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Herald and Tribune
10/24/1918, p. 5

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Johnson City Staff
10/21/1918, p. 8

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Herald and Tribune
10/24/1918, p. 5

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Herald and Tribune
11/7/1918, p. 1

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Herald and Tribune
11/14/1918, p. 8

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Herald and Tribune
12/26/1918

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Herald and Tribune
12/12/1918, p. 1

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Johnson City Staff
10/17/1918, p. 8

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"All of the victims died of illness caused by influenza."

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"All of the victims died of illness caused by influenza."

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By the fall of 1918 the influenza pandemic was quickly spreading throughout east Tennessee and local press coverage routinely covered the outbreak. One of the most sobering reminders about the dangers of the flu came in the form of obituaries. While community notes sections in 1918 newspapers covered flu-related topics such as announcing closures and reopenings and covering when people were sick or recovered, obituaries would often remind people of the severity of the disease.

The obituary seen here was published in the Johnson City Staff newspaper on October 21, 1918. It describes not just one death in a family from influenza, but three, all within a week of each other. Cowan Maxwell died on Monday October 14th followed by his mother on Friday October 18th and his father on Saturday October 19th. The family was survived by five children including Arthur C. Maxwell of Johnson City.

Given the severity of the pandemic and the nature of transmission multiple members of the same household contracting the disease, and possibly dying as a result, was not uncommon. Around the same time in Carter County the Cates family also suffered three losses. Between October 17th and October 24th Robert and Rhoda Cates along with their daughter Edna all passed away from flu related illnesses.

People were not only aware that the flu pandemic was dangerous and even unprecedented in their lifetime, they were acutely aware that a diagnosis might be a death sentence. When a member of a household displayed symptoms everyone would be on guard, not only for the afflicted person but for the other members of the home. When a member of the home passed away from the flu, grief would set in as in any other case, but grieving would often have to be put on hold if others had symptoms. In the case of the members of the Maxwell, Cates, and many other families, that grief would be permanently suspended.

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