 Both of Nancy Kendall’s parents died of illness shortly after moving to Iowa. They left six children behind. Nancy, the oldest, was scarcely 17 years old. It is a story we often read about in historical writings and diaries of those days long ago. Life was brutal. Scores of disease events, both bacterial and viral, have been around from the beginning. Each scourge, epidemic and pandemic is unique. Leprosy, the Black Plague, TB, polio, small pox, typhoid and thousands of other afflictions decimated populations. Our native people, immigrants from other countries, indigenous people around the world suffered, and entire cultures were sometimes wiped out.  Depiction of Aztec victims of a 16th century epidemic Most of us experienced the ravages of disease in our own lifetimes. For me, the polio epidemic, and then later HIV, were the most frightening because they were so puzzling. Many of us felt we would never gain control of our world again. A pandemic is the place we never want to reach. “We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918” is a film that describes what living through that deadly epidemic was like and its effects on the world. The "Bells" in the title refers to church bells that chimed when victims died. The sound was a terrifying reminder for the living. Each time I watch my heart swells as I listen to the interviews. The 1918 influenza was a mystery to doctors of the time. It hit young people the hardest. No one knew where it came from. As many as 100 million people died in two years. Why so deadly? Drs. Anthony Fauci and Johan Hultin are among the experts interviewed in the film. Dr. Hultin was so intent on finding out what made the 1918 virus lethal that he traveled to Alaska in the 1950s and again in the 1990s, to retrieve preserved tissue from flu victims buried in the tundra. Dr. Hultin made discovering what made this virus so deadly the focus of his life's work. His 1951 expedition to Alaska where he gained permission from Native elders, resulted in virus tissues, but Hultin was unable to replicate the virus back in the lab. In 1997, at 72 years old, retired and living in San Francisco, Hultin happened upon an article in the journal Science that drew his mind back to the 1918 flu once more. Molecular pathologist, Jeffery Taubenberger and his colleagues had managed to isolate virus specimens from two young 1918 flu victims. But, the sample size was small. He needed more. Dr. Hultin wrote Taubenberger immediately. Hultin found himself back at the same Alaska village he traveled to many years before. Again with Native elder permission, he retrieved preserved virus samples that in time led to its origin as well as a vaccine to prevent an outbreak from occurring again. I highly recommend "We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918." It offers insight into the situation in which we now find ourselves. Learn more about Hultin's expeditions and Taubenberger's research in this fascinating article from the Anchorage Daily News, "How an Alaska village grave led to a Spanish flu breakthrough." Also, available for streaming is the PBS American Experience episode "Influenza 1918." The lessons learned from the deadly 1918 influenza outbreak and the preserved samples have given scientists tools and insight into the fight against COVID-19.  Dr. Hultin in 1997 at Alaskan dig site where so many died of the 1918 flu; they were buried in a mass grave. Photo courtesy of Johan Hultin "It is absolutely certain another pandemic will come, but we don’t know what form it will be. The question is, How can we be forewarned?" — Johan Hultin, February 2002
As a non-scientist, I only have stories to tell. The virologists are some of the real heroes here. And so far on the road of existence, we have been able to cope with scourges in the end. Even now, we see light in the distance because of the tireless efforts of the Biden administration.
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 Nancy Kendall's description of Mr. McDonald's visit. " ... a man by the name of MC Donald Came Round. Soliciting Subscribers to his Paper Annouced he would Lecture on Freesoilism and some of the Citizens Said if he did they would Egg him. He came on they were there with their basked of Eggs 4 or 5 of them it was Warm Weather. Stoped with Prairy Team. Stoped in front of the door with their Whips in their hand ..." - from the Journal of Nancy Kendall* The Free-Soil Party was a short-lived but influential political party in the pre-Civil War era. The Party opposed extending slavery to the quickly growing western American territories. The party slogan called for "free soil, free speech, free labor and free men." The news of Mr. McDonald's visit caused considerable consternation among Nancy Kendall's neighbors. With whips and eggs in hand, Mr. McDonald's visit could have led to violence. But, as Nancy continues her story, an interesting dynamic occurred. Mr. McDonald arrived at the crowded meeting house and, instead of going inside, he stayed in the doorway so those inside and outside could hear his words. In Nancy's words, "he talked about an hour ther were no Eggs thrown no disturbance of any kind."* The Free-Soil Party held a state convention in Washington, Iowa, as well. Hoping for a modest turnout, attendance reached far beyond expectations. Nancy cooked "dinner and supper" for 17 people. Mr. McDonald gave a presentation and many in attendance subscribed to his newspaper.  Description of the Free Soil Party Convention The head of the Free-Soil Party was Henry Stanton, husband of the suffragette, Susan Cady Stanton. Other well-known abolitionists active in the Free-Soil party included Frederick Douglas, the Beecher family, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman and John Greenleaf Whittier. The Free-Soil Party enjoyed brief revivals in 2014 and gained attention again in 2019.  A Free Soil Party Banner from 1848 *Transcribed from Nancy Kendall's journal with original spellings and punctuation.
