JULIA HATCH WORKMAN

"My Grandmother"

(by Julia Erickson Streadbeck, Aug 2000)

[Sources: Julia's Autobiography, 24 Jun 1937, & a story by Thelma Chidester Anderson]

Julia Hatch was the 3^rd child of the 2^nd wife of Meltiar Hatch - Mary Ann Ellis.

Julia was born 11 Aug 1861 in Parley's Park (near where Park City, Utah now stands).

Her father had gone here to the parent's home of his 1^st wife, Permelia Snyder. He sought work at the Lumber Mill or to help with building roads. The next year, 1862, her father was called by Brigham Young to go south & help build up the Community of Santa Clara. Julia had 2 older brothers, John born 22 Jul 1857 & Elias born 23 May 1859. Her father was soon called to take a Colony to settle Eagle Valley, which was supposed to be in Utah, but was later found to be in Nevada. Meltiar served as Bishop. They lived in a Fort of 2 rows of log houses. The houses were joined together with the 2 rows facing each other.

Quoting Julia's Autobiography - 24 Jun 1937 - "The first thing I remember was that my little brother David was born here 21 Jul 1864."

Julia's mother was a plural wife and much younger than her husband and his 1^st wife, so she had older half brothers and sisters. The 2 families were so well managed & the members so congenial that Julia never differentiated between the children. They were all one to her.

"Another thing I recall is seeing my brothers ride wild horses. One time I saw a horse fall over against a fence with one of them. We all thought he would be killed, but he was alive. Another time one of the boys was thrown from a horse & his foot caught in the stirrup. He was dragged down the street. We thought he was killed too, but he was not."

"We had many good times dancing and picnicing. Uncle Ira Hatch was there. He was a missionary to the Indians. There was a bunch of Indians living nearby and when the people would have a picnic and got done eating, Uncle Ira would call the Indians to come and eat what was left. I have seen Uncle go out and signal by spatting his hand against his mouth as he hallooed like the Indians did, and the Indians would come fast as they could run. It was quite laughable to see how they would run."

"I used to be in great demand to take care of people's children. My Aunt Isabell who lived in Meadow Valley some 15 miles from us (she had lost her first children who were girls) wanted me to come and stay with her and she would buy me nice shoes and dresses. But when I went there I got homesick and cried and they had to bring me home. I would rather stay home and go bare-foot and without nice dresses than to stay there. We children all went barefoot in summer. Our feet would get chappy, our heels would crack and get sore. Father had a small herd of sheep and the small boys used to herd them bare-footed. Their feet would get chappy and the best thing to heal them up was thick cream but it would smart. I have seen them dance & tears roll down their cheeks when they put cream on their feet."

"There was a swamp there that I often think about. The bullrushes, cattails and watercress grew on it so thick we could go all over it without getting wet. The rushes would grow higher than our heads. We would make houses in among them & play housekeeping. What a good time we would have! I never saw another place like that."

"My mother went to Salt Lake. How lonesome it seemed! To make it worse I went out to get some wood one day & there was none cut. So I took the axe & thought I would cut some, but I cut my foot instead. And my mother was not there! I thought I would surely die. I felt like I would never live to see my mother again. But she come home and my foot got well. But the scar is still on my foot, & the sufferings I went thru is still on my mind."

"We had a dog that was one of us as it seemed. He was always with us in all our play or whatever we did or wherever we went. One day he came in and looked all around among us like he was bidding us good-bye. He went out and a little while later we found him dead. It seemed like it was one of us that died. We were very sorry. We thought we would bury him. We gathered around him and wrapped him up with pieces of quilts & blankets & put him in our little wagon and hauled him up in the canyon. We prepared to dig him a grave when a man came along and said, "What are you going to do? We said "bury our dog." He said "You must not do that. It is a bad sign to bury a dog. Some of your folks will die if you do." So we found a sheltered place under a big bush and put him under that and left him."

Two sisters were born in Eagle Valley - Harriet - 19 Sep 1866, Myra Isabell - 12 May 1870.

"I can't remember very much about the move but I know we traveled to Panguitch with 2 wagons and 4 horses pulling each wagon. I remember we camped in one place where we had to buy water for our stock. I thought that was a wonderful thing!"

"In Panguitch there was an old fort something like our people had built in Eagle Valley. There were only 2 women and 7 men living in Panguitch when we got there. We occupied one of the houses for awhile. Father was to settle up on the Mammoth (see Map) so as soon as he got something ready he moved Mother and our family up there. His other family stayed in Panguitch."

"Some other folks moved up there and Father formed a Co-op herd with them. He and Ira were in charge of the herd. We milked lots of cows and made butter and cheese. I soon became one of the best milkers on the ranch. Sometimes when the men were gone after cattle, which was quite often, I had most of it to do. My sister Margaret was born in Hatch, 20 Jun 1874."

