Thanks to a Facebook post by Dr. Steven DeRoche, the identities of local Spanish Flu victims have been made known. In the following columns, I hope to bring the identities of these victims to a wider audience.
In late September of 1918, the ship Italy made its way to the nearest port with a sick crewman. The port was Petit de Grat and the sailor was Frank Poole. Only in his early 20s, the young fisherman had been ill for eight days before succumbing to the disease. Taken ashore, he was immediately buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Petit de Grat.
A few weeks later, October 17, two deaths were attributed to the flu. Thomas Jacques (James) Benoit, son of Joseph Benoit and Henriette Forest, died age 37. James had been married only a few years before to Marie Eva Marchand. On March 22, 1919, five months after her husband’s death, Marie Eva gave birth to a son named Thomas Jacques (James) Benoit.
It notable that on October 15, two days before her son’s death, his mother, Henriette, passed away. The cause of death was listed as old age!
Two days later, October 19, Joseph Henri Boudreau, a fisherman, 25 years old died as a result of coming into contact with the Spanish Influenza. Joseph was the son of Zéphirin Boudreau and Louise (Ludivine) Rançon.
Edouard Boucher and Marthe Jeanne Samson were married in 1905. In 1918 the Spanish Flu took Marthe and four of her children as well as her brother, Albany. On October 17, Gervais Boucher, son of Edouard and Marthe Jeanne died of the flu at the age of 15 months. He was buried with his mother and three siblings, all of whom fell victim to the influenza. One of the siblings was Gentil Boucher only three weeks old. Another sibling, two years old, was Marin Boucher. Léandre Boucher was a young man when he joined his mother and brothers in death.
On October 21, a fisherman from Petit de Grat, Albany Samson, 28 years old died of the Spanish Flu. He was the son of Léandre Samson and Jeanne Boudreau. His sister and four nephews suffered the same fate as Albany.
October 21 also marked the death of 21-year-old Joseph Rene “Godfrey” Boudreau. He was the son of Dominique Boudreau and Archange Boudreau.
Lucie Madeleine Samson was born at Cap Auguet in 1867, the daughter of Lemand Boudreau and Judith Goyetche. In July 1887 she was wed to Félix Samson of Samson’s Cove. Lucie also lost two children and a grandson
Georgie Samson, also of Samson’s Cove and also on October 21, died of the Spanish Flu or so it seems. In fact there was an error in recording, and in fact it was Georgie’s brother, three months old, who died. The record should read Joseph Wilfred Samson was born July 14, 1918 at Samson’s Cove, the son of William Alfred Samson and Evangéline Samson. George William (Georgie) Samson survived the pandemic and married Gladys Jeannette Provost of Poulamon. His father, aunt and grandmother were victims of the contagion.