Mary Ann (Casto) Washburn died 7 February 1920 of the Spanish Flu in Monroe, Utah. There is an old saying, “History is doomed to repeat itself because we paid so little attention to it the first time around.” In essence, we do not learn from the past because we do not study the past. Instinctively, people think genealogists are immune to this because we spend so much time looking at the past; however, there is a dangerous pitfall in genealogy many fall into. This pitfall is focusing too much on the names and dates and not enough on the stories of our ancestors. Many look at genealogy and say, how far back can I trace my tree? Or, what famous people am I related to? Entire sectors of the genealogy world have been created for just such individuals, but these skip the history lessons these ancestors can teach. Often the idea goes something like, they lived such a long time ago, what can I learn from their story? After all, they didn’t even have cars, or electricity, or running water. Our lives today are so different. Yes, in many aspects our lives are different, but in many, they are also the same. As we are facing the pandemic of COVID-19, this is a great time to reflect on our ancestors’ lives and what we can learn from them. To do this, I want to use a case study from one of my own ancestors, Jesse La Vell Washburn. Jesse La Vell (LaVell as he was called) Washburn was born 16 May 1888 in Monroe, Utah, to Hyrum Smith and Caroline Wilhelmina (Christiansen) Washburn. On 12 January 1912, LaVell married Mary Ann Casto in Manti, Utah. As LeVell and Mary Ann began their lives together everything appeared happy for them. LaVell was self-employed as a carpenter, and became well known in his area for both his work ethic and skills with wood. They went on to have four children. At this point in their lives, all could not have been happier. When the Spanish Flu hit in 1918, it even passed over LaVell and Mary Ann’s family. While they did not have the internet and 24/7 news on television, they did have the newspaper and would have likely seen the impact of the flu not only on their community but the greater world around them. In many ways, LaVell and Mary Ann would have been much like we are today with COVID-19. Hearing of rising death counts, and having four young children, they likely would have been concerned every day about when the flu was going to strike their family. While there are similarities between how LaVell and Mary Ann felt in 1918 with how we feel today, there are differences in how they reacted. Rather than reacting with panic, LaVell and Mary Ann reacted with service to others. As they ran their own small farm, as a side for LaVell’s carpentry, LaVell delivered food to his neighbors that were impacted by the flu. Mary Ann made meals and delivered them to families that had wives and mothers that were too ill to cook. They did not hoard supplies thinking only of themselves, but gave to others who were in need. Little did they know this example would soon be returned. As the flu season of 1918/1919 ended, the Washburn family found themselves blessed to have had the flu skip over their household, and Mary Ann found herself soon expecting child number five. However, this calm was only a temporary calm, as the same strand of flu returned for the flu season of 1919/1920. This time, the Washburn household would not be so lucky. The first week of February 1920, found Mary Ann due any day while she fought the complications of the flu. In her weakened condition, the doctor feared Mary Ann and the baby would not survive both the flu and birth. Because of this, LaVell found himself spending his time using his carpentry skills to make a coffin for his dying wife and unborn child, caring for his dying wife, and caring for his four children all at the same time. Then on 6 February 1920, things took a turn for the worse as Mary Ann gave birth to their stillborn baby girl in Monroe, Utah. LaVell had not yet completed the coffin. As it was the cold of winter, their stillborn daughter’s body was placed outside in the barn to await the completed coffin and the possible death of her mother. The following day, 7 February 1920, Mary Ann passed away from the flu. LaVell now shifted his attention to caring for his four children, who just lost their mother, and finishing the coffin. While LaVell suddenly became a single father, he did not go through this experience alone. As he and Mary Ann had aided many families the previous year as they suffered through the flu, they now turned to him to provide his family with the aid and comfort he had once provided them. A neighbor who had a single daughter took care of his children while he finished the coffin. She then took the children during the day when he was able to go back to work, neighbors aided in plowing and planting his fields, and meals were made for the family so he did not have to work all day and then come home and cook. Just as LaVell and Mary Ann helped others through the first round of the Spanish Flu, others helped LaVell and his family through the second round. As I said in the beginning, history is doomed to repeat itself because we paid so little attention to it the first time around. However, that does not have to be the case. If we look to our ancestors’ stories, and how they handled similar situations to those we face in our lives, we can find that there is peace in serving others. We can see resilience rather than fear. In the darkest of times we can see charity which can lead us out of the darkness.
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Larry De Pew
Is a professional genealogist with an Associates Degree in Applied Science n Family History Research from Brigham Young University-Idaho. His areas of focus are military and great plains research. Archives
October 2023
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