Three-year-old Francis Tate died this date, October 16th, in 1852 from a fever of unknown origin. He was the son of Arthur and Margareta Tate who lived with their four other children in a room located in a 3-story brick building in the 900 block of Lombard Street near Bethel Church (now Mother Bethel). Their rent was $11.75 a month. Arthur was employed as a porter and Margareta was a day worker according to the 1847 African American Census. It appears from the Census that Francis attended the nearby Lombard Infant School. One of the parents was formerly enslaved and gained their freedom through manumission.
The attending physician puts the “Bethell Ground” in the Moyamensing District, but it is really in the Southwark District. Usage of “Bethell” is a very common error by the Church, Health Department and physicians through the decades. It might have something to do with the existence of a well-known Philadelphia merchant family by the name of “Bethell.”
