Noted historian J.C. Knowles has a column in the Topsail Advertiser that is always a good read. Awhile back, he had one on the yellow fever epidemic in Wilmington in 1962.
It his both Wilmington and Smithville, now called Southport.
In 1862, Robert Brown sailed to Nassau on board a blockade-runner, died of yellow fever and was buried. His clothing was returned to his father in Wilmington. Shortly after it arrived, several family members caught the disease and died. Locals thought it had come from the clothing as no one at the time thought it was transmitted from mosquitoes.
The November 3, 1862 Fayetteville (NC) Observer listed these people as dying at Wilmington in October:
12th-- John Stephens
18th-- William Cookman from Ireland, age 50
20th-- Agnes Houston, age 13
24th-- Thomas Cahoo, age 32
25th-- George Jaques, age 13
Joesph W. Clemmons
One Horrible Epidemic. And the Sad Thing Is That They Didn't Know What Was causing It. --Old B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
