I am attaching a letter (see link below) from my grandfather, Franklin Bristol II,
to his older brother Howard in October 1918. At that time, he was 17 years old and was attending boarding school at
the Gunnery in Washington, Connecticut.
Interestingly, the letter mentions the great concern at that
time for influenza. This pandemic
reportedly killed about 50 to 100 million people worldwide between 1918 and 1920. The virus mostly affected young adults and
ended up killing far more people than were killed by World War I (about 17
million).
I am also posting a photo (one of my favorites) that is labeled "Franklin B Bristol." This photo appears to have been taken a little earlier, perhaps when Papa was around 15 (?). It is difficult to tell where it was taken but the road slopes downward and there appears to be an automobile behind him. Perhaps the photo was taken near their home in Platts Mills in Waterbury.
I am also posting a photo (one of my favorites) that is labeled "Franklin B Bristol." This photo appears to have been taken a little earlier, perhaps when Papa was around 15 (?). It is difficult to tell where it was taken but the road slopes downward and there appears to be an automobile behind him. Perhaps the photo was taken near their home in Platts Mills in Waterbury.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteA great letter, especially as it captures some of the details of what the country was going through during the influenza pandemic. There is a great book that you should read, that puts Papa's letter in the context of the period. It is written by John Barry in 2005 titled: "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History" You can get it on Amazon.
DAB, Jr.
Thanks David, it is a fascinating subject and that book has gotten some great reviews on Amazon. Interestingly, at that time, the US may have been downplaying the severity of the pandemic to focus on World War I (which ended in November 1918) so most people had no idea how serious it was becoming and then how many people would eventually die. On the positive side, it apparently had a major influence on medicine and scientific research and is hopefully a good lesson for future flu outbreaks. It is amazing to get such a personal account from Papa about what was going on during that time.
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