Funeral Friday: Charles Francis Marion Underwood
Whitener Family, Underwood Family (Click for Family Tree)
Private Charles Francis Marion Underwood of the United States Army- Infantry died of pneumonia technically, made worse by the Spanish influenza he contracted after entering the US Army. He died in the Fort Brady, Michigan, Post Hospital.
According to the death certificate, Charley had pneumonia for 7 days, and the flu for 6, though it may have been the other way around. The doctor also notes he attended Charley for 12 days, so there are some problems with accuracy on the death certificate. With the large number of deaths and ill soldiers due to the Spanish influenza, however, some errors are understandable.
The death certificate also has his birth year and age wrong- he was actually born on 19 May 1888, not 1898, so was 30 years old at his death, not 20.
Charley’s body was removed the next day to Bollinger, Missouri, where he was buried at Old Trace Creek Cemetery, Glenallen, Bollinger County, Missouri.
The base of the stone has such a bittersweet inscription.
Transcription:
“He left his home in perfect health. He looked so young and brave.
We little thought that soon he’d be laid in a soldier’s grave.”
Notes, Sources, and References:
- Family treasure chest of photos and ephemera.
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