Hello y'all! I hope everyone had a fantastic spring break! This week I have begun research on what a 'babyland' is and why they were so common in the past.
In some cemeteries, there are sections set aside for infants and babies that died. These sections are called 'Babylands', and some parents believe that their recently deceased child would be happier to be buried with other children their age. In Greenwood Cemetery, there are three 'Babylands' sections dedicated to children under that age of ten. By examining the untimely deaths of these children, one can find an underlying history of local events and epidemics. In the 1920s, nearly twelve times the amount of children died than in the 1930s and the baby boom of the post-Second World War becomes obvious when examining figures from the 1950s.
But why was childhood death so common in the far and even near past? In the nineteenth and twentieth century the most common causes of of death in children under five were pneumonia, tuberculosis and enteritis. These diseases plus polio, diphtheria, measles and more were common until the second half of the twentieth century, when vaccinations became more affordable and commonplace across the United States. Such diseases were also fought with increasing public health improvements such as health departments, sewage disposal, water treatment, and food safety.
In the modern era, child death has become increasingly rare due to further improvements in public health and education. I am continuing research on the Greenwood Cemetery 'babylands' and the history of its inhabitants, which I hope to present next week. I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter this weekend.
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