THE FOLLOWING IS AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY MARGARET TERESA JANE DAVENPORT HICE, OF THE "YELLOW FEVER" EPIDEMIC IN FIGHTINGTOWN, FANNIN COUNTY, GEORGIA, IN 1893, WHICH TOOK THE LIVES OF SEVEN OF HER CHILDREN. THIS WRITTEN ACCOUNT WAS HANDED DOWN THROUGH CHARLES BROWNLOW HICE, HER SURVIVING SON, AND HAS BEEN DISSEMINATED AMONG HIS FAMILY MEMBERS.

"The beginning of our trouble, we had ten children, all in good health. In March 1893, they began to talk of dying, and through the summer that was all the talk when they were in the house at night before retiring to bed they would call to mother to tell them some view that they had about dying and going to heaven. I do not think there was a child of them but what asked me if they would know each other in heaven.

"Their father was not at home much until just before their sickness began, and I would often say: "Children what makes you all talk of dying so much," and they would say, "Mother, that is all we think of," and would often tell me that was their last summers work, and it seemed as if they were rejoicing for the time to come, and would talk until they would know that it troubled me, and would say, "Mother, we all have to die," and the sooner the less trouble we will see in this world. Then would say to each other, "Lets sing one more good old hymn together and pray" because they felt like they would not live to see another night.

"I could not bear to hear them talk hardly, it troubled me so, and they saw it did. They would talk in the fields, or when away from my hearing. The three last that died told me they never talked of anything else but dying, and would say to each other, "This is our last summers work," and lets hurry up and get done, for one of us might get sick and die before we get done and we all want to do all we can together, for this is our last we will ever do this summer.

"They told me one day that they wanted to make all they could for papa. Mother, you and papa will have to do the best you can for we will not be here to help you another summer. When they began to get sick they said, they did not want to get well, they wanted to die and go to heaven.

"There was not one of the seven that died that said they wanted to get well. They said its no use to take medicine for the will of God will be done. "Our time has come and we have got to go," and they seemed to rejoice at the thought of dying, and would say that they wanted the time to come when they would go home to heaven. After the two first died they would say that they wanted to die and go home to heaven to Robert and Annie and everybody in heaven.

"A few days before one said, "Mother, all the rest of the children are dead, that worked together this summer, ain't they, but me?" Yes child. Well mother, we said all summer that this would be our last summer's work, that before another, we would all be in heaven together. Mother, "I want to die and go with the rest of them." I do not want to live, for that was all we talked of all summer, dying and going to heaven, and how happy we would be when we will get home to heaven to never be parted no more.

"Mother I don't want to get well." Nor never have since I have been sick. "I want to die and go with the rest of the children." Mother, how glad I will be to meet with George and all of the children for we would talk about and say how glad we would be when we would meet each other in heaven. I pray to the Lord how soon I may go. I want to leave this world, and pray to the Lord to take me in a few hours to my beautiful home in heaven there to meet with my brother and sister that is gone before and waiting for me to come, and I will soon be there, and how glad we will all be to meet to part no more.

1. ROBERT -- "Little Robert was 5-years old July 15th 1893 and was taken sick July 3rd and died Aug. 1st While he was sick we would tell him what we would do when he got well and he would say that he was never going to get well, he was going to die and go to heaven. Before he got sick he would tell his brother he was going to die and was going to heaven and wanted to know when he was coming to him, and while dying he said. "I am going home come and go with me." He would call all his brothers and sisters by name and said come and go with me I do not want to go by myself. His little sister who had always nursed him, he called her and me, many times.

2. ANNIE -- "Annie was 13 years old, May 18, was taken sick August 3rd and died Aug. 7th She told her little brother before she got sick that she would be buried by the side of him in a few days after he was buried. She told the rest of the children if her little brother died she did not want to live to know that he was dead, and while he was dying he would call her and she would call him. After he died she never spoke any more, and did not know when he died, but lay with hands up and eyes looking upward smiling until she died and would reach like she was taking some one in her arms and Would almost laugh out and seem to be in view of great joy.

3. EMMA -- "Emma was 16 years old December 10th and was taken sick September 3rd and died September 19th Many beautiful prayers she prayed the day before she died, and about the last word she ever said was "I am going home, sweet home of rest, to suffer and die no more." About twenty-minutes before she died she got out of the bed and went to tier brother who was sick and laid her head in his lap, and could not speak but looked him in the face and smiled, and seemed if she wanted to have him to go with her. He laid her hand on her face and the tears began to run down his cheeks. She reached to go back to her bed. We led her back and she was soon gone to rest.

