Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

Even into the 20th century, Owen countians were not immune to the “speckled monster.” 
It attacked young and old alike, and many did not survive its devastating assault. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, pioneer villages and towns were decimated by its onslaught, and many succumbed to the effects of this dreaded disease called smallpox.
Owen County records show that in December of 1902 a smallpox epidemic was raging in the area, and many died as it made its way from household to household.

I must offer my apology to Don and Clay Crupper and their families. Several weeks ago I introduced you to the Crupper brothers, who are caretakers of the Smith Cemetery in Breck.

I must start off with a correction. It was not Jeannie Williams Baker who went to the dance with Joyce, Cig and Coleman. It was Jeannie Barber Jones. I’m not sure if it was me reading it wrong or Wanda’s mistake. I do have a tendency to anticipate when I read the e-mails late at night. I may have read “Jeannie,” and because the only Jeannie I know is Jeannie Williams, I just typed in her name instead of actually reading the sentence verbatim.

Age does not deter 80-year-old Don Crugger and his 76-year-old brother, Clay, from their dedication to the preservation of the Smith Cemetery in Breck. Breck was always a small community in Owen County, originally comprised  of several homes and a grocery. Today, all that remains of Breck is a couple houses, the Smith Cemetery, and some who are determined to keep alive the history of the people who lived, died and are buried there.