , but there is no existing marker

CC: Oct 13th Miss Louisa Burkhart, of the same fever, communicant of several years' standing, aged about 33(30) years

HMC v. 1, p. 53 : Catherine's husband was George Burkhart

Miss Mary Carter

MR: William P. Carter married Elizabeth Bruce 1 Oct 1848

1860:

198-188

Elizabeth M. Carter  42 F Stock Raiser Kentucky

Arthur C. Bruce  21 M Stock Driver Texas

Charles Bruce 18 M Stock Driver Texas

Josephine Bruce  16 F Texas

M. A. Carter  12 F Texas

William Carter 8 M Texas

Jane Carter  4 F Texas

1850:

169-170

W. P. Carter 38 M Cooper Ohio

Elizabeth M. Carter 36 F Kentucky

Arthur C. Bruce 10 M Texas

Chas D. Bruce 8 M Texas

Mary M. Carter 7 F Louisiana (must be a daughter of W. P. Carter from another marr.)

Josephine Bruce 6 F Texas

A. J. Carter 1 F Texas (this must be Mary, original may have been difficult to read)

(Mary Ann Carter and Josephine Bruce were half sisters.)

Antoine Dietrich

1860: Possible household

207-197

C. A. Dietrick  37 M Carpenter France

Louisa Detrick  27 F Switzerland

Antonio Dietrick  9 M Texas

Charles R. Dietrick 6 M Texas

Mary Dietrick 2 F Texas

Charles Dietrick 30 M Carpenter France

John McNabb  22 M Carpenter Pennsylvania

(Antoine is possibly the grandson of Sebastian, Sr., but no documentation was found.)

200-190

Sebastien Deitrick Sr.  65 M Carpenter France

Ellen Deitrick  65 F France

Sebastian Deitrick Jr.  34 M Merchant France

Caroline Deitrick  16 F Austria

Henry Deitrick 6 M Texas

Edward Deitrick 2 M Texas

Jack Deitrick 32 M Carpenter France

1850:

48-48

Sebastian Dietrick 55 M Carpenter France

Ellen Dietrick 54 F France

Sebastian Dietrick, Jr. 24 M France

Jacob Dietrick 22 M France

Chas. Dietrick 20 M France

John Stiger 34 M Tailor France

Ellen Stiger 26 F France

Emile Stiger 5 M France
 

Mrs. Gus Dreyling

MR: Gustave Dreyling married Tereca Freeman __ Oct 1859

1860:

203-193

Gustave Dreyling  26 M Barber Hanover

Theresa Dreyling  18 F Hanover

CC: Oct. 24th Mrs. Dreyling, of the same fever, aged about 22

(Although no documentation was found, it is possible that victims, Theresa Freeman Dreyling, Miss Freeman, and Mary Ann Freeman (Mrs. Peter Johnson) are related and possibly sisters. Daughters the ages of Theresa and Mary Ann would fit into the family listed under Miss Freeman. Both Theresa and Mary Ann were married before 1860. They were all born in Hanover and the Johnson household has a Jane Freeman listed that would also fit into the list of children.)

Henry Mansfield Fisher

In Memory of

Henry Mansfield

Son of S. W. and E. O. Fisher

Died Oct. 24, 1862

Aged 6 months

Section D, #61                                Section D, #62

Samuel W. Fisher                           Sacred to the Memory of

Born May 29, 1819                          Eliza O. Fisher

Died Sept. 15, 1874                        Born June 17, 1823
                                                           Died April 30, 1877

1850:

49-49

Ann Fisher 52 F Pennsylvania

Saml. W. Fisher 31 M Merchant Missouri

E. O. Fisher 25 F Ohio

Ann P. Dallam 26 F Pennsylvania

Rebecca Fisher 20 F Pennsylvania

Rhodes Fisher 17 M Clerk Texas

Annie Dallam 3 F Texas

S. Rhodes Fisher 5/12 M Texas

Susan Richison 18 F Texas

CC: Oct. 22nd Mrs. Fisher, Senior, of the same fever, aged about 67, she was a Friend, and for want of baptism was denied the use of the burial service

(Ann Fisher was the mother of Rebecca Fisher Perry and grandmother of Henry Mansfield Fisher.)

Daniel Frazier
 

(No information for Daniel Frazier was found in the sources listed above.)

(This Miss Freeman could have been Emma.)

Silvester Giles

1860:

217-207

R. C. Warn  34 M Carpenter England

Fannie W. Warn 42 F Dress Maker Massachusetts

Ella Wallace 9 F Texas

Sylvester Giles  37 M Stock Raiser Massachusetts

Elizabeth Giles 33 F New York

Edgar B. Giles 2 M Wisconsin (indicates that the family had recently moved to Texas )

T. G. Stacy 32 F School Teacher Massachusetts

Louis Seigmond  30 M Sailor Unknown

Elizabeth Seigmond 21 F Baden

John H. Seigmond 2/12 M Texas

CC: Oct. 30th Mr. Giles, the Post Master of the same fever, aged about 40

Haden Family

1860:

221-211

J. F. Hayden  44 M Planter Alabama

Susan A. Hayden 35 F Alabama

Mary F. Hayden 14 F Louisiana

Sarah A. Hayden 12 F Louisiana

Joseph Hayden 10 M Louisiana

Anna E. Hayden 8 F Louisiana

Leonora Hayden 6 F Louisiana

Ella Hayden 3 F Louisiana

Julia Hayden 7/12 F Texas

CC: Oct. 30th Nora Haden, of the same fever, aged about 7 years. the 6th member from the same family

R. J. Bruce  23 M Overseer Louisiana

1850:

19-19

William Hillard 36 M Merchant Connecticut

C. E. Hillard 29 F England

Mary Hillard 8 F Texas

W. C. Hillard 7 M Mississippi

Thomas T. Hillard 5 M Texas

J. F. Hillard 3 M Texas

H. W. Hillard 3 M Texas

Christina Riss 18 F Germany

Eliza Heyne 13 F Germany

CC: Oct 24th Mrs. Hilliard, the same fever, a communicant of many years standing, aged about 42 years

CC: Oct. 29th 1862 Thos. S. Hilliard of the same fever, aged 16 years
 

Copyright 2004 - Present by Carol Sue Gibbs
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