4. GEORGE -- "George was twenty-years old August 11th was taken sick September the 22nd and died October the 10th While sick, he would not say he wanted to get well, but would say the Lord's will, will be done, and He knows what is best. If it be his will to take me, I am ready to go to the day I am called. He was suffering a great deal, but when he would get a little easy he would pray the pitifulest prayer 1 ever heard, and seemed to be rejoicing that the time was drawing near. He sang, "I have same friends to Heaven is gone. I am determined to follow on." It looked like he was happy while he was singing, that he could view his friends that was gone. It seemed that he wanted the time to hurry and come when he would go. It seemed to be a -pleasure to him, the thought of going. He did not fear death, but rejoiced at the thought of death.

5. PRISCILLA -- "Priscilla was 18 years of age, August 27th and was taken sick September 22nd and died October 10th The next day after she was taken sick she came into the house and said, "Mother I don't want to take any more medicine, for it is no use. My time has come, and I have to go." All the doctors in the world cannot do me any good, for 1 told you some time ago that I was going to die, and now the time has come, and I will have to go, and I will be glad. 1 want to see the hour come when I will go to meet with little Annie and Robert, and 1 don't want none of you to grieve after me for 1 will be in Heaven. She told her sister the day before she was taken sick that she was going to die, and her sister turned away in tears. She said, "Do not grieve for I have to go and you too", and soon all of us children are going to die in a short time, and what is the use in grieving, but rejoice that we will soon all be in Heaven together, never to be parted anymore. Her sister, George and me were talking about dying. He said. "He knowed he was going to die." All I care for is in leaving mama and papa alone, for I believe they will be left pretty near alone, but I pray to the Lord to enable them to bear their trouble for the Lord's will, will be done.

6. POSEY -- "Posey was sixteen February 19th and taken sick August 7 and died October 1. All the time he lay sick would say he would not get well, and prayed for hours at a time to die. He prayed until he gave out then he would rest. He would begin again and pray for his brother and sister and all his friends to meet him in heaven and for sinners everywhere, saying he was going home to Heaven and he wanted to meet everybody there.

7. SARAH -- "Sarah was 24 years old August 24, and was taken sick October 26th and died Nov. 10th A few days before she took sick she said, "Mother I cannot live, for it seems to me that my heart is broken and I must die. All the rest of the children is gone and I want to go too. I have no company now. It seems to me like I have got no home, and if I was to live it would not be like home anymore, for they are all gone, and I want to die too, for nothing in this world is no pleasure to me. Ten thousand worlds like this would be no pleasure to me. There is not anything I want to live for Mother, I hate to leave you in so much trouble but I pray to the Lord to be with you. I can't stay with you but the Lord's will has to be done, and I don't want you to grieve about me for I want to die. If I would live it would be trouble to me, but I believe that the Lord will take me home in a few days to the rest of the children and then my trouble will be over, when I reach that happy shore. Mother, do the best you can. I will pray to the Lord to enable you and papa to bear your trouble, and look to the Lord and believe, and he will help you. Mother my faith is great in the Lord. While dying she called to Mary and mother saying pray for me that I may die easy, and in a few minutes was gone as if she was asleep."

Mrs. T. J. Hice the mother of all these children and who wrote the above on the death of her children, before she died, was about 46 years of age when she died. She died October the 9th 1896 She was a member of the Baptist church and lived a devoted and faithful Christian up to her death. She said she was ready and willing to die, and what was any sweeter than death. She told them not to grieve after her, that she was going home to God, and wanted to meet them all in heaven where parting comes no more. In her last moments she seemed to be as happy as one could be. She shouted till the last moment. Her last words were, "Bless God I am going home to heaven." While dying she seemed that she saw something and said it looked so bright, and would reach her arms as if to catch something.

ADDENDUM: Charles Brownlow Hice was 7 years old when his brothers and sisters were dying in Fightingtown, Fannin County in 1893. He recounted to this writer that he himself "took sick" with the fever at about the same time as his siblings, and he was "turned in the sheets" for weeks afterward until he had survived the fever.