Family Records from the Lady Constable Affair

Transcription

1 GENEALOGY l([ and voz D^ing Family Records from the Lady Constable Affair On April, the Lady Constable departed Liverpool for Prince Edward Island. On board were destitute emigrants from the Irish province of Ulster, fleeing the Great Famine that was ravaging their country. There was another, invisible passenger, typhus. Soon it began to kill. By the time the Lady Constable cked in Charlottetown on May, of its weak, malnourished passengers had already perished, Eight others died before the vessel was belatedly put into quarantine, and zens more were sick. No one was sure if the killer had already slipped out into the community. The "Lady Constable Affair" became a cause celebre in the colony as local health officials squabbled over who was responsible and what should be ne. Amid all the political in-fighting, it seemed at times that the authorities had lost sight of the victims. In the beginning, the sick were housed after a fashion in the tiny, dilapidated Quarantine Hospital. It was hopelessly inadequate. In the words of an official report, "from the want of proper accommodation, the condition of the patients was most deplorable, and deaths were taking place every day." After much bitter debate, the patients were finally transferred in mid-june to the new Lunatic Asylum on Brighton Shore, just outside the town. Its inmates were turned out in order to make room. Just when the disease was thought eradicated, there was a fresh outbreak in Charlottetown, and it was January before the last patients were finally discharged. Edited by Edward MacDonald The lists The political bungling that turned tragedy into scandal had one positive benefit for future genealogists. In its Report to the House of Assembly in (published as Appendix F of its Journal), the Board of Health published the names of the patients treated during the disaster. At a time when census returns reported only heads of households, the lists are a rare and valuable addition to the existing body of genealogical information. Women and children are named here, along with ages, and, occasionally, family relationships. The spare, impersonal lists conceal human tragedies. Consider, for example, the Noones, who lost two of theirfour children. Or the Finnigans, who saw their six-weekold baby and one other child die. Or little John M'Quaid, who refused all nourishment and medicine, dead at age seven. Or Mrs. Jackson, who nursed the patients until she herself came wn with typhus; she died on July. The medical diagnoses, usually either typhus or dysentery, should be regarded with caution; the state of medical knowledge during the era was notably feeble. Most of the names on the lists appear to be of Irish extraction, but it would be wrong to assume that all of the patients were passengers on the Lady Constable. The

2 appearance of names like Byers and Shepherd, surnames usually associated with Charlottetown's black community, merely illustrate that the failure to place the emigrant vessel immediately into quarantine had allowed the epidemic to spread into the town. In all there are names on the several lists; deaths are recorded. Some patients appear twice, having been moved from one hospital to another. Others, such as -year-old Ellen Trainer and her daughter Ellen Jr., were discharged only to be readmitted a few days later. Ellen Sr. did not survive her second hospitalization. The lists are reprinted as found. As is usual with lists of this sort, the spelling of surnames should be approached with an open mind. Michael Noone Mary Noone Man Noone Judy Noone William Noone Bridget Noone Catherine Hughes Thomas Hughes Edward Hughes Ann M'Kenna Mary Maloney Mary Maloney Margaret Maloney Mary M'Cowal James Flanning Margaret Flanning Mary Flanning Elizabeth Leitchfield Joseph Leitchfield Fred. Leitchfield Matilda Leitchfield Bidy M'Avery Mary M'Avery Rosy M'Avery Helen M'Avery Sophia Morell Ann Jane Morell Isabella Morell Rosy M'Quaid James M'Quaid Mary M'Quaid Pat. M'Quaid John M'Quaid John Finningan Rosa Finningan Job Finningan John Finningan Henry Finningan Francis Finningan Mary Finningan Job Carver Ann Carver list of Sick in the Quarantine Hospital, Charlottetown Admitted 9 9 m'ths 0 9. / w'ks May June..... Dysn't and cough cold after me'sls. Measles Pnuemonia Cough, &c.. Typhus fever Cough Measles. fever & dysentry Atrophy Typhus. May May May May May May When Remain- d ing May.... June. June.. Father of children in hospital Mother of. severe cough with expectoration Mother of children in Hospital Caught cold after Subsequent to Mother of the following children Cough subsequent to.. Mother of the following Refused nourishment and medicine Cold subsequent to Father of sick children Mother of. A desperate case from the first Subsequent to

