The four-year-old son of Caleb Hayes died this data, February 10th, in 1848 and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. Ascites is not a cause of death. It is a symptom that describes a massive build-up of fluid in the abdomen. The causes for this symptom are many, including liver disease, cancer and bacterial infection.
According to the 1847 African American Census, Caleb Hayes earned $12 a month as a waiter and his spouse took in laundry to add to the family’s income. They lived at 8 Washington Street (now 1108 Rodman Street) in the Cedar District of the city with four other children besides the unnamed deceased male child. There were five in the family that could read and two of them could also write. Two of the children attended school at 6th and Lombard Streets and one attended The Infant School in Lombard Street that was established in 1841 by the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. It accepted children from 2-5 years of age and was staffed by two African American teachers.
This is a list of the schools available to Black children in 1847 Philadelphia. From 1847 AA Census. Unfortunately, it was not uncommon for the Black schools to be frequently closed due to lack of funding. (National Gazette, 15 June 1839; Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 May 1862.)
