I have racked my brain for references that I remember about older relatives discussing the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. It had to be an important event for anyone alive in 1918, but it was a void as far as my memories from listening to older folks talk.
On vacation in 2023, while haunting bookstores I found this book. There was an entire chapter on Ft. Dix, NJ and the mess the Spanish Flu caused there. Ft. Dix rang a bell in my brain. After going through several files, I realized that Uncle Scott APPLEBACH had been at Ft. Dix during the right time.
I have not even tried to get his military records. The website Fold 3 showed me he had been in the Army during WWI. His enlistment ran from Sept. 6, 1918 to Jan. 18, 1919.
Ancestry.com had his enlistment card from 1917. I found all kinds of stuff for his marriages but only 3 items to do with his military service.
So, I thought the best place to see about him during this time frame might be Newspapers.com because the personal columns tended to have all kinds of hometown news.
Jackpot...
I did not find anything that specifically said he had Spanish Flu and survived it, but there is evidence that it is very possible.
The first mention that he may have been sick was in the Lancaster newspaper on Oct. 7, 1918. Per his mom, Elizabeth APPLEBACH, he was in Ft. Dix and had "recovered from his recent illness and was able to leave the hospital."
By November 1918, he was able to make a weekend trip back to Lancaster.
Another news article in November 1918 is about his promotion as a "very plucky soldier". Considering he did not see active duty in Europe - he was only in 4 months - he had to have done something else of importance. Per the definition of plucky on Google, the word in 1918 meant someone demonstrating a tenacious spirit that defied obstacles and hardships." During the Spanish Flu, people who survived it would have been a perfect ideal of this definition.
This next document shows APPLEBACH, Winfield as discharged on Jan. 18, 1919. He is listed in the left-hand column the fourth name down. This document does not appear to list anyone as died, only discharged or transferred.
America was in WW1 officially from April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918. After that anyone who could be discharged would have been, and for people with long term health issues this would have been a good answer to get them out of the military, especially if they had no interest in remaining in. Plus he went in as "limited service" men for classified work per another article in the Lancaster newspaper dated Sept. 7, 1918. I am not sure what "limited service" meant but I think I have heard it referred to as for a limited reason or time. Maybe at a later date I can do more research on this because now I am really curious.
I found three documents on Ancestry.com that are about Uncle Scott's army days. One was the enlistment card earlier in this post. The other two have to do with his filing for compensation from the Army, both are dated 1934.
The above document says he was expecting to get $40 for his four months of service.All the sources have the same enlistment date and discharge date. The above application clearly says "Convalescent Center" as where he was stationed - that is not just a hospital, but a place for long term care. According to the book Pandemic 1918 most people who got the Spanish Flu and survived took weeks or months to recover enough strength to even attempt "normal" life activities.
I believe it is very possible that Uncle Scott survived the Spanish Flu. Getting his military record would prove it, or not. But considering the time frame it is likely.
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