Entry #42
After nearly three weeks traveling in China, this will be a brief catch-up post. It is based on a question I had while researching my Ruwolt family. Anna Maria Schoof (born October 1764, in Satow, Doberan, Mecklenburg) married Jochen Hinrich Hans “Schwieger Hinrich” Ruwoldt (born April 1760 in Satow).  Anna Maria was the daughter of Jochen Hinrich Schoof and Elisabeth Allwardt. There is not a lot of information on this couple. Grit Ende records that Jochen Hinrich Schoof was born in 1725 and, for his wife, there is no date of birth, but the information provided says that she came from Stülow.

What caught my attention were the dates of death and burial for this husband and wife. They are both recorded as having died in March 1776 in Rederank, a town just a little over 7 miles from Satow. Jochen Hinrich Schoof was buried on 26 March and his wife was buried on 28 March in Satow.

I am now very curious about their dates of death being so close together. First, I am not sure if they were residing in Rederank or Satow. The first thing that came to mind was that they may have been carried off by an epidemic. Indeed, there was a worldwide influenza epidemic (putrid fever) from 1774 to 1776 to which they may have succumbed. I also think of highly contagious diseases like tuberculosis, which often spreads in close living quarters. Could there have been an accident that involved both spouses? Maybe they became the victims of a fire. Because homes were heated by fire into the 19th century, it was a common cause of accidental death.

There may or may not be a way to find out what happened to my fifth great grandparents, but I will add this to my list of research activities.