1918

[My great-great grandfather, Charles Adelbert Workman, diligently kept a diary between 1894 and his death in 1923. He and his family lived in Hurricane, Utah, a young town which they helped settle. Although most of his journal entries are small in size, they help to paint an image of daily life, as well as some of the struggles in early Washington County. Of all the pages I read, there seems to be one year that stood above the rest. The following synopsis is taken solely from Grandpa Workman's journal.]

The year 1918 is both an exciting and sad year. Quickly, it is noted that there are a spike in the number of deaths, many of which the cause is unknown, but others which are classified as pneumonia. In February alone, William Stout, Florence Reeve, and Jennie Wright all die from pneumonia. It is interesting to note that of the two funerals where the location is mentioned, they are both at the home of the deceased. Mrs. Shamo's funeral is held “at their tent out in Amos' pasture.” The funeral of Anthony Jepson's little girl is held “at his residence.”

World War I is at its climax. In May, young Henry Pickett goes off to war to join the Engineers Corp. In July, Harvey Hall is drafted and expects to start training camp. Moroni Kleinman and W.R.Terrell's son are killed on the battlefront in France. Charles spends time canvassing the neighborhoods in an attempt to sell War Saving Stamps. This is a way for the citizens to contribute financially to the war, and to be paid back with interest at a future date.

The production of food is a large part of the Workman way of life. Gooseberry, currant, and rose bushes are planted in the hotbed, and strawberries west of the orchard fence. A garden is planted south of the vineyard, where peas, watermelon, and much more are sown.

They also have a lucerne (alfalfa) field that must be cared for and watered, the head gates and head ditches repaired. At harvest time it is cut, then raked and cocked. August delivers one of the heaviest thunderstorms Hurricane has seen in a long time, sending floods down the hills, drenching the fields, and destroying much of the hay, including some that was cocked and ready to be hauled.

Charles is a member of the Bishopric and devotes ample time to his church and civic responsibilities. Sundays are spent resting from everyday activities and dedicated to church meetings: Priesthood Meeting, 9 am; Sunday School, 10:30 am; Sacrament Meeting, 2 pm; Teacher's Report Meeting, 4 pm. He usually attends all meetings, with exceptions such as this one in January when he “did not attend Sacrament Meeting nor Mutual on account of the cold disagreeable weather. Besides, there is no heat in the auditorium.”

Charles and his wife, Josephine, travel to Parowan where their daughter, Flora, is married to David H. Tweedie. Another daughter, Eloise, is baptized “in the swimming pool at the Sulphur Springs.” (These are now the Pah Tempe Hot Springs located on the Virgin River between Hurricane and LaVerkin.)

May 30th is Decoration Day, which is what we now know as Memorial Day. “President (Woodrow) Wilson has proclaimed this as a national fast day and requested all the people to meet in their places of worship and in their homes and pray for the success of our armies in France as they fight for freedom.”

A sudden tragedy comes to the Workman family on September 22 when their son, Eldon, is electrocuted to death while replacing fuse plugs on a pole. Charles and Eldon worked side-by-side during much of his life and were very close. “It was certainly a sad blow to us,” Charles records in his journal, “to see the lifeless body of our dear boy who only a few minutes before had left us full of life and hope. We thought of the many plans he had made for the future, how he had expressed to us so many times his desire to be of use in the world, to help his fellow man, to preach the gospel to the nations, to join the army to help fight for the freedoms of the world, to attend college to prepare to be most useful in society.”

Spanish Influenza is sweeping the nation, and beginning in October, a quarantine is placed on the town of Hurricane. Public schools are closed and public gatherings not allowed. It appears that no traveler is allowed in town, as the duty falls upon Charles to help guard the way into Hurricane. In November it is reported that a dozen cases of influenza have been reported, but they all seem to be getting better. The quarantine remains until December.

The entry on October 27 reads: “Time is set back one hour today to comply with act of Congress.” This is the first year that Daylight Savings was implemented in the United States.

Newspapers on November 12 announce the end of the war. As Charles writes in his diary: “The greatest war has terminated in the greatest V I C T O R Y. The armistice, which amounted to unconditional surrender by Germany was signed about 6 A.M. yesterday (French Time) by the official German delegation. Fighting stopped at 11 A.M. Thus ends one of the greatest wars that was ever fought on earth.”

As the year comes to an end in the month of December, Horatio Picket, who is the father of Charles' wife, Josephine, dies from influenza, followed by pneumonia. He was residing in St. George at the time of his death.

The very next day, December 22, this is the entry in Charles' journal: “President Heber J. Grant (Prophet of the Mormon Church) has designated today as a special day for fasting and prayer for the relief of the people from the scourge of influenza that is sweeping over the earth. It is one of the most dreadful diseases that the world has ever known. Hundreds of thousands of deaths from it have occurred and almost all parts of the civilized world have suffered from its ravages.”