George E. Jones (1835 - 1867)

Husband of Mary Frances (Harris) Jones — married about 1861 in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, United States [uncertain]

Died 13 Oct 1867 at about age 32 in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

George E. Jones, who was born in 1835, died of yellow fever in Memphis, Tennessee on 13 Oct 1967.^[1] He was a moulder by trade^[2] which was, according to Wikipedia -

A Moldmaker (mouldmaker in British English) or molder is a skilled trades worker who makes molds for use in metalworking and other manufacturing industries.^[3]

From the autobiography of Mary Harris Jones-

I went back to teaching again, this time in Memphis, Tennessee. Here I was married in 1861. My husband was an iron moulder^[2] and a member of the Iron Moulders' Union.

In 1867, a fever epidemic swept Memphis. Its victims were mainly among the poor and the workers. The rich and the well-to-do fled the city. Schools and churches were closed. People were not permitted to enter the house of a yellow fever victim without permits. The poor could not afford nurses. Across the street from me, ten persons lay dead from the plague. The dead surrounded us. They were buried at night quickly and without ceremony. All about my house I could hear weeping and the cries of delirium. One by one, my four little children sickened and died. I washed their little bodies and got them ready for burial. My husband caught the fever and died. I sat alone through nights of grief. No one came to me. No one could. Other homes were as stricken as was mine. All day long, all night long, I heard the grating of the wheels of the death cart.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Memphis, Tennessee Death Register, 1867, p115.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Halpin's City Directory, 1867, Memphis, Tennesee. p150.
3. ↑ Moldmaker/Mouldmaker, at Wikipedia.
4. ↑ The Autobiography of Mother Jones. Mary Harris Jones.Chicago, IL. Charles H. Kerr & Company. 1925. p.11.