2009 Reunion Report

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Go here for more pictures of the reunion.

The 2009 Workman Family Organization Reunion took place in Hurricane, Utah on October 16-17. An advertisement had been placed in the local St. George Spectrum to notify local Workman relatives about the Reunion, and it paid off! We met several Workman relatives from the surrounding area and were able to obtain their contact information.

The following events took place:

Friday, October 16, 2009

1:00 p.m. Family Temple Sealing Session at St. George Temple

Ken and Sue Ann Workman arranged for a sealing session of family names at the St. George Temple. We appreciate them for making this an important part of the reunion each year.

5:00 p.m. Group Meeting at the Amphitheater of the Hurricane Museum.

After catching up with each other, visiting and meeting with the folks attending for the first time, the Organization's officers spoke. First, Larry Streadbeck discussed the goals and current status of the Organization. He reminded those attending that the Organization aims to collect and freely share histories, pictures and other genealogical information among the Workman family. Second, Ken Workman discussed his work on the PAF file (and generously shared disk copies with everyone there). Third, Mark Workman spoke about the Organization, the "red book", the website, the new Fanny headstone, and the Organization's planned trip to Nauvoo in 2011. Fourth, Larry Streadbeck then spoke to the group again about his current research into the original Virgin city lots owned by Jacob Lindsay Workman and Andrew Jackson Workman. He also answered questions about the copies of Rebecca Turner Workman's letters brought for review at the Reunion. Fifth, Treasurer Ann Bubert discussed the Organization's tax exempt status, the use of funds in the general checking account and the headstone fund, and voting membership in the Organization. Sixth, Mark Workman then wrapped up the meeting and invited all there to attend dinner that evening with the group.

7:30 p.m. Dinner at Cosmopolitan Restaurant in Leeds

Mark Workman had made arrangements for our group to enjoy dinner at Cosmopolitan--a wonderful restaurant in the Silver Reef area just outside of Leeds. The place was not easy to find, and some of our group detoured around Leeds for awhile! However, the meal was wonderful. Each plate looked like a work of art. Several of the group enjoyed the chef's special sea bass, and we all enjoyed visiting and left very full!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

8:00 a.m. Amphitheater of Hurricane Museum

The morning dawned a bit cold, and we met again at the Amphitheater of the Hurricane Museum. After again visiting for a time outside and meeting several additional new attendees, we all gathered in the basement meeting room of the museum. Phyllis Lawton, the curator of the museum (and a Workman relative!) then read from a history of Andrew Jackson Workman. Violet Voss told several stories about Workman Family History, and several others posed and answered questions regarding their understanding of the history of the Workman family in the area. After the meeting, we then toured the Hurricane Museum, where Hurricane Mayor Tom Hirschi (a Workman relative) had been instrumental in getting a wall display of Andrew Jackson Workman descendants. We also toured a nearby physician's home (now museum) where several of the Workman children had attended school and Charles Workman had taught for a time.

1:00 p.m. Depart for Gould's Ranch Area

After touring the museums, we departed by car and traveled to the "Gould's Ranch" or "Gool's Ranch" area, where Jacob Lindsay Workman and Rebecca Turner Workman and several of their children had worked and farmed. The area is now a boys' reformatory school. We took pictures of the group by the gates of the boys' school and commemorated the Workman family's hard times trying to farm the area.

2:00 p.m. Dedication of Headstone at Virgin City Cemetery

As the final event of the reunion, we met at the Virgin City Cemetery, where the Organization has placed a new headstone on the grave of Fanny Harris Workman. Ken Workman, a descendant of Fanny, chose the beautiful headstone on behalf of the Organization. Ken and his wife, Sue Ann, had put together a wonderful program to dedicate the headstone. After singing "Come, Come Ye Saints", we read a history of Fanny written by one of her great-grandaughters and provided to the Organization by Lynda Brown, another descendant of Fanny (who was not able to be with us at the dedication). As the only descendant of Fanny at the program, Ken Workman then said a beautiful dedicatory prayer and we sang a final hymn. We appreciate Ken and Sue Ann for all the work they put into obtaining the headstone and preparing the dedicatory program. We then took some final reunion group photos.

Thanks to Ann Bubert for this great report.