IMH 74:4 353

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

Sunday, December 5th.

The sky though not entirely free from clouds was more or less clear all day, but the wind blew raw, cold and hard
from the north and west, and it got colder all day. I wandered over nearly to the creek church this forenoon but
concluded that everybody would be a fair weather christian especially as I saw no signs of vitality, so I came home
again, getting here just as Wat, Em, and the children arrived in the buggy. They were here till about 4 o'clock, having
got here between ten and eleven. Alvin is grunting around with a small attack of toothhache.

A year ago at five o clock in the morning Charley died after a night of suffering.

Teaching Notes: The 1880 census contains some interesting and useful data concerning the nation's health issues.
Enumerators asked if any person in a household had died that previous year and what was the cause of death. Charley
died of comsumption...tuberculosis...at the age of 27. That is the same age that William Gregory was to die as was
it the same age for his brother Alvin to die-- it is a sobering thought.