'There was lots of snow there in the winter. We used to have great times coasting down the hills. And we always had a good time in the summer. Other people came and lived up the Creek. The people would gather on the Creek and hold meetings, catch fish and have a big feast. It seemed like my brother Lile always had something going to amuse children."

"I can remember when we had no other light but tallow candles or a pitch pine torch. I remember holding a pitch pine torch while the family ate supper. And when the coal-oil lamp came in use we thought that was a wonder. But most people were afraid that they would explode and set the house on fire. I remember the first sewing machine I saw. It was a little thing that set on the table."

The town of Hatch derives its name from this valiant family who were its first settlers. In Hatch 3 more daughters were born to Meltiar and Mary Ann - Rhoana Elizabeth, 16 May 1877, Mary Ann, 10 Mar. 1880; and Permelia, 25 Mar. 1882.

"I stayed on the ranch most of the time but sometimes I would go to Panguitch on a visit & stay a few days. On one of these trips I met my future husband, Abram S. Workman. He was a stranger to me & I never saw him again for 2 years. He did not remember me but I knew him as soon as I saw him. But I did not know that I was going to marry him. However, the summer before I married, my parents let me work for my self and earn a dowry. I could keep all the money I could make from the butter and cheese I could produce that summer. When I did marry him I became his wife and the mother of his 2 children, Clara and Lucy. His 1^st wife Millie Bethenia Devoo had died."

"We loaded my butter and cheese into our wagon to sell on our way to St. George, to pay for our trip. We picked up his 2 little girls in New harmony and took them with us to the temple. I stood proxy for the first wife and had the girls sealed to their father and mother. Then I became the wife of Abram Smith Workman for time and all eternity on 5 June 1879."

From here on I will quote the story written by Thelma Chidester Anderson

"A ready made family was no handicap to Julia. She stepped into the responsibility with a will to do the job well. Her guiding motto was always, "If a thing is worth doing at all it is worth doing well." Her married life was not an easy one. For a time Abram worked for her father. But this new family wanted to be independent and have land & traditions of their own. Next the tried pioneering in Cannonville, but that didn't last long. Returning to Hatch they again tried ranching and herding sheep at times to bolster their outside income. At these times Julia was left alone to care for her children, the farm and the livestock.

A new area was opened up and promised to be a welcome opportunity to own land in Georgetown. She now had 4 children of her own Rhoana, Abram, Mary, & Abbie, plus Clara and Lucy. The family tried for a number of years to be successful. (Four children were born here, Meltiar, Millie, Jacob, & Lydia. Jacob died on the day he was born.) But due to summer frosts which took the crops, lack of water, and other ventures that failed, they were finally forced to return to Hatch.

In Hatch, Abram was successful in obtaining the mail contract. He had the post office & a small general store. He also carried the mail across the divide to Tropic. In the winter he had to make the trip on snow-shoes. Julia worried about him but spent her time caring for the needs of her growing family, providing necessities and the good things as well.

Julia was able to make her family feel they were special. The love and harmony in her home was beautiful to behold. It brought warmth and Joy unspeakable even tho there were hard times and trials. At Christmas time when there was no money for gifts, Julia presided in the kitchen for a yearly ritual of making "fired cakes" which were hidden for Santa to find. She also fashioned these cakes into dolls so that there would be one for each sock. In the summer time she taught her daughters to make dolls from unformed ears of corn, with the long silk forming dresses. She taught them to play jacks and to be original and self-sufficient in their play.

Julia's experience in child-bearing was not an easy one. She paid dearly for each of her babies. Twice she was so ill that she was not expected to survive. Both times she lost her baby, one the day of his birth and the other within 2 or 3 weeks. It was at one of these times as her life hung in the balance that she seemed to be in the Spirit World and there she saw and talked to her step-daughter Lucy, who had died in child-birth some time before. As Julia revived she remembered Lucy saying to her -"You go back and take care of my children and I will take care of yours who are here." Lucy had left a small son and daughter. (James & Effel) After a long recuperation, Julia regained her strength and did take the small children to add to her own family. (John lived Evinda had died).

During the busiest time of her family life in Hatch, Julia became the 2^nd Pres. of R.S. in her Ward, serving from 28 Sep 1899 to 28 Jan 1906. She never boasted of this service and few of her grandchildren ever realized her contribution to her church & community. She went about that calling as quietly and efficiently as she operated her home and family. Things just went well when Julia was at the helm & no one ever questioned the how or why, or even realized the influence under which they worked.

As an additional service to her sisters Julia became a mid-wife and was on call to help the sick at any time of day or night. Cheerfully she answered every call, no matter what the inconvenience or sacrifice to herself. No one knows how many babies she delivered or the good she did, for she was not on to brag about it. She only served the best she knew how and that, to her, was sufficient. But in her "red chest" there were some long white tie aprons, beautifully embroidered and with hand-made insertions, that spoke eloquently of her devotion to her calling. It was difficult service. The labors of the women were excruciating for there was no anesthetics to ease the pain. There were no forceps to aid in the delivery of a difficult case. She was at the bedside of a patient sometimes for 2 or 3 days until the baby was born, doing all she could to aid the woman, & ease her pain, then caring for the mother & child for a week or two, coming in each morning to bathe & tend them, until others of the family could be trusted to take over & the danger of child-bed fever or other complications were minimum. Many years later she told me that women then were seldom out of bed before the 3^rd week after birth.

