Why?

Why?

 This is Charlotte.  She is my great Grandmother, in 1918 she died of the Spanish influenza, two days after her husband Cecil, and some days before her baby daughter Hope Rosella ( or June as she was later called)  at just two years old my  Grandfather Lauren was the only survivor in his family.  For the rest of his life the flu was his scariest enemy.  Charlotte was just 18 years old when she died, Cecil was 25, Hope only a few weeks old.  I have the letter Charlotte wrote telling of the baby's birth so we know when she was born, we have no death date.  Both Charlotte and Cecil were likely buried in unmarked mass graves in Fort Frances Ontario where they were mill workers.  There is no official record at all of Hope.  Only her mother's letter announcing her arrival survives.

 Detail of Charlotte's  last letters to her sisters

We are self isolating and cleaning and doing everything within our power to slow the Corona virus down.  We do this for Charlotte and Lauren, and for Hope Rosella, who died because they didn't know what we know about germs and distance.  We do this for my Grandpa Lauren, who grew up and made his way in the world without a family.   Please, please, please stay home.