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This is a contributing entry for The Spanish Influenza Tour of Spring Hill and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
The 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic ravaged the world in a way man had not seen in generations. One of the few truly worldwide pandemics, the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic claimed an estimated 50-100 million deaths worldwide(1). This number is more than both world wars combined. In 1918, Spring Hill Cemetery was one of the primary cemeteries for Huntington, West Virginia. As such, a number of victims from the Spanish Influenza Pandemic are buried here. The Spanish Influenza hit Huntington fairly hard with 200 deaths, most of which occurring in the month of October(2). Even Huntington's Mayor, Leon S. Wiles, perished from the flu. On this tour, you will visit 17 gravesites of Huntington residents who perished from the Spanish Influenza Pandemic. Please keep in mind during the tour that you are visiting the final resting places of these people. Please treat all graves and the cemetery with the utmost respect and courtesy. Do your best not to step on top of a person’s final resting place and follow all posted rules.

The Thornburg Family Headstone

Long cylindrical headstone reading "THORNBURG"

Sarah Thornburg's Section of the Thornburg Family Headstone

Headstone reading "MOTHER SARAH P. 1838-1918"

The Death Certificate of Sarah Thornburg

Death certificate of Sarah Thornburg

Sarah Priscilla Thornburg (nee McGinnis) was one of the few mothers who perished from the Spanish Influenza Pandemic who is buried at Spring Hill. She was also one of our oldest victims, passing on at the age of 80. Though Sarah herself did not give birth after having the Spanish Flu, it is important to note the impact of being pregnant while being sick with the Spanish Flu. Pregnancy made women much more susceptible to Spanish Influenza. Pregnant women were 50% more likely to contract pneumonia. Of that 50%, half of them were likely to die(3). If a woman did not succumb to the flu, their fetus died - miscarriage rates escalated at the end of 1918. Women who were pregnant, survived the flu, and then gave birth were having weaker babies. The Spanish Influenza negatively impacted a small portion of The Greatest Generation's population in this way. Sarah would not live to see this generation, as she left this Earth on December 23, 1918. She is the only person on this tour to have died in December. She was wife to John William Thornburg and mother to Georgie Eliza Thornburg and Henry Orsamus Thornburg.

  1. Spreeuwenberg, Peter. Reassessing the Global Mortality Burden of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. American Journal of Epidemiology, ser. 2561-2567, vol. 187, no. 12. Published September 7th 2018. NCBI.
  2. Casto, James E.. "Deadly 1918 flu hit Huntington hard." The Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) May 1st 2009.
  3. Harris, John W. INFLUENZA OCCURRING IN PREGNANT WOMEN A STATISTICAL STUDY OF THIRTEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY CASES. Journal of the American Medical Association, ser. 978-980, vol. 72, no. 14. Published April 3rd 1919.
Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30568654/sarah-priscilla-thornburg

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30568654/sarah-priscilla-thornburg

http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_dcdetail.aspx?Id=696892