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Deep sorrows for family long gone.

Your stories may have been buried with you, but your great grandchildren will know of you,
what you went through, and the world and what you saw through your eyes.

History shows us patterns on repeat.

Are you willing to piece the puzzles together and believe what they tell you or what you see for yourself?

#CassCountyAncestors #RIP #BlocksOfFive #PanicOf1893 #Turnpaugh #MoneyMonopoly #RussianFlu #CityOfBridges #LaGrippe #Indiana #SecretBallot #Railroad

Having trouble reading it? No worries, here’s the information from the video.

For those who can, make sure to read behind the words to see clips I added; book mentions, family photos+

Want to play a game?

1. Systemic Voter Fraud~ The “Blocks of Five” scandal in 1888 revealed a culture of organized vote-buying where “floaters” (voters with no fixed party loyalty) were paid to cast specific ballots. This scandal was so egregious that it forced Indiana to adopt the secret ballot in 1889 to curb corruption.

Labor Strikes and the Panic of 1893~ The Panic of 1893 triggered a massive economic depression, leading to widespread business failures and unemployment as high as 20%. In Logansport, railroad strikes became so disruptive that the ‘#state #militia’ was called in to disperse disgruntled workers.

2. The main concerns of Indiana’s Populist farmers in the 1890s centered on economic survival in the face of falling crop prices, rising debt, and a belief that the “money monopoly” of banks and railroads was rigged against them. This movement grew out of deep frustration that neither major political party addressed the struggles of the agricultural class.

The Russian flu used major railway hubs like Logansport in Cass County to move across continents in just a few months.

(Photo of #Turnpaugh, #Collins, #Layton, #Snyder family line)

3. Local Connection~
Cass County, Indiana.

As a major regional railroad hub-often called the “City of Bridges” or “Little #Chicago”-#Logansport in Cass County was particularly vulnerable.

The constant traffic of the #Pennsylvania Railroad and #Wabash Railroad lines meant that infected passengers and crew members frequently passed through, likely contributing to the high mortality spikes seen in local records between 1890 and 1892.

4. The Russian flu (1889-1890) is recognized as the first pandemic of the “industrial era,” primarily because the global expansion of railroad networks acted as a high-speed delivery system for the virus. Unlike previous pandemics that moved at the slow pace of animal-drawn travel, this outbreak circled the globe in just a few months by riding the rails.

Rapid Inland Movement meant more deaths. In the U.S., the virus reached the East Coast via steamship but then spread rapidly across the interior using the vast network of railroads. It reached the U.S. just 70 days after its rapid proliferation in Europe.

(Photo of the ladies in the family. Ethel Turnpaugh+)

5. The Russian flu pandemic (also known as “La Grippe”) reached Indiana in January 1890, following rail and modern transportation routes from the East Coast. In the three years following its arrival, an estimated 3,200 people died specifically from the flu in Indiana, while approximately 11,700 died from combined respiratory complications, including pneumonia.

Paralysis and Sequelae? Yup! Long-term “debility” was common. Local doctors noted that while the direct mortality seemed light to some, it left many in a weakened state, leading to fatal secondary infections or “paralysis” of the heart or respiratory muscles.

(Photo: text- boots he owned not, and shoes the poor man did not have and when he came near the house where the deceased lay..)

6. In the late 19th century, “paralysis” was frequently listed on death certificates in Cass County, Indiana, as both a primary cause and a symptom of other fatal conditions. During the 1888-1900 period, this term often masked specific diseases that medical science of the era could not yet fully differentiate or that carried social stigmas.

Controversial Origins~ While long
identified as an influenza strain, modern researchers have theorized it may actually have been a coronavirus pandemic (specifically the ancestor of human coronavirus HCoV-OC43) due to its distinct neurological symptoms and high transmission rates.

(Photo: Death Cert of Ethel)

7. High death rates in Cass County, Indiana, between 1888 and 1900 were driven largely by infectious diseases, particularly during the 1890 “Russian flu” pandemic, which led to a “significant increase” in deaths from pneumonia and respiratory issues.

8. Impact on Cass County and Surrounding Areas, Local observations from diaries and health reports in 1890 illustrate the pandemic’s rapid and widespread nature in north-central Indiana.

Widespread Illness noted. In nearby Fulton County, health reports noted that “nearly everybody was sick with it” during the peak. In Clinton County, physicians recorded roughly 3,000 cases-nearly 11% of the population at the time.

Recurrent “Waves”..The initial January 1890 outbreak was followed by even more lethal waves in the spring of 1891 and the winter of 1891-1892. In Indiana, the January wave was significantly more fatal than the original 1890 peak.

So, how many 🌊 waves will it take for us to wake up?

How many 👋 waves will it be until we connect more dots?

How’s your health? #CallMeAConspiracist 🤪
#SillyMe #TricksR4Kids #ItsAllFunAndGames #NoReally