Excerpt from American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane, Woodstock, NY
By Janine-Fallon Mower, 2007
The happy, contented lives of John, Esther and their three
young children, Allan, Priscilla and Anita took an unpredictable turn during
the winter of 1925 as New York State was experiencing one of the worst measles
outbreaks in reported history.[i] As
one might expect with a highly contagious disease, in the spring of 1926, all
three Mower children contracted the illness. The treatment for measles was
simple, considering it had the potential to be life threatening. Mothers would
treat the fever with bed rest, the sore throat with fluids, and the sensitivity
to light by maintaining the sick child in a darkened room. Perhaps the most
effective weapon against the spread of measles within a community was to
quarantine the sick child until the fever was over. This would be difficult to
do within a small household with three little children. Esther would spend
Mother’s day, May 2, 1926, tending to a sick family.
During the mid 1920’s, cases of influenza, German measles,
and whooping cough were part of a group of diseases that state officials were
beginning to document. Deaths in the state of New York from typhoid and
diphtheria were unusually high, however, throughout the state, reports for 1926
indicated that there is a state wide epidemic of measles developing. Deaths
from the German measles were reported to number 133 individuals as of April 28, 1926. When compared to the same time the previous year, only 8 deaths had been
reported. Additionally, 14,000 cases of
measles had been reported to state health officials by early spring of 1926. A
significant increase when compared to 1,500 cases reported statewide for the
year before.
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| Esther Jones Mower on Overlook |
Unfortunately for the Mower’s of Maple Lane, John contracted
the disease as well, a busy time for a man who ran a fresh fruit and vegetable
business. There were fields to plow, seeds to be sown in the good fertile earth
on Maple Lane. While exhibiting a work ethic very similar to that of his
Palatine ancestors, diligent, hard working, self sufficient, John continued his
daily routine until he was found prostrate with illness. Local doctors failed
to strongly caution John and Esther as to the seriousness of an adult
contracting a virulent illness like measles. By the time his sister-in-law, Ora
Bell Jones, arrived from Boston to help nurse the weary family back to health,
John was seriously ill with pneumonia. Ora insisted he be taken to the
Benedictine Hospital in Kingston. There he was diagnosed with spinal meningitis
and mastoiditis.
It was a beautiful day in May, the earth around the house on
Maple Lane was coming alive, the air fragrant with the fresh smell of new
grass, the colorful spring flowers in the round garden by the back porch door
were ready to bloom. The chirping of birds greeted everyone waking to begin
their day’s chores by the early morning light. The lilacs, light lavender and
deep royal purple were wrapped by the tiny green leaves - protecting the buds
peeping out. This was the land John loved so deeply.
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| John D. Mower on Overlook |
His time of death was recorded as 3:00 a.m. on May 8 1926.
“Well known and highly respected.”[ii]
“One of the nicest guys you ever met.“
John was laid out at home on Maple Lane; the children were
taken to stay in the house across the street with their Grandmother, Anna
Catherine Jones. Now a young widow, Esther steeled herself in grief and began
to go about the challenging process of raising a family alone. Times were tough
for everyone in this small rural town, and her family pledged to give her what
limited help they could.
