Ancestor: Joseph Lane (1669-1738)
Descendant: Dorothy C.
Joseph is probably my fifth great grandfather. He was in born in Surry County, Virginia and married Julian Jarrell before 1697.
In about 1720 at the age of 50, he moved with his wife and four sons: John (1698-1776), Joseph (1700-1777), Benjamin (1702-1789), and Thomas (1704-1778) into the north-eastern coastal area of North Carolina. Why they moved is unknown, but I suspect that they were looking for more land and less governmental oversight.
According to historical sources, the coastal regions were only slightly above sea level and choked with swamps and forests. Thus, the risk of contracting malaria was very high from the breeding of mosquitos in stagnant waters. Other diseases such as typhoid fever and small pox were also very common.
Curiously, none of these men died early deaths (a modern medical article states that pre-existing malaria infection and low blood iron seems to prevent a second infection).
How many of their children died from these infectious diseases is not known. One son John, the eldest of John Lane (1698-1776), wrote his will in May 1766 which was probated just two months later. He was only 46 at the time.
Malaria was still prevalent in North Carolina in the early 1900's, but by 1940, the disease had almost disappeared due to insecticides and the reduction of breeding places for mosquitoes. I have gathered much of this information regarding the early settlement of North Carolina and the prevalence of malaria from NCpedia.