Person:Florence Morgan (5)

Florence was at the Ganado Mission Hospital in Ganado, Arizona. She was Superintendent of the mission hospital. Ganado is 65 miles from Gallup, NM. The Navajo rugs in the pictures were purchased from the Hubbell Trading Post outside of Ganado, Arizona. She was there for about 8 years.

Rugs: Indian women raised the sheep, sheared the sheep, washed the wool in yucca root, dyed it with many kinds of dyes. Red and black dyes are commercial dyes they purchased at the trading post. Others are natural dyes. Some rugs were pink colored. To make the pink dye, the Indians used baby urine. After the wool was dyed, they carded it (like combing it), then they spun it somehow by rubbing their hand against their thigh...they did not have spinning wheels. Then they wove the patterns in and as they wove it the loom rolled the rug. They wove the pattern from memory, so there are always imperfections in the true Navajo rugs. They also didn't weave straight across...just a patch at a time. They lived in octagon shaped log homes in the winter called hogans. The summer hogan was completely open, with a roof made of logs. It rained very little during the summer. If somebody died in the house they couldn't live there anymore....so if someone was sick and they thought he was going to die....they put him outside. The Navajo did their baking in a common oven that was in the middle of the camp. It was a large earth structure. Dipping the sheep to get rid of tics was a kind of festival. All participated and celebrated. Babies were wrapped tightly and put on a flat board so they could be carried by the mothers. The women did most of the work on the reservation besides caring for the children. The men sat around and smoked, went hunting and just didn't really have to do anything. The reservation is in desert country, so the Navajo used water wherever the found it. Indians and animals all drank from the same stream. The rugs we have were really blankets. Time was never an issue for the Navajo....if they made a mistake and went to the trading post on Sunday when it was closed, just set up camp and waited for the next day. They NEVER hurried. The Navajo did a lot of sand painting. Florence was on the reservation in the early 40's.

Story of My Life By Florence Morgan

Mother left Frieda and I to stay with Grandma Antritter. We had our supper and about nine o’clock Grandma said, “It’s bedtime”. You girls can sleep in Great Grandma’s room. “There are two beds in there and it’s warm”. We went upstairs. The beds were side by side and piled high with feather covers instead of quilts.

Grandma watched us undress and showed us how to hang up our clothes. There were two chairs in the room, side by side. We each took one. First, she showed us how to hang our dresses over the back of the chair. Next, she showed us how to fold our underclothes carefully and lay them on the seat of the chair. Our shoes were to be placed in front of the chair with our stockings inside. We were ready for bed.

Grandma always prayed a lot. As soon as we were tucked into bed she began to pray out loud and in German. Somehow, it struck Frieda’s and my “funny bone” and we began to giggle and couldn’t stop. We did not dare let her hear us, as she would have felt bad. She was such a sweet old lady. We did not want to hurt her so we put our heads under the feather bed covers. Grandma prayed on, out loud, and in German and kept on. We became very warm with no air but we still giggled. I was sure I was going to die. Grandma stopped praying after about fifteen minutes. We uncovered and had a breath of air. My hair was wet. Grandma never knew nor found out and we lived. We never slept in that room again. Grandma still prayed out loud and in German each night until she passed away on February 27, 1930.

Written by Florence Morgan telling about the “Roche” house (hunting lodge) on the shores of Round Lake.

In 1880, all sorts of activity stirred in this lake area. Wagons drawn by oxen made the two day trip to Worthington to load and haul the building materials shipped by railroad to Worthington. The railroad had not been completed through Round Lake yet in 1882. The wagons would leave one day, drive the distance of eight miles to Worthington, load their wagons, stay overnight and start back the next morning. My father, Curtis Eugene Morgan walked the distance each time leading one of the yoke of oxen pulling a wagon.

It was an interesting sight and an exciting interval around the prairie land along the lake shore as lumber and other building materials began to accumulate. Workmen and skilled carpenters arrived to begin work on the buildings and carry on the landscaping of the place.

A well was dug on the east hill above the planned barnyards and a windmill erected with a barn next to it. There followed a granary, hob houses, a chicken house, a boat house and a good sized pier out into the lake. Next came the two story house with a porch on two sides, east and south, a full walk in attic and stairs leading to the “widow’s watch” on the roof.

