OBIT: LOCKARD Children, 1880, Altoona, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _________________________________________ CITY AND COUNTRY. Things Briefly Told. A child of Mrs. Lockard, living at the corner of Twenty-second street and Third avenue, died of scarlet fever yesterday. Quite a number of families in the vicinity are afflicted. Morning Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Monday, August 23, 1880 RAVAGES OF THE SCARLET FEVER IN THE SIXTH WARD. A Double Funeral. Yesterday there was buried at the same time two of the Lockard children, who lived with their grandparents at the corner of Twenty- second street and Third avenue. One died on Sunday and the other yesterday morning, both of scarlet fever. Yesterday afternoon a funeral was held and a minister was present to preach the sermon. This is not as it should have been. Our duty to the living demands that in case of such contagious diseases as scarlet fever, etc., every effort should be made to prevent their spread, and the last sad rites made strictly private. There is no way in which the scarlet fever could be more readily spread than by having a funeral and exposing the dead to the gaze of the living. Ministers of the gospel should take a stand in the matter. In this same Lockard dwelling a child lies very ill of the fever. Within a square of this place a child lies dying of the same disease and quite a number of other families have it. Only a week ago a death took place from the fever in the same locality. The way to stamp it out is to keep the children at home, keep the premises clean, and bury the dead as quickly and quietly as possible. Parents expose their own progeny to great risk by attending such funerals, and if they themselves have not sense enough to keep away the health officials should compel them. If people demand the funeral sermon it should at least be deferred until after the burial. Morning Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Tuesday, August 24, 1880