Since 2 of the new mothers were ill, Aunt Kate nursed all three newborns.

South Philadelphia.

My grandmother, Edna Kuhn, was 14 during the flu epidemic of 1918. Her mother, Mary Ellen Ritter Kuhn, just had a baby, got the flu and was bedridden. Her married sister, Catherine Kuhn Schaeffer just had a baby, got the flu and eventually died. Her brother’s wife, Kate McGoldrick Kuhn, had just had a baby.

The Kuhn family lived at Front & Snyder Ave in South Philly. The entire family in this story lived within 2-3 blocks of Front & Snyder, which would be zip code 19148 today.

Since 2 of the new mothers were ill, Aunt Kate nursed all three newborns. My grandmother had to leave school to take care of her mother, her newborn sister and then walk several blocks to take care of her sister and her new baby. For my grandmother that was the end of her formal education.

Eventually even she got sick and one day as she was literally staggering home sick with the flu herself, she was recognized by Aunt Kate’s father, Capt. McGoldrick of the Phila Police Dept and was taken home. She remained ill for several weeks and never knew that her sister, Catherine had died.

Each day Catherine’s father and husband took a trolley car to Mt. Moriah Cemetery to see if she had been buried yet since there were few coffins and even the gravediggers were sick.

All the babies survived, grew up and had children and grandchildren of their own. Aunt Kate lived into her 90’s and we always reminded her of how she saved all 3 babies….and never got sick.

Contributed by Cathy McGill, Grandniece of Catherine Kuhn Schaffer.