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Show and put him in the office. His wife stayed with him. His throat was nearly closed up. Doctor called at 10:00 p.m., but concluded he would wait until morning before lancing his throat. 'Tuesday, December 19, 1899; 16 below zero. Colder still this morning. We kept Joe warm and gave him good attention. Doctor called about 10:00. Joe was much better. He did not have to use the lance. Joe continued to improve all day. Our home was quarantined again because of Joe. My cold was worse today." The next Sunday, two days before Christmas, Joe was well enough to go home and the quarantine was raised. Just two months later, however, tragedy came to the Francis family. Joe's wife, Mae Stuart Francis, became dangerously ill with a heart condition shortly after the premature birth of her first child, a son. She died on Friday, 23 February 1900, leaving Joe with a rwo-week-old baby, less than a year after their marriage. A heartbroken Samuel wrote; "Oh, my son, Joe. God bless and strengthen you to bear this death blow to your beloved wife so early in married life."108 The Lord did bless Joe. Four years later he married Fannie Giles Turner, the widow of Charles George Turner, who had died from malaria contracted in the mission field. As mentioned earlier, Fannie had been married less than a year when her husband, Charles, died. Joe and Fannie later became the parents of three sons.109 Like diphtheria, typhoid was also extremely dangerous. Thomas Charles West of Round Valley became ill with typhoid in the late winter of 1898. Dr. C. F. Osgood, just out of medical school, had come to Morgan to practice. He and a nurse, Miss Lucy Baker, attended Brother West, but complications set in. After abdominal surgery, Thomas died on 25 June 1898, at age forty-five. He left a wife with a family of five boys and two girls. He had been a skilled plasterer and carpenter. He and his sons had made the adobes for the lining of his new brick home, which was only partially built when he died. Brother West had been very active in community and Church affairs, and he was mourned by many.110 Entertainment and Celebrations In spite of, or perhaps because of, their many heartaches and hardships the Morgan people seemed to take every opportunity to entertain themselves. Many of their celebrations were church related. When special occasions were celebrated by the Church in Salt Lake City, people from Morgan often traveled by train to participate. One such occasion was the celebration of President Wilford Woodruffs ninetieth birthday on 1 March 1897. Samuel Francis loved these great events, and this one was no exception. He wrote: "It was fair and cold, Monday, March 1st, 1897.1 left Morgan by train early to attend the ninetieth anniversary of President Wilford Woodruff Got a place in the tabernacle and felt splendid. Never enjoyed a meeting better in my life. It was grand. President Woodruffspoke well. The music was 73 |