James Cain

1818 - 1862  (44 years)

• Name	James Cain
  Born	1818	, New York Or Pennsylvania   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/283407513
  Medical	rabies
  Misfortune	rabies
  Occupation	1848	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	labourer
  Occupation	1848	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	labourer
  Occupation	1851	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Labourer
  Occupation	1861	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Laborer
  Residence	1861	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Lutheran
  Misfortune	1862
  	died of rabies
  Name	James Kane
  Name	James Koenig
  Occupation	1862	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	laborer
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-95241
  Died	17 Feb 1862	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Cause: hydrophobia
  Person ID	I95241	Generations
  Last Modified	10 Jul 2025

  
  

  Family	Eva Margaret "Margaret" Schaefer,   b. 1820, Ehnenga, Baden, Germany ,   d. 16 Nov 1869, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 49 years)
  Married	17 Sep 1848	Greenbush (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  Children	1. Wilhelmina Cain,   b. 1844, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   2. Mary Cain,   b. 1848, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Catharine Cain,   b. 1850, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   4. John F. Cain,   b. 31 Jul 1852, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 22 May 1913, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States  (Age 60 years)   5. Henry Cain,   b. 1856, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   6. Benjamin S. Cain,   b. 21 Nov 1856, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 2 May 1935, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States  (Age 78 years)
  Last Modified	10 Jul 2025
  Family ID	F34083	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  CAIN - We have, this day, the painful duty to perform of announcing a death that occurred in Woolwich on Monday last from that most dreadful of all diseases, hydrophobia. It appears that some weeks ago, as a man of the name of James Cain, a labourer living on the farm of Mr. W. H. Bowman, near Elmira, Woolwich Township, was approaching his house in the evening, a strange dog that, during his absence, had lain down on the doorstep, sprang at him and bit him in the cheek quite close to the mouth. Mr. Cain immediately grasped the animal by the throat and held him until his wife stunned it by a blow from a stick, when he took the axe and killed it. The wound from the bite healed rapidly and all went well until Saturday night when poor Cain felt a tingling sensation in the old wound. He immediately sent for medical advice, and on Saturday, Dr. Bowlby of Berlin visited the unfortunate man. On the doctor's offering the patient a cup of tea, he sprang beck in horror from the fluid, and the worst symptoms of hydrophobia rapidly developed themselves. In his paroxysms, the unfortunate man was horribly violent, half a dozen men being incapable of holding him while the fit was at its worst. At other times he was quiet, but the paroxysms became gradually frequenter and more violent until Monday when death mercifully relieved the unfortunate man from his sufferings. He died about noon on that day. Hamilton Spectator 22 Feb 1862 ____________ MELANCHOLY CASE OF HYDROPHOBIA. Through the kindness of Mr. Wendell Bowman, we have received the particulars of a melancholy case of hydrophobia, but as they agree with the account of the Chronicle, we copy from that journal:- The victim is a man by the name of James Cain, a laborer aged about forty, living on the farm of Mr. Wendell Bowman, near Elmira, in the township of Woolwich. About two months ago a strange dog came to the house, and laid himself down on the door-step. Mrs. Cain at once suspected the dog to be in a rabid state, and closed the door, and kept a look-out for her husband whom she expected home in a short time. When Cain came home in the evening, his wife called out to him from the house to beware of the dog in the door-step, stating her conviction at he was mad. Her husband, however, thought differently, and advanced towards the house, calling on the dog to scare him out of the way. The animal got up and went away a short distance, but immediately turned and sprang at the man, and bit him severely on the side of the mouth. Cain caught the infuriated animal by the head and held him while his wile stunned him with a stick, after which the man took up an axe and killed him, in consequence of which there were no means of knowing, at the time, whether the dog was really mad. As the poor man had, however, suspected such to be the case, he went to a certain person who pretends in be in possession of a sore preventative for Hydrophobia and got some of the medicine, which took. The wound healed rapidly, like any other wound, there uneasiness was felt till a few days ago, when the usual premonitory symptoms of hydrophobia began to manifest themselves, On Saturday last Cain felt an uneasy tingling sensation of pain at his old wound, Becoming alarmed, he at once sent for Dr. Bowlby, of Berlin, who, judging from the description given by Mr. Bowman, who called on him, supposed it to be merely a kind of fever, increased by fear. He however called upon the unfortunate man on Sunday evening, when he found the victim to be laboring under all the symptoms of hydrophobia. When he offered the man a drink of tea, he at once got into a paroxysm, spring back with horror from the fluid. In one of his fits he tore down the stairs with one wrench. Half a dozen men were incapable of holding him when the fit was on him. He continued in the same state, alternately raging violently, and at other times quiet, til death put an end to his sufferings on Monday last. The Kingston Whig-Standard Sat, Feb 22, 1862 Page 2 ____________ Dreadful Case of Hydrophobia We learn from the Waterloo Chronicle that a poor German, residing near Elmira, County of Waterloo, died of hydrophobia on Monday afternoon last, in fearful agony. The victim is a man by the name of James Cain. About two months ago a strange dog came to his house, and laid himself down on the door step. On Cain approaching the door, the animal got up and went away a short distance, but immediately turned and sprang at him, and bit him severely on the mouth. Cain caught the infuriated animal by the head and held him, while his wife stunned him with a stick, after which the man took up an axe and killed him. The wound healed rapidly, as such wounds usually do, and no uneasiness was felt until usually a few days ago, when the usual premonitory symptoms of hydrophobia began to manifest themselves, and Cain sent for Dr. Bowlby, of Berlin. The doctor at first thought the man was laboring under a kind of fever, but on calling on him on Saturday evening, he found him laboring under all the usual symptoms of hydrophobia. When he offered the man a drink of tea, he at once got into a paroxysm, springing back with horror from the fluid. In one of these fits of madness he tore down the stairs with one wrench. Half a dozen men were incapable of holding him when the fit was on him. The unfortunate man leaves a wife and six small children utterly destitute of even the necessaries of life. The mother has just risen from a sick bed, which she should in fact yet occupy. The above is another fearful warning to every one to be careful about dogs. Any one bitten by a dog suspected of being rabid, should burn or cut out the affected part. St. Catharines Constitutional St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada Thu, Feb 27, 1862 Page 2 _____________ Horrific Case of Water [hydrophobia]: A sad accident at the Water: occurred on Monday in Woolwich. The victim is a man, James Cain, about forty years old, who lived on the farm belonging to Mr. Wendell H. Baumann not far from Elmira. About two months ago, a strange dog came to his house and lay down on the steps in front of the door. Grandma Cain feared the dog was going to kill him, and when her husband came home that evening, she warned him about the dog. Cain thought differently, approached the house, and tried to drive the dog away. The animal got up, walked away for a short distance, but immediately turned around, jumped at Cain, and bit him in the face near the mouth. He grabbed the dog by the neck and held him while his wife beat him with a stick until he was stunned, whereupon Cain killed him with a knife. However, fearing that the dog might have been pregnant, Gain obtained medicine from a man who claimed to possess a reliable contraceptive for waterworms [hydrophobia] and took it. The wound healed quickly, and Cain felt nothing further until last week, when the preliminary symptoms of waterworms [hy rophobia] appeared. On Saturday, he felt distressing pain in his old wound and sent for Dr. Bowlby, who, from the description given to him, at first mistook the disease for a tick. On Sunday, he examined the patient and found him suffering from the usual symptoms of waterworms [hydrophobia]. When he offered him a drink of tea, he was seized with a great deal of rage and recoiled in terror. In this alarming state, sometimes terribly raging and sometimes calm, he remained until Monday, when death came to his lingering sufferings put an end to it. The rage was sometimes so strong that he could descend the stairs in the house at a moment's notice, and six men could hardly hold him back. Cain leaves behind a widow with six small children, who are deprived of all resources. The poor widow has barely recovered from an illness, and the inhabitants of Woolwich are afforded an opportunity to practice a work of wild activity. It will not be superfluous to note here that the only reliable preventative measure in the event of a man being bitten by a mad dog is to immediately cauterize or cut out the wound. If this is the case, send to a skilled physician and do not rely on so-called secret remedies. Had the unlucky Cain done this, he would most likely still be alive. Berliner Journal, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada · Thursday, February 20, 1862 Translated by Google:

