Wednesday's Child - Herbert Franklin Fouts

Herbert Franklin Fouts 1915-1916
Byrneville Cemetery

When the sun went down on October 4, 1915 the Oba and Agnes (Byrn) Fouts household consisted of parents Oba - age 35, and Agnes - age 34 and their four children; Otis-13, Helen-8, Bonnie-6 and Corwin-3. 

By the time the sun set on October 5, 1915 that would not be the case. 

Herbert Franklin Fouts was born at 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 5, 1915. Herbert was the fifth (of six children) to be born to Oba and Agnes. 

The joy that a newborn brings to a family would unfortunately be short lived. On April 11, 1916 at the age of six months, six days old Herbert died.

According to his death certificate Dr. Harry Engleman first started treating him on March 22nd with what was called Grippal Infection of the Intestines. In today's terminology-Influenza with gastro-intestinal complications which included vomiting, diarrhea and high fever. Herbert continued suffering from this malady until April 6th when he took a turn for the worse and came down with Bronchopneumonia. He died around 9 o'clock in the morning on Tuesday the 11th.

Herbert was buried the next day in Byrneville Cemetery, Harrison County, Indiana.

The following was published in The Corydon Democrat newspaper on Wednesday, April 19, 1916. 

Death of a Little Child

On Tuesday morning, April 11, 1916,

 at 9:45 o'clock the death angel entered

 the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oba D. Fouts

and reaped the flower of the home,

Herbert Franklin age six months and

six days, who will spend eternity in

the garden of Eden.

May this little flower as it stands 

and flourished on the banks of the

river of life which flows through the

paradise of God be the means of draw-

ing its parents and relatives to brighter

paths of truth and righteousness where

they may receive a crown of everlast-

ing life when they fall.

We comfort ourselves with the

thought that he is now at rest and one

by one we will soon begin to join him.

Asleep in Jesus peaceful rest

        Whose waking is supremely blest,

          No fear no woe shall dim that hour

          That manifests the Savior's power.

                                            Grandmother.

One hundred years later the sorrow this family felt continues to be palpable through the words of Herbert's grandmother. 

Sources:  Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907-1940 (Ancestry.com);  Indiana, Death Certificates, 1889-2011 (Ancestry.com); The Corydon Democrat. Corydon, Indiana. (NewspaperARCHIVE.com); Gravestone photo credit: Lisa Dillman Wright, October 2010.

 Wednesday’s Child blog postings include photos of gravestones of children. A sad topic but posts can give life to the stories of these young souls.

Wednesday’s Child is a genealogical blogging prompt suggested by Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

This and all other posts on this blog are © copyright 2016 by Lisa Dillman Wright.