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From: Cat Nielsen <>
Subject: [MIHOUGHT-L] Spanish Influenza -- 1918
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 12:56:39 -0700

Hi all,

One of my cousins is sharing letters written from the UP to his
grandfather during WWI. The recipient is Russel John Messner, Co. A.
310 Engineers, 6th Battalion, American Expedianiary Forces. This is
part of the group sent to Arcangel after the end of WWI.

In a letter written 7 Nov 1918, Anna Ressman, a member of the church
correspondence committee.

" ...Spanish Influenza has the good old Copper Country in its clutches
all right. Every body's got it, pretty nearly, even unto the man and
his dog. Thank goodness, the state wide ban will be lifted Sunday.
Every thing's been closed for three weeks, churches, schools, theaters,
and every thing else. And when I went home from work every night, I was
afraid the order would include Houses, too, and I'd politely find myself
locked out of house and home. There hasn't been a public funeral inside
of three weeks, and we don't know any more what it is to stand inside of
three feet of any one else when talking to him. Such is life when
Influenza is around. Taking all in all, though it has poor chances of
sticking around in little, old Hubbell. It's too dead for a live germ
like a flu one..."

thought other researchers might enjoy hearing of this difficult time....

Cat Nielsen
Berkeley, CA

Searching: RULE, MARTIN, PAYNTER, GALLOWAY, BONATHAN, NOYE, HIGGINS,
RICHARDS, MESSNER, YORK in Houghton County.

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• [MIHOUGHT-L] Spanish Influenza -- 1918 by Cat Nielsen <>