Wm. A. Baker - Calvert, TX
N 30° 58.863 W 096° 40.178
14R E 722544 N 3429832
William Andrus Baker was one of many who died during the yellow fever epidemic that struck Calvert in 1873. He is buried with his mother, daughter, and his wife -- another casualty -- in the beautiful Calvert Cemetery, Calvert, TX.
Waymark Code: WM160R8
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/08/2022
Views: 2
Mary McCarthy is another casualty of the epidemic, buried within view of the Bakers, and her own
Findagrave page provides some background as to what happened here:
On September 3, 1873, W.F. Hughes, a young man from yellow fever-stricken Shreveport, LA, stopped in Calvert. On September 5 he became ill and died a couple of days later. Then, other people started getting sick. This yellow fever epidemic spread to the northeast in the direction of the prevailing wind. Of Calvert's 1,500 white residents at the time, all but about 600 had the fever; a quarter of these died. For several months, the entire town was quarantined. Trains were not allowed to stop when passing through and the windows of all coaches were tightly closed until all cars had passed beyond the city limits. Trains would stop outside of town to let passengers off and unload caskets.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Mr. Baker's wife, Sarah, is buried right behind him, and they died two days apart. Also buried here, just a few feet from Mary McCarthy, are Dr. Edward Arrel Pye and his wife, Matilda. They were safe at their home in Hearne when the call came for help, and jeopardizing their own safety, they answered that call, only to succumb to the disease themselves.
Mr. Baker's final resting place is marked by a marble headstone with the compass and square of the Freemasons at the top. Complemented by palm leaves, the inscription reads:
Sacred to the
memory of
Wm. A. Baker
Born
Apr. 23, 1843,
in Terre Bonne Parish La
died of yellow fever
Oct. 14, 1873.
------
Blessed are the pure in heart for
they shall see God.
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