In 1909 the family again made a pioneering move. Leaving Hatch they moved to Burtner, now Delta. It was a forbidding desert country that would require all they had to give before it would be coaxed into blossoming as a rose. The first years were very hard. The men were away with the herd, or digging a ditch or building a Dam to bring water to this thirsty land. Julia never murmured. She was too busy raising the family. Some of the older ones were married. Two were at the Beaver Academy. They were told by those in Salt Lake that eventually they would have comparative ease and abundance. (the fruition of a dream come true. Gone would be the time of bleak Christmases and the heartache of sickness with no Doctor to call.

With all the pioneering and hard work, Sunday was always a day of rest. Only the essentials would be taken car of that day. Each member of the family had his or her assignments - the making of beds, tending the cattle or milking etc. and all must be done early so the entire family could go together to Sunday School. There would be a 2 hour interval until Meeting time. Julia would be so will organized that a delicious meal was soon on the table, it would have to be eaten, everything put away and the dishes washed in time for all to be to the two-o-clock Sacrament Service. Very often the married children would bring their families to "Ma's" place after meeting and there would be home-made ice cream and wonderful times together.

She not only cared for the physical needs of her family, she insisted on being part of their thinking. The children mad her their confidant. She encouraged them in their hopes and good activities and chastised them immediately for wrong doing.

The greatest trial she had to endure came at the close of World War I with the outbreak of the influenza epidemic. Her second son, Meltiar, was in the front lines of the War and had not been heard from for 6 months. Her oldest son, Abram, was the first in the town of Delta to die with the Flu, leaving a large family. Four days later a son-in-law George Billings died, and 4 days after his wife Abbie died leaving an orphaned family of 4 daughters, Elva, Nelda, Mae & Julia.

Julia was heart-broken. She had endured many trials - drought, lack of money, sickness, but never anything like this. This triple blow was almost more than she could stand. For many days she went about her duties, fixing meals, cleaning, tending the milk, never letting anything be neglected but with tears streaming constantly down her face. She just couldn't find consolation. Then one day a visiting sister said, "But, oh, Sister Workman, be thankful that yours is all honorable trouble. Look at me with a living son of whom I can't be proud." Julia began then to count her blessings. She had an honorable family. She knew there would one day be a reunion with them for they were all worthy. But her heart was sore from the loss and the new problems that came. She took the dead daughter's baby and raised her carefully and lovingly. She yearned over and did all she could for the fatherless children, busying herself as only Julia could. She had given birth to 10 children of her own.

Julia Rhoana born 27 Jan 1880 in Hatch

Abram Smith 25 Sep 1881 Cannonville

Mary Elizabeth 14 Sep 1883 Panguitch Lake

Abbie Mae 23 Apr 1886 Hatch Town

Meltiar Hatch 16 Jan 1888 Georgetown

Millie 16 Jun 1890 Georgetown

Jacob Lindsay 10 Apr 1892 Georgetown (died the same day)

Lydia 16 Apr 1893 Georgetown

John Cornelius 9 Apr 1895 Hatch Town

Evinda 17 Feb 1897 Hatch Town (died 5 Mar 1897)

Eight of her children she was able to raise to honorable adulthood. There was never a time in her married life when she did not have children other than her own to raise. She began with 2 motherless children. At various times there were 13 of her grandchildren whom she cared for devotedly, filling the places of their parents who had passed away, giving them wise counsel along with tending to their physical needs -- making in all 23 people who grew to maturity in her home under her gentle guidance.

50th Wedding Anniversary Picture

Strong in faith, full of service to all who needed her, without ostentation, Julia lived her allotted span of life. Just as quietly, still full of faith, she died 18 Jun 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The last years of her life were spent in doing Temple work with her husband of 64 years. She was still caring for grandchildren and all who needed her. Her faith and shining example of service well done blessed all who knew her". Unquote

I want to close this History with the last paragraph from her Autobiography

"We went to St. George and were married in the Temple. I enjoyed that trip very much. My husband and I were very much alike in our tastes - our likes and dislikes. We were both early risers and hard workers. We were both religious and loved the Sunday School and church meetings. My husband was always pleased with whatever I did and we worked unitedly together. We had quite a hard struggle making a start but when our babies came we make them welcome and gave them as good a chance as we could."

(The following citation is on the original hand-typed document)

Editing and typing this History even with a broken typewriter has been a labor of Love for my dear Grandmother Julia Erickson Streadbeck Aug. 2000