Quarantine, John smolens

Set in 1796.  A ship arrives in Newburyport, Masschusetts - a ghost ship.
  It's crew has been decimated by a fever that sweeps through the town, killing without regard - children, grandparents, parents.  Only two survive from the ship and they disregard the ship quarantine and swim to shore.   The only physician does his best to no avail.   This is a very interesting look at life  in the 1700's, and how the families lived, the rich and the poor, and how a fever like this changes their world overnight, and how greed, hate, and love happened then, as it does now.