Revolutionary War-era document of a smallpox meeting at Johnston, Rhode Island, 1776, deciding to quarantine infected townspeople in their homes

Meetings
Smallpox
Quarantine--Rhode Island--Revolution, 1775-1783

Written in brown ink on a 7 1/2 x 12 inch piece of hand laid paper, in a fine state of preservation, with remnants of two seals. This unique American Revolutionary War era document from 1776 is a record of a town council meeting in Johnston, Rhode Island to discuss the smallpox outbreak that was occurring. Several people in the town of Johnston were suspected of being infected with smallpox, a highly contagious disease. The council decided that the people infected would be restricted (quarantined) to their respected houses and those family members not infected would be removed.

Johnston (R.I.) Town Council

Digitized by the rights holder

October 1, 1776

English

Resolutions (administrative records)

smallpox_quarantine

Armory Antiques

Eighteenth century

Johnston (R.I.)

Anonymous. Name available upon request.