James F.T. Rodney, 3 years old, died this date, August 5th, in 1849 of Hydrocephalus* and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. The child was the son of Ann Elizabeth Rodney, a single mother who had four other children in her care. The Rodney family lived in extreme poverty in a room in Madison’s Court which was in the rear of 7th and St. Mary’s Streets for which Ms. Rodney paid $2.50 a month. The neighborhood was one of the worst in the city but was affordable for a woman who took in washing for a living while raising 5 children. All the children attended school. It appears that James, before his death was enrolled in the Lombard Infant School. Their home was only two blocks from Bethel Church at 6th and Lombard where the family attended services. (1847 African American Census)
*Hydrocephalus is an abnormal increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid that circulates in the brain. this puts increased pressure on the brain that produces an enlarged head and may lead to brain damage. The condition is associated with spina bifida, viruses, bacteria and funguses. (A Biohistory of 19th-Century Afro-Americans, Lesley M. Rankin-Hill)
Bethel Burying Ground Project 