1918 influenza pandemic survivor interview: Mrs. Edna Boone, interviewed 2008

my name is Edna register boom I was born in 1907 in rural Houston County Alabama we moved away from the farm when I was three years old and moved into the little town of Madrid still Houston County at times were troubled a warakorn on the flu epidemic that followed the boll weevil three catastrophes right there a new disease just like another epidemic would be perhaps maybe not the flu but something else and it would be a new disease we would have to learn to deal with it I was ten years old and my family was the only family in the little town that did not contact the flu therefore my parents became automatic nurses they nursed every family in town and one family in particular my was outside of a town limits my father and uncle Eli home when when we called his manservant Doga common grave and buried three people in it mother father and a young dollar unfortunately we had no sanitary conditions in the area at that time so the people were buried in the clothes they died in and wrapped in the seats because there was no way to no one to wash the bed linens for them so they were buried in a common grave I do not remember a single Church burial caused by the Asian flu it was prevalent the greatest problem of course was getting medication only had one doctor dr. Andres a wonderful man he did the best he could we had no penicillin no sofa nothing to treat that dreadful disease of course there was wagon loads of sick people lined up at his front door all the time if you loaded a sick person whom you could no longer help and put him in a wagon which is what most transportation was put him in that vehicle and take him to Dothan to a hospital that chances are that patient would be dead when they got there okay if it wasn't there would be no room the rooms would be filled the doctors would be worked to capacity that's why most families just buried their own dead the year of flu itself the so called a I think they called it the Asian flu eylem affected the throat and the the windpipe and chest and lack of medication we had a little drugstore and he had of pharmacist a hired pharmacist but he could only supply paregoric or maybe Mentholatum I don't know what kind of what kind of aunt once they put on their chest but that's about all there was and my mother's would take a half a teaspoonful of soda and put it in a glass of water for each of us my twin brothers and for me and we would drink that before breakfast I've often thought that that's what saved us she said that that soda would neutralize the system and we would be less subject to pick up the germ it must have worked because we were the only family in entire family that escaped having that dreadful flu it was my job as a ten-year-old to take food to people to families that were all of them stricken mama would put a gauze bandage around my face and he kept sterilized fruit jars on the stove at all times and she would fill those jars with soup or whatever there was and I would take those jobs to the home of an unaffected family knock on the door and leave the food at the door for someone to come pick it up it was not a pretty picture it was my job to see that the you know the old fashioned ranges that we cooked with had a reservoir a hot water reservoir attached to the side of the stove it was my job to see that that red wall was full all the time and of course I had to haul water up out of a will but that wasn't offered 14 year old but anyway that and it was my job my friend brothers job to see that there was plenty of wood cook for the fireplaces and the stove one thing I remember that my father did there was an open space on one side of our house would they the west side of it papa plowed up totally I don't know what the measurement was but I'd say fourth of an acre and planted sweet potatoes and I would say that half of the community lived off that potato pants because there no one was able to go shopping no one was able to cook they could bake make a few potatoes even if it was in the fireplace I knew I had to participate I knew that my family was being protected I was raised in a Christian family and we had our evening prayers I was just I knew I had to do my part I came home one day I don't know where I had been but I came home and Mama will stretched out on a pallet in front of the fireplace oh I panicked mama mama are you are you sick she said no child I'm just so tired I wanted to get his clothes to the fire as I she said I knew if I got into that bed the cheese's I might not ever get up and we were like a great big family you might see I doubt if we had 200 residents it brought families closer together and it brought our little town closer together because we all suffered losses one way or the other if not through war then through the epidemic oh my goodness what if it happened suddenly saving in three or four days or some sort of epidemic sweep through I think the only thing I could just suggest about that is to be aware that it could happen again children need to learn about what could happen of course I'm sure hospitals are aware but the shockwave that sets in when something like this happens kind of stuns people you know they go beyond thinking correctly and not the times I would come in and I would cry because of all the sickness it was around me and I knew that that sickness was deadly it was it was depressing to me be aware be aware

Channel: Alabama Department of Archives & History

Views: 1,533,009

Rating: 4.9059052 out of 5

Keywords: Alabama, 1918 Flu Pandemic (Disaster), interview

Id: 7k20VFZeLKY

Length: 11min 1sec (661 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 27 2012

Reddit Comments

[u/RussianPotatoPrinces]

It’s bizarre. The way she speaks resonates loudly to our current day. “Bringing food to the neighbour and leaving it on the step”. Burying your dead because there isn’t room for a proper church funeral. Wrapping your face for mundane tasks.

History repeats itself my friends. Our friends and loved ones are dying. Rapidly. We’re learning to deal with a new reality. Just like this lovely lady learned.

We will come out the other side. It’s just going to take time and pain, unfortunately. When we speak 70 years from now I hope we can speak with the grace and acceptance this woman does.

[u/Violincello10]

From the Washington Post.. Josh Rogin put it best. « World Health Organization guidelines warning that referring to the geographical origin of an illness in the name stigmatizes the people there. Surely, many who are using “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus” are not racist. And surely, some are. For the person on the receiving end, there’s no difference. « 

[u/matthewryanrobinson6]

This flu killed 1% of the worlds population. It makes the Covid-19 one seem like nothing.

[u/dawn-of-pickles]

This is making me cry. I feel this way too. Here we are. What will come of this when it’s over? Should we remember that this can and will happen again 100 years from now, or less? Check on your friends and family, people. Los Angeles is being asked to wear masks outdoors. We will be getting ours from a relative soon.

[u/kfendley]

Thank you for sharing this

[u/CriticalTinkerer]

Did she say bull weavil? I looked it up https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_weevil

[u/Violincello10]

Violence against Asian Americans is up drastically in the past couple of weeks. If you’re actually Chinese/American and haven’t seen the effects of this uptick personally, then reconsider your position for those that are seeing violence, due to this whole way of thinking. It’s fine if you don’t feel guilty, I get that. It’s not your fault, you obviously shouldn’t feel guilty, hence the reason that the virus should be simply be called Covid 19. I’m done with this.. best of luck to ya