08/21/2026
In his published account of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic, Rev. Helmuth recounted a visit on August 19 to a man “whose breathing was very short, but who did not shew in his countenance the least symptoms of approaching death.” To his surprise, the man died the next day. He might have been referring to Heinrich Schmidt (1737–1793), a father of eight who lived on Cherry Street in Philadelphia. Helmuth wrote in his journal (pictured right) that he visited Schmidt’s house on August 19, where he urged the 56-year-old to receive confirmation. In the Philadelphia congregation’s parish register (pictured left), Helmuth recorded Schmidt’s death on August 20 and burial on August 21, noting he had visited the man several times throughout an illness.
Whoever the individual was, Helmuth wrote in his account that “nobody yet suspected, that this man had died of a contagious fever.” It wasn’t until that same evening 233 years ago, when members of the Philadelphia Lutheran congregation heard "terrifying accounts” of a fever “of the most dangerous complexion” on Water Street, that it became clear something more serious was happening. Dr. Benjamin Rush, in his own account of the 1793 epidemic, wrote that he realized yellow fever was spreading again after identifying symptoms in patients who lived on or had connections to Water Street. Dr. Rush was already familiar with the symptoms of yellow fever, having experienced a less severe outbreak in the city in 1762. The 1793 epidemic would prove deadlier, killing more than 5,000 Philadelphians--about 10% of the city’s population.
