Eliza was the daughter of Deborah and Benjamin Birdsall, a farmer in Jefferson Township (Loudon County), Virginia. After the death of her husband, Reverend Jefferson D. Martin, in 1899, Eliza and her then 13-year-old daughter Mabel moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, possibly with the encouragement and support of her brother-in-law, William T. Martin, who lived a few blocks from them in that city.
By 1910, Eliza was living in Norfolk, Virginia, with Mable and her son-in-law, Wilmer G. Fewell, whom Mabel married around 1908, and one-year-old grandson Roger. At this time, Eliza was possibly experiencing early symptoms of Pellagra, a painful vitamin deficiency disease epidemic in the South at the time that was considered incurable and fatal within four to five years. Pellagra is common in areas where corn meal is a primary source of nutrition. Now known to be the result of a deficiency of the vitamin niacin, the cause of the disease was not discovered until the late-1930s.
In 1912, Eliza was sent to the Broadoaks Sanitarium in North Carolina, where she died three months after her arrival. Eliza was probably experiencing advanced end-stage symptoms of Pellagra, whose symptoms include weakness, confusion, and dementia. The sanitarium apparently knew few details of Elizabeth's background (e.g. birth date, parents' names) other than she had previously lived in Norfolk, Virginia. Eliza's remains were sent to Virginia.
By 1910, Eliza was living in Norfolk, Virginia, with Mable and her son-in-law, Wilmer G. Fewell, whom Mabel married around 1908, and one-year-old grandson Roger. At this time, Eliza was possibly experiencing early symptoms of Pellagra, a painful vitamin deficiency disease epidemic in the South at the time that was considered incurable and fatal within four to five years. Pellagra is common in areas where corn meal is a primary source of nutrition. Now known to be the result of a deficiency of the vitamin niacin, the cause of the disease was not discovered until the late-1930s.
In 1912, Eliza was sent to the Broadoaks Sanitarium in North Carolina, where she died three months after her arrival. Eliza was probably experiencing advanced end-stage symptoms of Pellagra, whose symptoms include weakness, confusion, and dementia. The sanitarium apparently knew few details of Elizabeth's background (e.g. birth date, parents' names) other than she had previously lived in Norfolk, Virginia. Eliza's remains were sent to Virginia.
Eliza was the daughter of Deborah and Benjamin Birdsall, a farmer in Jefferson Township (Loudon County), Virginia. After the death of her husband, Reverend Jefferson D. Martin, in 1899, Eliza and her then 13-year-old daughter Mabel moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, possibly with the encouragement and support of her brother-in-law, William T. Martin, who lived a few blocks from them in that city.
By 1910, Eliza was living in Norfolk, Virginia, with Mable and her son-in-law, Wilmer G. Fewell, whom Mabel married around 1908, and one-year-old grandson Roger. At this time, Eliza was possibly experiencing early symptoms of Pellagra, a painful vitamin deficiency disease epidemic in the South at the time that was considered incurable and fatal within four to five years. Pellagra is common in areas where corn meal is a primary source of nutrition. Now known to be the result of a deficiency of the vitamin niacin, the cause of the disease was not discovered until the late-1930s.
In 1912, Eliza was sent to the Broadoaks Sanitarium in North Carolina, where she died three months after her arrival. Eliza was probably experiencing advanced end-stage symptoms of Pellagra, whose symptoms include weakness, confusion, and dementia. The sanitarium apparently knew few details of Elizabeth's background (e.g. birth date, parents' names) other than she had previously lived in Norfolk, Virginia. Eliza's remains were sent to Virginia.
By 1910, Eliza was living in Norfolk, Virginia, with Mable and her son-in-law, Wilmer G. Fewell, whom Mabel married around 1908, and one-year-old grandson Roger. At this time, Eliza was possibly experiencing early symptoms of Pellagra, a painful vitamin deficiency disease epidemic in the South at the time that was considered incurable and fatal within four to five years. Pellagra is common in areas where corn meal is a primary source of nutrition. Now known to be the result of a deficiency of the vitamin niacin, the cause of the disease was not discovered until the late-1930s.
In 1912, Eliza was sent to the Broadoaks Sanitarium in North Carolina, where she died three months after her arrival. Eliza was probably experiencing advanced end-stage symptoms of Pellagra, whose symptoms include weakness, confusion, and dementia. The sanitarium apparently knew few details of Elizabeth's background (e.g. birth date, parents' names) other than she had previously lived in Norfolk, Virginia. Eliza's remains were sent to Virginia.
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