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Our Nation's Capital's Historic German-American Cemetery Established 1858 |
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The city of Washington began recording deaths in 1855. During the first years information was sporadic, often incomplete. Then the Civil War began. The city could no longer keep up with the many deaths that were occurring, so it stopped recording deaths from 1861 through 1865. After the war, record-keeping began again, and for several years improvement was made in completeness of death certificates. When the smallpox epidemics hit in 1872 and 1873, once again it became difficult to keep complete records. It was not until around 1874 that death certificates carried complete information to the extent that it was available. The original burial records of Prospect Hill Cemetery from 1859 through 1885 contain only the following information: either name or an entry indicating relationship to head of household ("wife of …;" "child of …"; etc.); date buried; location of gravesite in cemetery; and lot owner. It may or may not have been a coincidence that complete records began when the cemetery hired its first superintendent. In the past several years volunteers have been researching these early deaths, and in many cases some of the missing information has been found and is now recorded. The medical hardships of the second half of the 19th century is exhibited in the fact that at Prospect Hill from 1859 through 1899 half of all burials were children. Medical Terms In many cases the cause of death listed on a 19th century death certificate is not one that we are familiar with today. Some of these terms include: Anasarca—edema; accumulation of serum in subcutaneous connective tissue Apoplexy—cerebrovascular accident, stroke Ascites—excess serous fluid in peritoneal cavity Asthenia—abnormal loss of strength resulting in debility, feebleness, frailness, infirmity Atelectasis—incomplete expansion of lungs Bilious fever—intestinal or malarial fever; typhoid, hepatitis Brain fever—encephalitis, typhus Brain inflammation—meningitis (usually) Bright's disease—kidney disease Cachexia—malnutrition, severe weakness Carbuncle—deep-seated infection that spreads and is hard to clear up Catarrh—inflammation of the nose and throat with increased production of mucus Cerebritis—encephalitis; lead poisoning Childbed fever—often fatal blood poisoning resulting from childbirth or abortion Cholera—acute infection disease, often fatal. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting, leading to dehydration. Cholera infantum--often fatal form of gastroenteritis occurring in young children, particularly during warm weather; symptoms include fever, diarrhea, vomiting and fever, often followed by shock and death. Colica—infection with abdominal symptoms Congestion of brain—hydrocephalus Congestion of lungs—pulmonary edema Congestive chills—malaria with diarrhea Congestive fever—malaria Consumption—tuberculosis Coup de soleil—sunstroke Dentition—teething; death believed to be cause by mismedication, or at times cutting the gum to allow tooth to emerge Dropsy—edema; excessive fluid accumulation in body Dyspepsia—indigestion Edema—excessive accumulation of fluid Enteric fever—typhoid fever Erysipelas—acute infectious disease with dark red inflammation of the skin Hemoptysis—the coughing up of blood, usually from severe infection of bronchi or lungs Inanition—starvation Intermittent fever—malaria; a fever that recurs La grippe—influenza Marasmus—extreme malnutrition, emaciation Paresis—paralysis Pernicious Fever—a form of malaria Phthisis pulmonalis—pulmonary tuberculosis Puerperal Fever—often fatal blood poisoning in a woman who has just given birth or had an abortion Pulmonary apoplexy—escape of blood into air-cells and interstitial tissue of lung Remittent Fever—a form of malaria Sciatica—pain down a leg caused by irritation of sciatic nerve Scrofula—tuberculosis of lymph nodes, especially in the neck Softening of brain—stroke; apoplexy Summer complaint—diarrhea; heat exhaustion Tabes mesenterica—infection with abdominal symptoms Trismus nascentium—spasm of jaw in newborn child; tetanus Trismus—spasm of jaw; tetanus White swelling—tubercular enlargement of joint or other body part without heat and redness Other Terms Found in PHC Records With the passing of information from a German-speaking family to an English-speaking doctor or city official and then from the city back to the German-speaking cemetery, at times unusual causes of death were recorded, such as these medical conditions from our records: Absent of brain Acute alcoholic drowning Acute chronic exhaustion Antic hemoris Arctic regurgitation Cerebro spiral Chronic upritis Coronary conclusion Cupullary bundatis Decrepitude Disease of the gall bladder Foxemia Hypertrophy of Lion Out and out expiration Passive congestion of brain Pastural hypertension Senile decay Supposed to be poisoned Teutonitis Volvular acces of head Home |