Of the five children born to Thompson Benton and Elva Shartel Ferguson -- Walter, born 1886; Rowena, 1888; Norma, 1893; Thompson Shartel “Trad,” 1891; and Elfa, 1896 -- only two survived infancy. The three daughters died in infancy or early childhood; only the two sons survived.
At the age of 29, Trad Ferguson was a victim of the Spanish flu epidemic which raged through the country during World War I. He was in uniform, stationed a Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, when he died. It was apparently Elva who wrote Trad’s eulogy. The poignant essay was published in the Watonga Republican, January 18, 1919. ( This Old House… in Watonga by Ellen Shaw.)
In Ellen Shaw’s Ferguson Features from August 12, 1982, Ellen notes that Carol Poole Holman presented an important item to the museum in honor of her father, Ken Poole. It is the Jan. 28, 1919 issue of the Watonga Republican. Ellen states “we purchased a picture frame to hang it by the pictures of the Fergusons. There are four newspaper columns devoted to the funeral services of Tom Shartel Ferguson (Trad). There were services at Fort Sill and Watonga. (I am so glad to find this information in Ellen Shaw’s book, as I find nothing on-line for Tom Shartel Ferguson.
“It does not say which one of the Fergusons wrote it, but it seems to be the mother pouring out her heart in sadness at the loss of her soldier son. The title read, “He has gone to stand revelry on the campgrounds of the great eternal. Not dead but marching on under the banner of the Great Commander.”
The illness now known as the Spanish influenza and later found to be caused by H1N1 influenza A virus, was not even known to be a virus in those years. Persons with serious illness were first reported in Oklahoma City on Sept. 16, 1918 (105 years this week). In a twist of fate, on the day this first case had been reported in Oklahoma City, 10 doctors and dozens of nurses were called into service by the Army and left town for San Antonio, Texas. They would be desperately needed in the weeks to come. https:// www. metrolibrary. org/archives/essay/ 2019/07/spanishinfluenza- pandemic-oklahoma city Most deaths from influenza occurred between September 1918 and April 1919. American combat deaths in World War I totaled 53,402. But about 45,000 American soldiers died of influenza and related pneumonia by the end of 1918.
If you would like to read these two articles at the Ferguson Museum, the curators at the Ferguson Museum will be glad to let you see the stories. And now is the best time to get your influenza vaccine and other indicated vaccines.