Yellow Fever

Elmwood Cemetery

Steve Pike and Justin Willingham — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:48:00 +0000

Elmwood Cemetery, founded in 1852, is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis. Fifty citizens put up $500 each to purchase and develop a 40-acre parcel of land. Another 40 acres were added later.

The name Elmwood was selected by a drawing from a list of proposed names. Elm trees had to be planted afterwards.

Lena Angevine Warner

Steve Pike — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:53:21 +0000

Lena Angevine Warner is rightfully known as Tennessee’s pioneer nurse. Lena Angevine, born in Grenada, MS, in 1869, was the only member of her immediate family to survive the yellow fever epidemics of 1877 and 1878.

Raised by her grandmother, Lena attended St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, and, in 1887, became the first student accepted at the Memphis Training School for Nurses. She studied further in Chicago, was briefly married to E.C. Warner, and, in 1898, became the first superintendent of nurses at the new City of Memphis Hospital.

John Erskine

Steve Pike — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:18:00 +0000

Dr. John Erskine was buried in Elmwood Cemetery on September 17, 1878. Dr Erskine was a native of Alabama.

Annie Cook

Steve Pike and Justin Willingham — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:07:42 +0000

There were many stories of heroism that arose out of the Yellow Fever outbreaks of the late 19th century, but none stand-out as much as the story of Annie Cook.

The Howard Association

Steve Pike and Justin Willingham — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 23:24:46 +0000

In August of 1878, Memphis was struck with its most disastrous Yellow Fever epidemic. The Howard Association, a volunteer group of young businessmen, organized a medical corps to help the devastated city.