Shortly after Nancy Jones, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and siblings arrived in Iowa, both of her parents became ill with typhoid fever and died within a day of one another. This tragic event left young Nancy, not yet 20 years old, in charge of her five younger siblings. A couple of her brothers attempted to continue work on the house for the Jones children, but both of these young men suffered from illnesses themselves in those first years. At 19 years of age, Nancy became responsible for feeding and housing five siblings in a new part of the country without a completed house to call home.  *See source below. Andrew Kendall was a recent immigrant to Iowa from Pennsylvania. Andrew and Nancy met in Washington and fell in love. Nancy was 20 and Andrew 30 when they married.  *See source below. Nancy believed in her father's dedication to abolitionism. It is likely that the home's secluded location on the outskirts of Washington was chosen with the Underground Railroad in mind. Andrew was a gifted and talented craftsman and builder and went right to work on completing the large home the Jones boys had begun. He originally wanted to build the home out of wood but lumber was not readily available. Instead, he made the 60-mile drive to a brick factory in Burlington a number of times to build the family home.  The Miss Kendall referred to here was a daughter of Nancy and Andrew. *See source below.  Although not documented, the Kendall home may have included secret hideaways for fleeing slaves. Many abolitionist homeowners did just that. Reverend Alexander Dobbin's historic home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, contains sliding shelves that conceal a large crawlspace with room for several adults. Other abolitionists were defiantly bold in their work. Quaker businessman Thomas Garrett of Wilmington, Delaware, made no attempt to hide what he did. He was harassed, threatened, assaulted and heavily fined for his troubles. After a court forced him to pay $5,400 in assessed damages in a staggering financial loss, he declared, "... I will go home and put another story on my house, so that I can accommodate more of God's poor." Andrew Kendall was too old to go to war when it broke out but vowed to help the cause of anti-slavery any way he could. He and Nancy worked to become a haven for fleeing slaves even as their own family responsibilities grew. Together, Nancy and Andrew Kendall dedicated themselves to helping fugitive slaves find freedom.
Next time - Nancy Kendall tells the story of a Free Soil Party member's visit and how the town reacted. * From the article "Helping the Fugitive Slave Thru Iowa," published in The Burlington Hawk-Eye, Sunday Morning Edition, May 15, 1921. Byline: Alex R. Miller As 17-year-old Nancy and her family made their way from Kentucky to Iowa, the Underground Railroad movement was active. It was, as we know, a politically charged time for the nation and would lead us into one of the most devastating and bloody wars we, as a country, would ever face. Abolitionists were involved in a dangerous business, of course, since owning slaves was still legal, and running them down as rightful property was expected. Although we generally think of the Underground Railroad as a series of specific routes, according to The Atlantic writer Adam Goodheart in his March 2015 article, "The Secret History of the Underground Railroad: Eric Foner explores how it really worked,” that wasn't the case. Goodheart explains "Yet its tracks ran not just through twisting tunnels but also on sunlit straightaways. Its routes and timetables constantly shifted."  National Park Service Map of Known Underground Railroad Routes The National Park Service map pictured above is of known Underground Railroad routes. The Park Service updates the map as more routes are discovered. See a larger image in the Gallery. New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, a descendant of slaves, in a recent interview with NPR’s Terri Gross, talked about the discovery that some of her ancestors settled in Iowa. But, Iowa was not the westernmost edge of the many routes to freedom. Little has been written about Clarina Nichols' contribution to the Railroad and civil rights in the Kansas Territory. We’ll talk more about Clarina Nichols in future posts. However, western Underground Railroad treks went as far as and around the Pacific coast.  Covered Wagon & Oxen The 1842 trip from Kentucky to the "New Terrytory of Iowa"* took Nancy’s family about four weeks. They were as well- equipped as emigrants could be at that time. They had two large wagons filled with household goods, beds, bedding and other necessities.
They were fitted with a yoke of oxen, driven by a hired man. Nancy and her father drove the second wagon. Nancy’s younger brothers rode alongside on horseback. They pitched tents at night, traveled six days a week and rested on the Sabbath. Read More... |
Nancy JeanNancy Jean is a woman of several lives and careers, including school teacher, homemaker, parent, amateur musician and writer. Read more... Archives
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