Death of Lizzie Boyer
This file appears in: Setbacks and Tragedies Among the Orphans of Jeffersonville
Orphanage ward Lizzie Boyer, 12, died of a spine disorder on June 14, 1880, according to the Jeffersonville Evening News. The 1880 U.S. Census had noted Boyer's condition as "back broken" just two weeks before. She may have suffered from tuberculosis, a once-common cause of spine disease. Death records began in Clark County in 1882, so no record exists that would solve the mystery. Lizzie may have been the child of Alex Boyer of Charlestown.
This file appears in: Setbacks and Tragedies Among the Orphans of Jeffersonville
Setbacks and Tragedies Among the Orphans of Jeffersonville
While most people think of orphans as children with no parents, most orphaned children had one or more living parents. The events that left children with in the custody of the orphanage included diseases and accidents that killed or disabled older…