Bones and Burial Registers: Infant Mortality in a 19th-Century Cemetery from Upper Canada

Abstract

The fortunate conjunction of a large skeletal sample (n=576) and reliable burial records (n=1,564) for St. Thomas' Anglican Church cemetery (1821-1874) makes it possible to make inferences about pattems of infant death in 19th-century Belleville, Ontario. Analysis of both sets of data indicates that males and females were equally likely to die during infancy and that environmental factors played an important role in Belleville's mortality profile. The parish records reveal elevated risks of illfant death in the summer, probably from the weanling diarrhea complex, owing to unsanitary conditions and the presence of acute infectious diseases in the town. The importance of acute causes is supported by patterns of skeletal growth and development that show that St. Thomas' infants were developmentally similar to modern North American children. The study also suggests an excavation bias in the skeletal sample, with an over-representation of burials from 1840 onward. L'heureuse combinaison d'un nombre important de squelettes (576) et de nombreux dossiers d'inhumation (1,564) relies au cimetiere de l'eglise anglicane St. Thomas (1821-1874) a rendu possible I' etablissement de pro fils de mortalite infantile a Belleville au XIXe siec/e. L'analyse des deux ensembles de donnees permet d' etablir que les personnes des deux sexes etaient tout aussi susceptibles de mourir en bas iige et que les facteurs environnementaux jouaient un role important dans Ia mortalite infantile a Belleville. Les documents paroissiaux revelent un risque de mortalite infantile plus grand en ete, probablement en raison de Ia diarrhee reliee au sevrage, occasionnee par de mauvaises conditions sanitaires et Ia presence dans Ia ville de maladies infectieuses aigues. L'importance des causes aigues est appuyee par le developpement similaire des squelettes des enfants en bas iige de St. Thomas et de ceux des enfants nord-americains d'aujourd'hui. L'etude suggere de plus que I'echantillonnage des sepultures fouillees est biaise en faveur d'inhumations posterieures a 1840.

Investigating the weaning process in past populations

“…In all likelihood, this represents the classic weanling diarrhea syndrome where gastrointestinal disease associated with contaminated water and food combines with other contagious diseases to take a heavy toll of infants, many of whom are concomitantly exposed to the diminishing benefits of breast-feeding after 6 months of age or who have been weaned completely (Bourgeois-Pichat 1951a,b;Pressat 1972:96;Knodel and Kintner 1977;Gordon et al, 1990;Motarjemi et al, 1993). The citizens of Belleville were troubled by the poor quality of the water supply by the mid-19th century; with almost 40% of St. Thomas' infant deaths occurring during the hot summer months, this concern was clearly justified (Herring et al, 1991;Saunders et al, 1995). Studies of child morbidity impli- (Saunders et al, 1995:83). cate contaminated weaning foods in diarrheal diseases/malnutrition to such an extent that ''food safety is as important as breast-feeding or provision of safe water supplies and sanitation'' for preventing them (Motarjemi et al, 1993).…”

“…Previous analyses of infant mortality at St. Thomas' suggest that infant deaths were under-enumerated, especially during the early decades of the cemetery's use. Both neonates (Ͻ1 month) and postneonates (1-11 months) appear to have been significantly under-represented during the 1820s and 1830s (Herring et al, 1991). This phenomenon probably reflects the small population of the town at the time and the rural nature of the parish during its early years, increasing the likelihood that infants would be buried in family farm plots rather than in town.…”

“…The project and history of the town have been described thoroughly elsewhere, and interested readers are referred to those sources for details (cf. Herring et al, 1991;Saunders et al, 1991Saunders et al, , 1994Saunders et al, , 1995McKillop, 1995). Briefly, in 1989 during the course of an archaeological excavation of about one-third of the original church-yard's expanse, a total of 604 individuals were identified in grave shafts.…”

Enamel hypoplasia in a Canadian historic sample

“…After excavation, bones and dentitions were usually only lightly brushed to remove excess dirt or in some cases washed with water. A subsample of 55 adults were personally identified based on comparisons of legible coffin plates to complete parish records of all interments (Herring et al, 1991). Parish records indicate that the St. Thomas' cemetery was in use from 1821 to 1874 (Saunders et al, 1993).…”

Bone Chemistry, Food and History: A Case Study from 19th Century Upper Canada

“…The recovered sample makes up 37% of the total recorded interments. In addition to the studies done on the skeletons (cited in the introduction), Dr. Ann Herring has worked with the parish records and the Belleville census data (Herring et al 1991;Saunders et al 1995a, b). Her data on infant mortality is particularly interesting with respect to the skeletal data on stable nitrogen isotopes and weaning (Herring et al 1998).…”