Lewis Stebbins - Longmeadow, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 03.007 W 072° 34.832
18T E 700223 N 4658173
The grave of Lewis Stebbins, who died of smallpox by inoculation, is located in Longmeadow Cemetery, Longmeadow, MA.
Waymark Code: WMY4AN
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/18/2018
Views: 0
Before 1796, when Edward Jenner used cowpox vaccine to develop a safer and more effective technique called vaccination to prevent smallpox, inoculation with a small amount of smallpox virus was used to prevent fatal cases of the disease. It was difficult to determine the an exact dose of virus and sometimes things went horribly wrong. Unfortunately, that was the situation for Lewis Stebbins who died of smallpox by inoculation at age 17.
His brownstone headstone has an primitive early version of a winged angel in the lunette and the following inscription:
In Memory of Lewis
son of Mr. Jonathan
& Mrs. Abigail Stebbins
who died June 15, 1778
of ye Small Pox by
Inoculation Aged 17
Years 2 Months
& 2 Days
--------------------
My fellow youth stop here a while
& see my Monumental Pile
Once I like you alive
(unintelligible lichen covered last line)
This is a common verse in New England which usually ends with:
...but ah!
Am nothing now but native clay.
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