In this week’s “In Remembrance” we’re featuring Leila Maude Smith (1909-1918) who died on this date in 1918.

Leila was the youngest daughter of William Arthur Smith (1880-1954) and Alice Maude (Crippen) Smith (1884-1958) (a descendent of Israel Standish), born on 18 Jun 1909 when the family was living near Otisville, Michigan just outside Flint. She was the youngest of two daughters and William Arthur and Alice Maude (they variously went by either their first or middle names) were farmers.

The family had survived the Spanish Flu epidemic intact, but Leila died on 22 Apr 1919 of inflammation of the medulla oblongata at the age of 8. The death certificate said the cause of the inflammation was unknown, and today what’s called brainstem encephalitis is known to often be caused by Listeria infections. Tragedy struck the family almost exactly a year older when her older sister Cleah passed away at the age of 14.

The Smith’s adopted a child the wake of Leah and Leila’s deaths (Bill) thinking they could no longer conceive children of their own, but 6 years later Maude gave birth to their third child Elizabeth when she was 41 years old. The Smiths would later adopt another girl, Ruth.