Five-year-old David Ware died this date, September 19th, in 1843 of a brain inflammation and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. There are several diseases that can cause the inflammation. At David’s age, it could have been measles or mumps.
According to the 1850 U.S. Census, young David lived at #8 Acorn Alley with the following three single women: Eliza Ware, 33-years-old, who was born in Delaware; Sarah Ware, 29-years-old, who was born in New Jersey; Ann Ware, 21-years-old, who was born in Delaware. It is not clear which woman was David’s mother, if any of the three. None of the women was recorded as a widow.
The Ware women were employed as laundresses and whitewashers. Whitewashers were house painters. Colored wash (paint) was very costly and only used in wealthy homes. Whitewash was a mixture of water and quicklime and inexpensive to make.
The 1847 African American Census recorded the Ware family paid $4.50 a month for their room/s which is much higher than average. This sum equates to approximately $158 a month in modern currency. It also is reported that the family owned property in New Jersey worth $500 or approximately $17,560 in modern currency.
Young David Ware died on a clear hot day in September of 1843 and was buried, with dignity, at Bethel Burying Ground.
(1) We Are Your Sisters: Black Woman in the Nineteenth Century, edited by Dorothy Sterling, p. 90.
