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The first smallpox scare for Gadsden, Alabama was back in January 1883, when J.F. Pendergrast of New Orleans came here to build some scales for the Coosa Furnace. He became ill while a guest of the Kittrell Hotel on North Fourth Street. Doctors diagnosis was that Pendergrast had a well-developed case of smallpox. Authorities quarantined the hotel, its guest and employees. Pendergrast, delirious and covered with sores, walked out of the hotel late one night. One of the doctors found him near the Woodliff Livery Stable at Fourth and Chestnut streets. Pendergrast was returned to the hotel where he died. His mother came from New Orleans a few days before his death. The story was that P.J. Smith, manager of the Kittrell Hotel, took Mr. Pendergrast's coffin by a one-horse dray traveling down Broad Street to Twelfth Street and out to Chestnut Street to Forrest Cemetery for burial. P.J. Smith was the lone mourner at the grave. For the first time in history, Gadsden had compulsory vaccination. Doctors went from house to house vaccinating whole families. [The well-written story in the Messenger, an Etowah County Community Paper, was published January 13, 2017, page 6A. The story, compiled by Danny Crownover, tells of smallpox in the Gadsden area and the above mentioned details were just a few excerpts from that article. Well worth viewing this article!] Also, found on the internet is a book "Haunted Etowah County, Alabama" by Mike Goodson which has an article "A One-Horse Dray" regarding the death of J.F. Pendergrast.
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Memorial submitter found a census for J.F. Pendergrast living in New Orleans, LA in 1880:
Name: J.F. Pendergrast
Age: 33
Birth Date: Abt 1847
Birthplace: Ireland
Home in 1880: New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Street: South Side St Andrew Street
House Number: 544
Dwelling Number: 29
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's name: Ellen Griffin
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland
Occupation: Cooper
(in the household with Pendergrast was his widowed mother, Ellen Griffin, head of household, 65, born in Ireland and Mary Commons, 20, born in Louisiana, daughter of Mrs. Griffin. Louisiana birth record for Mary Griffin, born Oct. 23, 1863, New Orleans - father, Michael Griffin and mother, Ellen McConner which may be the Mary Griffin in the 1880 census. The occupation listed on the census: Cooper for J.F. Pendergrast would confirm that he was the one who came to Gadsden to work on the furnace.)
1870 Census New Orleans, LA: ~copied as written~: Ellen Griffen 55; Michl Pendergast 27, occup: cooper; Jno Pendergast 25, occup: cooper; Mary Cummins 10, school student. So, the census reveals that J.F. Pendergrast had a brother whose occupation was also a cooper.
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The first smallpox scare for Gadsden, Alabama was back in January 1883, when J.F. Pendergrast of New Orleans came here to build some scales for the Coosa Furnace. He became ill while a guest of the Kittrell Hotel on North Fourth Street. Doctors diagnosis was that Pendergrast had a well-developed case of smallpox. Authorities quarantined the hotel, its guest and employees. Pendergrast, delirious and covered with sores, walked out of the hotel late one night. One of the doctors found him near the Woodliff Livery Stable at Fourth and Chestnut streets. Pendergrast was returned to the hotel where he died. His mother came from New Orleans a few days before his death. The story was that P.J. Smith, manager of the Kittrell Hotel, took Mr. Pendergrast's coffin by a one-horse dray traveling down Broad Street to Twelfth Street and out to Chestnut Street to Forrest Cemetery for burial. P.J. Smith was the lone mourner at the grave. For the first time in history, Gadsden had compulsory vaccination. Doctors went from house to house vaccinating whole families. [The well-written story in the Messenger, an Etowah County Community Paper, was published January 13, 2017, page 6A. The story, compiled by Danny Crownover, tells of smallpox in the Gadsden area and the above mentioned details were just a few excerpts from that article. Well worth viewing this article!] Also, found on the internet is a book "Haunted Etowah County, Alabama" by Mike Goodson which has an article "A One-Horse Dray" regarding the death of J.F. Pendergrast.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Memorial submitter found a census for J.F. Pendergrast living in New Orleans, LA in 1880:
Name: J.F. Pendergrast
Age: 33
Birth Date: Abt 1847
Birthplace: Ireland
Home in 1880: New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Street: South Side St Andrew Street
House Number: 544
Dwelling Number: 29
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's name: Ellen Griffin
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland
Occupation: Cooper
(in the household with Pendergrast was his widowed mother, Ellen Griffin, head of household, 65, born in Ireland and Mary Commons, 20, born in Louisiana, daughter of Mrs. Griffin. Louisiana birth record for Mary Griffin, born Oct. 23, 1863, New Orleans - father, Michael Griffin and mother, Ellen McConner which may be the Mary Griffin in the 1880 census. The occupation listed on the census: Cooper for J.F. Pendergrast would confirm that he was the one who came to Gadsden to work on the furnace.)
1870 Census New Orleans, LA: ~copied as written~: Ellen Griffen 55; Michl Pendergast 27, occup: cooper; Jno Pendergast 25, occup: cooper; Mary Cummins 10, school student. So, the census reveals that J.F. Pendergrast had a brother whose occupation was also a cooper.
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