I should describe the delightful house, such a contrast to the surrounding log houses or small frame houses. The main, first floor had a wide hall leading from the front. On the east side a large southeast room. Mr. Roche’s private room connected to the big living room by a huge, arched doorway closed by sliding doors. The northeast room, called the gun room, was again connected to the big living room by a large arched doorway with sliding doors. The entire east side could be opened into one room when the doors were opened. To the west of the hall and to the southwest corner was Mr. Roche’s private dining room. It was a large dining room with a huge cast iron heating stove, the only source of heat. It had a butler’s pantry on the west and the cabinetry on the east with a hall between leading to the kitchen which was in the annex. Doors from both sides of the downstairs led into the hall from which open stairways led up to the second floor. Again, a wide hall running from end to end with door leading into the individual bedrooms, each equipped with a walk in closet. From the south end hall, a stairs led to the full walk about attic and from there another stairway led to the “widow’s watch” on the roof.

The annex was built on the north end of the main house and downstairs provided space for the large kitchen with a doorway leading between the two pantries into the dining room. The north end of this floor was used for the laundry and cutting meat. A stairway let to the upper floor rooms where the help had their quarters. The upstairs bedrooms were all covered with beautiful straw matting. The halls, stairs, and floors to all the other rooms were scrubbed with soap and water and oiled.

To the west of the house a garden was plotted. There were orchards on one side and garden vegetables with rhubarb, strawberries, currants, etc., on the other side. A gardener was brought out from Chicago to plan it all and keep it growing. A middle path of rocks led to a large ice house to the very back with a room built next to it called the cooler. All of the fresh products were kept in that. To the north was the double outdoor toilet with a wooden platform and trellis surrounding it, and to the north of that were the dog kennels and the little brick smoke house.

Contrary to the comments that this place was a beacon of light in the winter…it was lighted only by the few kerosene lamps and the help all sat around the huge kitchen table reading, playing cards, etc. The kitchen, with its big coal burning iron range, was the only warm place in the house.

The Burlington Railroad was finally completed in its run to Chicago. Mr.Roche came out in his private rail car in the summer of 1882. Mr. E. A. Tripp was the Depot Agent and my father, Curtis Morgan and some other men would take him by team and buggy into the Round Lake station to get the market reports. Later, as things became more organized, some of the men, sometimes my father Curtis would drive the three seated surrey in to pick up the guests. The train made two trips, west bound in the morning and east bound in the evening. My father and mother, Curtis and Elise, both worked for Mr. Roche.

As written by Florence Morgan, daughter of Curtis and Caroline Elizabeth (Elise) Antritter Morgan. I don’t know the date that the Morgans left Wales and came to the United States. I do know that Grandfather George Morgan learned to walk on board ship (which was a sailing vessel at sea for almost 3 months. Great Grandfather Richard Morgan homesteaded a farm in Pennsylvania which was visited by Earl and Nellie Wheeler when they went back to see Francis and Frank Morgan, Children of Richard I am not sure of the date the Morgans began the trip west from Pennsylvania, but I do know that Grandfather George married Tacy Knipe at Willaby, Iowa, in 1868 and that Curtis Morgan was born in 1869 and they all stayed with Webb Thomas on their farm. Grandfather George went to Jackson from Spirit Lake – selected his homestead on the Nobles county/Jackson county line and went back to Spirit Lake and lived and worked in a saw mill and lived with Thomas’ until the next May, 1870, when he built a dug-out sod house on his homestead and brought Grandmother Tacy and my father Curtis to this home. Great Grandfather Richard Morgan died at Grandfather George’s home. He was prepared for burial by my Grandfather Antritter who lived on the farm across the road. Great Grandfather Richard was the second person buried in the Round Lake cemetery. Lloyd Morgan went to Colorado where he was Superintendent of a silver mine project. It was near Durango. His brothers Edward and John were with him part of the time. He brought back a crystal formation with flecks of silver-rose quarts, a beautiful silver mounted horse’s bridle, and some Navajo rugs. In fact, the first Navajo rug I was the one he had given Aunt Jane. Aunt Jane had the Welsh Bible with the family history. After Aunt Jane died, Nellie had it. I w\always planned to get it copied but wasn’t around when Norman died and his wife Sarah seemed to have taken the family possessions. I wrote to her several times by registered mail with a request for a signed card that she received my letter. She got both letters but never answered so it’s lost I presume. I remember Grandmother Tacy Morgan saying that Aunt Mary Morgan Thomas such a nice person – not as dignified as Aunt Jane and Aunt Sarah Knipe but very jolly and a lot of fun. I think I have a copy of her picture – one that Aunt Edith had. Some of the Morgans’ say that the Morgans’ are English because Grandfather George was born in England. Clary and I both heard Aunt Jane explain that Great Grandmother Susannah Edwards Morgan said that she made a big mistake by going across the border into England to visit and while there gave birth to Grandfather George. Richard Morgan, Uncle Frank Morgan’s son says, through research, that some indiscreet member of the royal house of England went to Wales and while there sired a son. So, the Welsh Morgans have a coat of arms like the royal house except the dragon is a disgraceful black instead of the bright red. I haven’t looked it up but Richard said we as Morgans are the bastard branch of the royal house of England.

