Buchanan/Price Tragedy

Amanda (Manda) L Price was born July 23, 1856, in Denison Twp, Lawence County Illinois to John Clayton and Lucinda (Potts) Price. She married Truman Smith Buchanan on March 28, 1878, in Lawrence County, Illinois.

Truman died just a few months after their wedding on September 11, 1878, at age 23 years of remittent fever and jaundice, leaving her a widow. In less than a year she was also dead.  But before her husband died, they had conceived a child, Martha Evaline, who was born December 22 1878. Her mother died about two weeks after giving birth.

Amanda died January 8, 1879, at the home of her father, John Price in Denison Twp of intestinal inflammation and sepsis of the blood in addition to complications of childbirth.  The doctor noted that he “did not see patient until 20 hours before death”.

Wm Buchanan buried her at Buchanan Cemetery Lawrence County Illinois.

Martha Eveline, the first and only child of Truman Smith and Amanda Lavina Price Buchanan was born December 22, 1878. Her father had died about 3 months before her birth, so her mother gave birth at the home of her father, John Price. Two weeks later the mother also died.  It is believed that Martha lived there with her grandparents until she died at about 2 years of age on December 17, 1880, of pneumonitis (non-infectious inflammation of the lungs). Burial was in Buchanan Cemetery Lawrence County, Illinois.  No stone marks her grave.

(Her death record states that she was 1 year 11 months 12 days of age when she died. Using this calculation, she would have been born on January 5, 1879, but the actual birth record states that she was born on December 22, 1878.)