The Weber Kids Have the Measles!

Bill, Mary, Robert and Carl in 1929, not quite two years after these events.

In 1927 my father, Robert, his sister Mary, and his two brothers, Bill (older) and Carl (younger) all had the measles during November.  My grandmother kept a record of the events for some reason and it is enlightening to read now.  I highlighted below the two best parts of the experience for them!  It looks like the kids had the "hard measles" rather than the "3 day" based on length of time and their aversion to light. 

Bill, Robert, Carl and Mary - around this time period.

Interesting that they were both suffering through the measles -- bad -- and getting electric wiring in their old 14 room farmhouse -- good -- at the same time.   This is a fun trip back in time.

Sunday	October 30th	Robert ill in bed with earache and stomach.
Monday	October 31st	Started wiring for electric lights
Tuesday	November 1st	Mary brought home from school with headache
Wednesday	November 2nd	Billy in bed with headache
Thursday	November 3rd	Had doctor for Robert.  Billy & Mary went to school.
Friday	November 4th	Mary ill when she came home from school
Saturday	November 5th	Billy and Mary “drooped” around all day.  Mary started breaking out late at night.
Sunday	November 6th	Mary broke out in measles Saturday and Sunday at night.  Billy started breaking out Sunday afternoon.
Monday	November 7th	Billy started breaking out Sunday and Monday at night
Friday	November 11th	Rash practically all gone on Mary.  Carl was very restless during night
Saturday	November 12th	Carl had high fever during night.  Very quiet all day. Billy and Mary up around house
Sunday	November 13th	Robert had high fever during night.  Carl vomited after supper, coughs a great deal.
Monday	November 14th	Wire men came to finish wiring of house. Carl not well – looked as if he were going to break out. Men had doors open a great deal and day was cold. Carl had several blotches on face by supper time.
Tuesday	November 15th	Kept Carl and Robert both in bed. Men finished wiring and left Carl broke out some of face and body.
Wednesday	November 16th	Carl pretty well broke out except feet and hands. Robert also pretty well broken out.  Carl can’t stand light.
Thursday	November 17th	Both broken out pretty well all over.  Don’t want any light.
Thurs, Fri, Sat	Nov 17, 18 & 19	Very restless and hard to care for.  Don’t want me out of sight a minute.  Can’t stand light, especially Carl.  Robert had earache and passed blood in stools as he did after earache of Oct 30th tho not so much.
Sunday & Monday	Nov 20 & 21st	Felt pretty good and were hard to keep in bed. I had a pretty good sleep Monday night, the first good sleep in weeks. Rash pretty well gone
Tuesday	November 22nd	They were dressed and played on the beds.
Wednesday	November 23rd	Billy and Mary went downstairs toward evening.
Thursday	November 24th	We are all thankful to be able to eat Thanksgiving Dinner together.
Friday	November 25th	Herman’s Birthday and all getting along fine
Thursday	December 1	All out of quarantine
Saturday	December 3rd	All went to town. Got Billy suit ($11) at Schankes; Robert overcoat ($6), cap ($1) and mittens ($.50) at Schankes; Carl mittens ($.50) at Schankes; and Mary black oxford shoes at Doyles.  End of entry.

   Good reminder of the childhood diseases that families faced simply because there were no vaccines for them yet available. The one drawback of the magnificent vaccines that we have is that rarely do people see what the disease looks like -- whooping cough, diphtheria, measles, mumps.

 Susan, the writer of these events, working on some task.