1918 Alaska influenza deaths

[AlaskaDenise]

I found the information below on a Alaskan website by Coleen Mielke . Note that most the deaths in this article are not natives. So we cannot say that most Alaska 1918 deaths are related to the native culture.

DEATH
Twenty Seven Nome Residents Die of Spanish Influenza Anchorage Times 12/30/1918
The following people died of Spanish Influenza recently in Nome, Alaska: Walter Shields (B.I.A.); Anderson (life saving station); Captain Erickson (Flyer); Mrs. Harry Clark, Neva Brown (Billie Brown's daughter); Fred Larson, John Milne (Humane Officer); Fred Segar (Lives near Hastings Creek); Gus Nordstrom; Fin Rosvold and wife (Jeweler, worked for S & H); Sam Boich (a Serbian called "Sport"); Ida Mascha (Worked for Jim Swartzei); John Lutschinger; Chris Anderson; George Prosser; Mrs. Clarence Riggs; Mat Lawson, George Watson; Mrs. Seedler; Frank Mielke (Barber); Pascoff (Soldier); Maheras (Soldier); Oscar Hendrickson (Soldier); Headley (Soldier); Andy Thompson (Soldier); Ed Bridesen; and Nick Scovich.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~coleen/alaskaobits.html

In the Alaskan census of that era, natives were usually referred to by only one name. Alaska's population at that time included not only people from the other states, but a considerable number of immigrants from Europe - especially the Scandanvian countries.

I also learned that an amazing number of native children lived in orphanages. The orphanage death lists include a fair number from "Spanish Influenza". One of those orphanages was actually located in Oregon. The records show that many of these children had lived there for many years. It was clear from looking at the records that many orphaned children were the offspring of immigrants who had left children with their native mothers, who may not have been able to care for the kids alone. The 1918 flu orphans were shipped all over the state. Some of these children do not know their ancestry to this day.

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