The St. James Cathedral Archives and Museum Committee in Toronto is collecting stories of families touched by the 1918-1919 flu epidemic, wherever they may have been living at the time.
The committee is putting together a special exhibit in October to mark the 100th anniversary of the flu pandemic, which was also known as the Spanish flu.
On the church website, the committee says, “Considered the worst epidemic since the plague of the 14th century, recent research is now showing that mortality of the 1918/19 flu epidemic could be as high as 100 million. Yet it has been all but forgotten. One in six households here in Canada were affected, and it killed more Canadians in 12 months than the entire four years of the Great War.”
Was your family affected? Were they living here in Canada at the time, or had they yet to immigrate? If your family has a story to tell of how they were affected and would like to share and become a part of the research being undertaken, you are asked to contact Archives and Museum Coordinator Nancy Mallett at 416-364-7865 or archives@stjamescathedral.ca.
The Cathedral Archives and Museum Committee maintains holdings of artifacts and archival records, relating the cathedral and its role in the development of Old Town Toronto to the present day. They regularly welcome serious researchers to use the collection in their preparations. There is a modest reference library as well. The Archives and Museum is located on the lower level of the Cathedral Centre, and is open by appointment.