  
  

• Sources

  [S141] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1851, Div. 3, Pg. 7. [S915] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1861, Dist. 8 Page 76. [S2720] Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953. Name: John F Cain Sex: Male Age: 60 Birth Date: 31 Jul 1852 Birthplace: Canada Residence Date: 20 May 1913 Residence Place: Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio Address: 2869 Eastern Eve. Burial Date: 22 May 1913 Burial Place: Detroit, Mich. Marital Status: Single Occupation: Labor Race: White Father's Name: James Cain Father's Birthplace: State of New York Mother's Name: Margaretta Schaffer Mother's Birthplace: Germany Occ: labor Event Date: 20 May 1913 Event Place: Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio [S6] Church Records - ON, Waterloo - Bindeman, F. W. - Card Index Kitchener Public Library. James Kane, 25, labourer of Waterloo married 17 Sep 1848 at Greenbush by banns to Margareth Schaefer, 27, of Waterloo, witnesses: Henry Schaefer farmer of Wellesley & Frederick schaeffer labourer of Waterloo. [S932] News - Canada Christian Advocate - 1858-1872, "Death of James Cain," 26 Feb 1862, p. 2. James Cain, a laborer on the farm of Wendel H. Bowman, Woolwich Twp., died of hydrophobia

  
  

• Event Map

  Occupation - labourer - 1848 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - labourer - 1848 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 17 Sep 1848 - Greenbush (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Labourer - 1851 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Laborer - 1861 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Lutheran - 1861 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - laborer - 1862 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: hydrophobia - 17 Feb 1862 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth