The letter is undated; however, it is reasonable to assume Lucy wrote it on March 9, 1877, the day of the funeral for seven-year-old Henrietta Behan. The Weekly Arizona Miner reported in the March 9 edition, “The funeral of little Henrietta Behan, at 2 o’clock this afternoon, opened afresh the fountains of grief in the breasts of her friends.” The newspaper did not include her cause of death, although it might have been scarlet fever.
The previous edition of the paper published a purported remedy for small pox and scarlet fever, which it said would cure both diseases within twelve hours, suggesting the epidemic had already started. The March 16 issue of The Weekly Arizona Miner included a notice that the Prescott Public School would not reopen until March 26, “to give time for the fear of scarlet fever to entirely subside.” There is little in the written record to indicate how many of the approximately 1,800 people living in Prescott in 1877 were infected during the outbreak. It must have been a tumultuous time for everyone.
Lucy Sherman and Eli Clark both survived, and exactly three years and one month after Lucy wrote her letter, she and Eli married on April 9, 1880. In 1891, the couple moved with their children to Los Angeles, where Eli worked with M. H. Sherman to develop land and build railroads.
When the current situation ends, Sherman Library will reopen. In the meantime, please do as Lucy did: stay well and at home if you can.
Paul Wormser, Library Director