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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.

Charles Franklin Gibson

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

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.

Images

Gibson Family Headstone

Headstone reading "Gibson"

Grave Marker of Charles F. Gibson

Grave marker reading "CHARLES F. 1885-1918"

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Charles Franklin Gibson is another tale of a lost wife. His own, specifically. It was recorded in The Herald-Dispatch that Charles and his wife both became infected with the Spanish Influenza, passing away within days of each other. When searching near his gravesite, no trace of his wife can be found. One would assume that Mary Garnett Gibson, who also passed on in 1918 and is buried just a few plots to the right of Charles would be his wife. Records indicate, however, that Mary was the wife of William Beard Gibson, who is buried elsewhere. Charles left this Earth on October 13, 1918, when he was either 32 or 33. His family is officially unknown.

Sources

  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.
Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169034983/charles-franklin-gibson

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169034983/charles-franklin-gibson

Additional Information