“life went out like a candle”

Smallpox and the Early Moravian Community of North Carolina

Abstract

   As health and medicine influenced the lives of all individuals in Early America, epidemics had the power to shape communities. The Moravian community of Salem experienced multiple challenges in the late 18th century, which changed the policies of the congregation community and their relationships with outsiders. In the middle of the American Revolution, smallpox forced the town into isolation. However, this period characterized by sickness, treatment, and death reveals the ways in which the Salem congregation quickly adapted to their new environment, accepting medical advancements and preserving their business. However, these adaptations often placed the brunt of the work onto White women and forced enslaved individuals to work in spaces where they could easily catch the deadly contagion. Indeed, this study seeks to explain how the Moravians preserved their community during the smallpox epidemic through the efforts of those who are often silent in the archives.