3 Admitted When d Remaining John Walker Biddy Keon Mary Keon Biddy Keon Ann Sherry Mary M'Kenna Nelly Trainer Robert Hamy Margaret Morell James Morell William Hanny May June " " Typ. & dysentry. Tyhpus Typhus Fever Fever May 9 June.. A severe and complicated attack Another severe and acute case Totals admitted, d Return of Sick Treated in the Lunatic Asylum, from the th June, to the nd November,. as c? s P Yeai i Mont! % % s David Morell Sophia Morell Margaret Morell Ann Jane Morell James Morell Isabella Morell Robert Hannah William Hannah 9 Ellen Trainer MaryMcKenna Ellen Trainer, jun. Andrew Regan Patrick Berrigan OwenMcEwie James McQuade Mary McQuade Patrick McQuade Rose McQuade 9 Bridget Casscelly 0 Mary Casscelly Bridget Casscelly Margaret Casscelly MaryMcKenna Bernard McKenna Rebecca Lichfield Joseph Lichfield Mathilda Lichfield AnnGarven 9 Catharine Maloy Anthony Maloy Patrick Maloy Patrick M'Mahon Mary Regan Bridget Regan Mary Regan Sylvester Hammell Margaret Hammell Mary Hammell th June th " th" th July th June th " th " st " st " d November d August d November d " st July st " st " 0th August 9th " th September th " th " th November st July st " st u th June th " th " th July djune th June th June th June o

4 i? 9 Margaret Walker George Watson Elizabeth darken MaryMcEwie James McEwie Alexdr. M'Kinnon Ann McMahon Ellen Trainer Ellen Trainer jun MaryMcEwar 9 Mary Trainer 0 Margaret Casscelly Bridget Casscelly Margaret Casscelly Joseph Goldin Mrs. Jackson Bella Kearns John Kearns Ann Griffin William Smith 9 Thomas Bim 0 John Butler James McMahon James Kearns Thomas Kearns Susan Lilly Ann Lilly Lilly Wright Fanny Carpenter Chas. Wm. Strong 9 Elizabeth Boylan 0 Ann Moor MaryShepperd Michael Bradly Amelia Byers John Kearns Keziah Byers Charles Walsh Henry Bryant George Byers 9 Susan Byers 0 Eliza Winsor George Carpenter Susan Carpenter William Carpenter H.B.Williams Ann Paul Margaret Bertram William Compton s! & 0 VI s Dropsy th June th " 0th " d " d " 9th " th July th " 9th " th " th " th " th " th " st " d August th " th " th " th " th " th " th " 9th " st " th " th " th " th Sept th October d " th Nov th " d September d June th July th June th " th July d August st July 0th August th July th August th July th August th " th " 9th August 9th " th October th August 9th " th September d " th August d " th September th August 0th " th September d " th October th September th October d November d " th October d November th July d August d July d August d November th November th November Nurse attending on the sick Mary Ann Burns Jane Paul Jane Paran Rosanna Paran* and Return of Sick in the Lunatic Asylum, from th November to th December, Thypus Fever Ulcers Thypus Fever th November th December 9th. 9th. th December

5 Mary Paran* George Paran* Elizabeth Paran* William Coles Mrs. M'Pherson * The above children i... Lunatic 9th December th. th. th. th. ire the family of Jane Paran, and have got no person to take care of them. and discharge Return of Sick in the Lunatic Asylum, from th December,, to th January, Ann Paul Ann Paran* Rosanna Paran* Mary Paran* George Paran* Elizabeth Paran* William Coles Catherine M'Pherson Ellen M'Grath Patrick Carrigan Ulcers Lunatic Cancer th December 9th. 9th. 9th. th. th. th. th. th. th. d December..... th January *The family of Ann Paran A priest blesses a group of Irish emigrants. 9