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Newtown History Center

Explore the 2nd Oldest Town in the Shenandoah Valley

The Spanish Flu: The Story of Gervis Lemley (1918-1919)

In 2018 the Stone House Foundation learned about a World War I soldier from Stephens City named Gervis Lemley through the donation of some of his wartime materials. He was in the service from October 1918-March 1919. Research made it clear that the Spanish Flu was a bigger threat to soldiers than the Germans were.

We had no idea how relevant that information would be two years later.

Gervis Lemley in uniform. Image courtesy of Neil Thorne.
Gervis Lemley in uniform. Image courtesy of Neil Thorne.

The Spanish Flu got its name because Spain was the first nation to openly report it, but no one knows for certain where it started. Many historians theorize that it was Kansas, but not enough information has been found to confirm this.

Regardless of the disease’s point of origin, it spread across the Western Front in the last days of the war. The warring nations did not want to appear weak, so they hid the fact that their soldiers were getting sick. This let the illness become a global pandemic before anyone addressed it, even though the best thing to do during any plague is to hit it hard before it has a chance to grow and spread.

Gervis Lemley’s service coat, with insignia on the right sleeve designating his position as a Motor Transport Sergeant. Image by Rick Kriebel, the Stone House Foundation.
The Spanish Flu got its name because Spain was the first nation to openly report it, but no one knows for certain where it started. Many historians theorize that it was Kansas, but not enough information has been found to confirm this. Gervis Lemley’s service coat, with insignia on the right sleeve designating his position as a Motor Transport Sergeant. Image by Rick Kriebel, the Stone House Foundation.

This was the wartime environment in which Gervis Lemley found himself. He served on a stateside base instead of going abroad to fight. However, government research shows that the pandemic actually made stateside bases deadlier than the front.

Lemley had a critically important job though. He was in the Quatermaster Corp, which was in charge of the army’s organization and administration. The United States had two million soldiers on the Western Front who had to return home through a bottleneck of French ports, while many other nations had soldiers waiting to do the same thing. The Quartermaster Corps not only had to figure out how to get American soldiers home, but also to keep them properly supplied, all while dealing with a pandemic.

Camp Joseph E. Johnston near Jacksonville, FL, where Gervis was stationed. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Camp Joseph E. Johnston near Jacksonville, FL, where Gervis was stationed. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Gervis served at Camp Joseph E. Johnston for five months, being discharged just 52 days before it closed. After the war he worked for the post office: an agency which many people have relied on during the later coronavirus pandemic.

Gervis Lemley’s Discharge Card. Image courtesy of the Library of Virginia.
Gervis Lemley’s Discharge Card. Image courtesy of the Library of Virginia.
Gervis Lemley’s Postmaster  Appointment. Image courtesy of Neil Thorne.
Gervis Lemley’s Postmaster Appointment. Image courtesy of Neil Thorne.

Further Reading:
https://transportation.army.mil/history/?fbclid=IwAR1z2WCqATooKyTCCdktJupqEA4qathNyChZCIpgY8yFvrZPvNLY8Y52pPE

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/flu-epidemic-of-1918/17805?fbclid=IwAR1K4xIRpp_uCL-Py_kyhZTR64aEm9RVdCulncdQgyNlW7Gun5tIfAQjmfo

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm?fbclid=IwAR1FxwMz1KEihP4N2WWQWGnDkv7TLARtO7vf5wzv-0nC0oy3gCW_GoMqh50

https://www.loc.gov/collections/panoramic-photographs/?fa=subject%3Aflorida%7Clocation%3Acamp+joseph+e.+johnston&fbclid=IwAR0XiPGTIlrdLQYRw7nlwfcp2510dXMBScTqCqKjTeqX3WDqUzyl5oeZuuY

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Virtual Exhibits

  • Pandemics in New Town
  • The Worst First: Novel Plagues Hit America (1492-1758)
  • Running to the Hill: Smallpox and Sanitation in Colonial Times (1758-1760)
  • Another Scourge Among Many: Epidemics in the Civil War (1861-1865)
  • The Spanish Flu: The Story of Gervis Lemley (1918-1919)
  • It Didn’t Fade: Mildred Lee Grove and Tuberculosis (1930s-Late Twentieth Century)

Stone House Restoration Project Progress Updates

  • Completion of the Gutters and Other Progress
  • Painting of the Soffit and Crown
  • Painting Preparations for the Crown Molding

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What We Do

With the town of Stephens City as its focus, the Foundation seeks to interest and engage residents, visitors, scholars and students in the events, lifeways and material culture of the region. We also strive to promote the preservation of the buildings, artifacts and landscapes that are associated with the history of the town of Stephens City.

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PO Box 143 (USPS Mail)
5408 Main Street (FedEx/UPS Deliveries)
Stephens City, VA 22655-0143

Phone: (540) 869-1700
E-mail: info@newtownhistorycenter.org

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