Coffman - Keziahama
Source: New Richmond Record 28 March 1901 p 1
Some three weeks ago all New Richmond and vicinity rested under a scare of the possibility of an epidemic of scarlet fever, when two children of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Coffman and two of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Marsteller were reported afflicted with this worst of child’s diseases, but all four cases have recovered. No other cases were then developed, and not until on Sunday last was there any cause for the least uneasiness. On Sunday morning the news spread rapidly that during the previous night two others of Mr. Coffman's children were badly taken with the dreaded disease and at 4 o'clock that afternoon one of them, Ama, died, the cause of death being a complication of scarlet fever and diphtheria. Sunday morning when it was found by Lynn, the attending physician, that there existed the diptheria complication he at once telephoned to County Health Officer Barcus who at once dispatched a man on horseback with the antitoxine virus to be used immediately and those affected as well as even those others exposed were duly inoculated with the diphtheria preventative. Since the recovery of the former two cases none of the Coffman children had been in school and there have been no other children exposed. It is to be hoped that we shall have no more cases; and no precautions can be too carefully observed to prevent an epidemic that would sweep the homes of the community.
Next column: After only a day’s sickness from a complication of scarlet fever and diphtheria, Aina, the little four-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Coffman, died at about 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon at the home of its parents in the south part of town. The little one was buried at 8 o’clock Monday morning, the nature of the disease barring any funeral service, and only thp Methodist burial ritual was said and a prayer offered by Rev. Weston at the little grave in the New Richmond cemetery where the little one was laid away until that great day. Neither the brokenhearted mother, nor brothers and sisters were allowed to look upon the burial, and it was very sad indeed. The sorrowing parents have the kindest sympathies of all our citizens in this their darkest hour.
Source: New Richmond Record 28 March 1901 p 5
On account of a rigid quarantine of scarlet fever and consequently his necessarily laying off from work, on Monday morning after the burial of Perry Coffman’s little daughter Ama, Rev. Weston circulated a paper and our citizens donated the sum of $27.25 toward the burial of the little one and which sum was turned over to Mr. Coffman – kbz
Note: Assume this is Amy B June 1897 – 24 March 1901 buried New Richmond – there is also a Richard Coffman 19 Feb 1899 – 22 April 1901 – ahhhh two of ‘em ☹