The Great Blizzard of 1899: When North America Froze Solid

The chance is increasing that a nor'easter/coastal storm will develop and impact the East Coast this weekend (January 30), according to The Weather Channel. There is potential for significant snow and gusty winds, along with the bitter cold already in place. This comes just a week after "Winter Storm Fern."

Looking Back at the Blizzard of 1899: Were Your Ancestors Impacted?

February 13, 1899. The Great Blizzard reached from Canada to Cuba. Every state in the union recorded temperatures below zero. Florida dropped to -2°F. Texas hit -8°F. Montana bottomed out at -61°F.

Wildlife died in catastrophic numbers. Bluebirds in Tennessee went nearly extinct. Quail populations across Virginia collapsed. Livestock froze in fields across the South.

Minden, Louisiana, recorded -16°F. That is still the coldest temperature ever measured in the state.  Most cities have a record low on this date.

Snow in New Orleans and Ice on the Mississippi

New Orleans saw four inches of snow on Valentine's Day (which also happened to be Mardi Gras). Three days later, residents lined the levee to watch chunks of ice float down the Mississippi River and out into the Gulf of Mexico. The river had frozen solid north of Cairo, Illinois. Barges were no longer able to move south, including those loaded with coal bound for the South. The Great Arctic Outbreak of February 1899 killed an estimated 105 people across the United States, though the real number was likely higher. Many deaths were never officially recorded. Rural families froze in homes that ran out of fuel. Elderly people died alone. Children succumbed to exposure while walking home from school.

August Lotz was a German immigrant living near Holly Beach in Cape May County, New Jersey. Lotz became disoriented in a snowdrift. The cold numbed him quickly. He could not push through. He started shouting for help.  His neighbors heard him. They found Lotz trapped in the drift, barely conscious. His hands were badly frozen. He was treated for severe frostbite. The local newspaper reported the story matter-of-factly: "but for their timely assistance, he would probably have frozen to death."

Fifty-Two Hours of Snow: Cape May Paralyzed

Cape May recorded 34 inches of snow during the blizzard, which is still the deepest single-storm snowfall in New Jersey history. The snow fell steadily for 52 hours. Drifts piled higher than horses. Thirteen pigs froze to death in their pen. The town came to a complete standstill.

In Louisiana, Minden sits in Webster Parish, just east of Shreveport. The week before the blizzard hit, residents were already exhausted. The Webster Signal newspaper reported on February 3: "The cold wave has passed off and everybody is in high spirits."  OOF.  This was 10 days before the blizzard.  They continued, "Nothing has been done here for the past week except get wood and make fires and feed and shelter stock to keep them from freezing. The heaviest snowfall here last week was the heaviest in many years. The ground was frozen when the snow began to fall."

But, then the real cold arrived.

Frozen Ink and Missing Newspapers

On February 13, Minden's Weather Bureau recorded -16°F and seven inches of fresh snow. There are no surviving issues of The Webster Signal from the rest of February 1899. Other southern newspaper archives are also lacking papers from this time.  It has been suggested that the ink froze.

Lake Providence, in the northeastern corner of Louisiana, hit -4°F. The town had run out of coal. The Mississippi River was clogged with ice, blocking coal barges from reaching southern ports. Without coal, families burned whatever they could find. Some homes went cold. The very young and very old were most vulnerable.

The Genealogical Gaps Left Behind

Genealogical records from Webster Parish show gaps in February 1899 that were never explained. Families that appear in the 1900 census are missing members. Children who should have been there are not listed. Elderly relatives vanish from the record.

Death certificates from rural locations at that time were inconsistent at best. Frozen ground meant bodies could not be buried until spring. By then, some deaths had simply been forgotten by official record-keepers, absorbed into family memory but never written down. This was not the only blizzard!  If your ancestor disappeared with no death record, no probate, and no explanation, check the weather.

Over 100 people died officially. How many more died unofficially is unknown.

Families who lost everything in the blizzard often migrated immediately afterward. Midwestern farmers who lost their livestock to freezing temperatures walked away from their land. Southern families whose crops were destroyed moved west or north in search of work. These migrations happened suddenly and left almost no paper trail.

About Kate Penney Howard

Kate Penney Howard is a genetic genealogist and speaker specializing in endogamy and breaking down challenging research barriers with DNA. She brings decades of experience in family research and has successfully solved hundreds of genetic genealogy cases. She is also a writer, speaker, and pastor and is the head of Genealogical Helper.