Ramsey County History – Spring 2017: “Two Graves in White Bear Lake: The Story of Claude and Daisy White”

Two Graves in White Bear Lake: The Story of Claude and Daisy White
Author: James Lindner

Claude and Daisy White died within two days of each other in November 1918 and are buried in a single grave in White Bear Lake. This circumstance inspired the author to wonder who these two young people were and what tragedy had led to their burial in White Bear Lake’s Union Cemetery. In the fall of 1918, Claude and Daisy White, who were in their twenties, were living in the town of Cloquet in the midst of Minnesota’s pine forests where Claude worked in a lumber mill. When major forest fires developed in mid-October to the west of Cloquet, the White family, along with more than 2,000 other residents of the community, were forced to flee by train for their safety. Eventually the White family, which included their two young sons, were taken in by relatives living in White Bear Lake. Unfortunately, first Daisy and then Claude were soon sickened by the “Spanish” influenza pandemic that was sweeping across the United States. She died on November 1, and Claude succumbed on November 3. Fortunately for their two boys, in early 1919 a great-aunt in Chicago adopted these orphans and brought them to her home in Chicago.
PDF of Lindner article