It Happened 100 Years Ago
“The horrific scale of the 1918 influenza pandemic—known as the “Spanish flu”—is hard to fathom. The virus infected 500 million people worldwide and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims.”
This particular story about a friend of my grandfather happened a few years after the start of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, however indications are that even in 1920, strains of the flu were still being spread across the country.
Friendship: Holger and Frede
My grandfather, Holger Koch, was a teenager when his family immigrated in 1908 to the U.S. from Denmark. They moved to Kimballton, Iowa where his father started a brick yard.
Holger made friends with a boy his age, Frede Nissager. The Nissager and Koch families socialized and worked together in Kimballton. During WWI, Holger was in the infantry and Frede was an army airplane pilot. In 1919, after the war, Holger went back to finish seminary classes at Grand View College. In January, 1920, Frede decided to visit Holger at college and play some basketball.
The Letters
What follows are excerpts from letters written to Holger while he was at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa. Those writing are: Ane Koch (his mother), Dora Lauritzen (his girlfriend), and Esther Nissager(Frede’s sister). It shows the timeline of Frede catching the flu in Des Moines, dying in Kimballton, and subsequent grieving. The letters were written in old Danish. I had them translated into English. The dates are what were written at the top of each letter.
January 11, 1920 – Letter from Esther Nissager
… Frede said the Kimballton team may come down and play the Grand View College basketball team on Saturday. Maybe soon you will have Kimballton company, if that can be arranged. Will you greet all I know at college. There are quite a few kids from Kimballton there …
January 12, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s mother
… I hear that there was influenza down there near you in Des Moines. Hope though that it will not get in to the school, and especially not you , you are vulnerable to that …
February 4, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s mother
… Frede is sick, and it has been said a little while ago that Mr. Nissager is also sick. It is unfortunate that Esther (Frede’s sister) is not home. Maybe she will come tomorrow …
February 5, 1920 – Letter from Esther Nissager
… I will just let you know that I came home alright, but found Mother, Father and Frede in bed. Mrs. Dr. Soe had been there at night. Today Mother and Father are a little better, but it is bad with Frede. We hope it keeps away from pneumonia. His temperature has been 104 all the time and last night he was wild part of the time … Sigrid (Holger’s sister) was at the depot to get me yesterday. I hope also that you are all well …
February 9, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s mother
… Down here in Kimballton there is so much sickness nowadays. Until now it has not been bad, but it is bad the way it spreads. Frede Nissager is very sick, and has been now for several days. Esther goes alone with it all, since both of her parents lay in bed, they were sick all three when Esther arrived at home, the night before there were three doctors with Frede. If it has become pneumonia I don’t know, but that is what they fear … All is closed here in Kimballton—no church service, schools are closed, there are no meetings of any kind …
February 11, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s mother
… Yes, it is very hard. It is so sad the Nissagers are quarantined and we must not come in to see them. Frede was not well on Monday after he had come home from Des Moines. That day I talked with Mrs. Nissager, but they thought not at all that it would be anything bad. Tuesday afternoon Mr. Nissager got sick and Wednesday evening Mrs. Nissager got sick. Thursday, Esther came home. Sigrid (Holger’s sister) was at the station and met her and brought her up. Then they were quarantined and Dr. Soe was in the house to help. She had been there most of the time since …
… Yesterday at 2:00 Esther got a call. I was called up there by Esther. She could not hold out any longer without talking with me. I could not come in, so Esther and I sat just outside the door on the kitchen steps and talked. Poor Esther, she was all beside of herself, complained and complained. “Poor Father, what shall become of him if Frede dies.” At that time lay Frede with a high fever, so death could come at any time. It can be over any moment. Father and Mother sit on both sides of the bed and hold his hands. …
… When I had been home for 2 hours, Mrs. Soe called and said that Frede was dead. You remember well New Year’s Day when they were here. It is lovely memory we have of Frede …
February 12, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s mother
… Yesterday forenoon I was up by the Nissagers. They sent an automobile after me at 8 o’clock in the morning; it was especially good for me to be a little with Esther. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nissager lay in bed and Esther walked so alone down. Mr. Nissager could not get any rest when poor Esther walked down here and cried and complained. Esther had so much to tell about Frede, from his light moments and all under his sickness.
And so the flowers started to stream in. That was a beautiful wreath you sent there down at the school and it was so fresh. That there were flowers in volume can you well think, large wreathes of a light red rose. There was a laurel wreath from friends. Legion—there was a rose wreath from D. M. Klub that was pretty. Friends had asked about whether Frede could not be dressed in his uniform. And that became a very ceremonial funeral. I was not there. Right at noon I was driven home. I was a little nervous and not really well, the day before I was more nervous, and my heart had it not all best. As soon as I came home I went to bed.
This forenoon was Sigrid (Holger’s sister) up with Nissagers with a little fresh baked cookies and a Citron fromage. Sigrid helped Esther a little with fixing up in the living room and they walked and talked about the day yesterday. And Sigrid said she had never been together with fixing up for a funeral. That was the highest ceremonious funeral I have been to. Almost always, it used to be that there is much that is uncomfortable or offensive; but not at all once when the three shovels of dirt fall on the casket, it used to be that it cut me in the heart, all was so subdued, so soft.
The friends had given an American flag and asked if it might be wrapped around the casket before it sank into the grave. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nissager followed at the cemetery and they were unusually strong. They were driven up there in a Sedan automobile and there they could sit and be along with it all. It was driven right to the grave.
It was all done with Military honors. Edvard Esbeck led them, there were about near 50, but that you can later read about in the paper I think. But it was beautiful. Peter Jensen, he performed something unusually fine on bugle. The last tone hovered long, they hardly knew if it was instruments or the air that sounded out …
February 14, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s girlfriend
… That was so sad that Frede must die! That makes me ache for Nissagers. We have just had a funeral here from the city – a 16 year old girl, daughter of Chris Skoven who worked for us in the past year. She had pneumonia, had had a cold, then played basketball in school and got worn down by running out from the warmth. She was also so fresh and sound, had never been sick before and was only sick four days this one time …
February 20, 1920 – Letter from Holger’s mother
… Yesterday I was up at Nissagers. Esther will today send you a picture of Frede. That will probably be the one in civil clothes just before he moved to Wyoming, it is serious but I think that it is a good picture of him, if someone wants to write about his airplane work they can use the picture with the uniform. Alma Madsen has written about Frede and sent it to the paper Ungdom. Mrs. Jorgensen said yesterday she had written to “Echo”. Nissagers are fine. Their biggest joy at this time is to talk about their dear son Frede …
March 5, 1920 – Letter from Esther Nissager
… Many, many thanks for your letter and picture, it is really outstanding. Ah, yes, Holger I think I almost feel the loss more and more, the more I think about it, the more I realize how big a loss I have had. Ah, no person knows how much Frede has been for me, and therefore what I have missed. But we must humbly bow to the Lord’s way. We short-sighted people know so little, so little and must say “Thank, God.” Thanks, Holger, that we have that beautiful piece in “Echo”. Ah, I think that was so beautiful, the fine, even way Pastor Jorgensen always writes. Ah, Holger, when you some time come home you shall have the right to read some of the letters I have received from Frede’s friends in the Army, they are some of the finest, one can also see from that, that Frede always sought the good comrades, all can one see are good Christian people, who have the solid belief that Frede has gone to the place far holier than this life. Yes, Holger, that friendship of all shows how cared for Frede has been helps to lessen the sorrow, but the loss, that depressing loss, ah, is everywhere.
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