Obituary for Florence Morgan Florence Morgan, age 102, entered into rest on October 10, 2006 in Spokane, Washington. She was born September 17, 1904 in Round Lake, Minnesota to Curtis E. and Caroline E. Morgan. Florence graduated from Country School near Round Lake, Minnesota. She graduated from Round Lake High School as valedictorian and received a scholarship to Macalester College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry and Biology. Miss Morgan taught at Sioux Valley High School and was Principal for six years. She was interested in the Medical Profession and entered the Mayo Clinical at Rochester, Minnesota for her nurse’s training in 1933. During the last six months of nurse’s training, Florence taught Chemistry, Anatomy, Drugs and Solutions to the nursing students. She graduated at the top of her nursing class and she received The Distinguished Citizen Citation from Macalester College in 1949.

She was presented with the John Kahler Award for proficiency in nursing from Mayo Clinic. She studied Public Health Nursing at the University of Minnesota. From there, she went to the Ganado Mission, Ganado, Arizona where she was appointed Director of Nursing Services and State Board of Nursing Examiner. While there, she was also Director of Military Cadets in Nursing Training. Due to failing eyesight after eight years, Florence went home to Round Lake, Minnesota and began private duty. Shortly thereafter, she became Superintendent of Nurses at Worthington Hospital for one year and later became Director of Nursing and Assistant Administrator from which she retired in 1972. Upon her retirement, she moved to Spokane, Washington to be near her sister, Clara Beal and special friend, Howard Schwind who preceded her in death.

Her brother, William C. Morgan, Aberdeen, SD and eleven nieces and nephews survive Florence Morgan. She was preceded in death by her dear friend for many years, Howard Schwind, Spokane, WA, her sisters, Frieda Morgan Beal, Round Lake, MN, Clara Morgan Beal, Spokane, WA and a brother, Paul Morgan, Round Lake, MN.

Miss Morgan was a member of the Round Lake Presbyterian Church where she was the church organist for over twenty years and also served as an Elder. She was Financial Secretary for the Building Committee for the new church completed in 1963. In addition, she belonged to the Minnesota and Arizona Nursing Associations. The last years of her life were spent with her dear friend Howard Schwind until his death. Her relatives and friends will dearly miss her.

Memorial services will be held at a later date in Round Lake, Minnesota.

Another clipping from the paper in Spokane, Washington: Florence Morgan (age 102) entered into rest October 10, 2006, in Spokane, Washington. Florence was born September 17, 1904 in Round Lake, Minnesota to Curtis E. and Caroline E. Morgan. She attended grade school and graduated from high school in Round Lake. Florence graduated from Macalester College going on to teach high school and become principal for six years before entering Mayo Clinic attaining her nursing degree. She practiced nursing for many years, retiring in 1972 and moving to Spokane, Washington. Florence is survived by her brother, William Morgan of Aberdeen, South Dakota and numerous nieces and nephews. Ms. Morgan was preceded in death by many family members and her longtime friend and companion, Howard Schwind who she loved and cared for deeply. The family would like to thank Judy Menard and her staff for the loving care they provided to Florence in the recent months. No services are planned.