1913 (Monday) – My how time does fly and I have been so busy and I suppose careless that I have failed to write in my book for nearly four years.
Since then we have been blessed with the arrival of two more boys. Earl Sperry, born 10 March 1910 and George Arthur, born 5 November 1912. We have had many pleasures and sorrows since then, my eldest brother Lon (Charles Alonzo Sperry) was married 6 June 1911 to Lillian McLaughlin (June Lillian McLaughlin). Part of the old home was fixed as an apartment and they lived there.
On Friday 27 April 1912 Lon was taken sick, it was an appendicitis. On Monday he was taken to the LDS Hospital for an operation and they found the appendix broken, this resulted in his death on Wednesday May 1. It was so sad for Lil and Mother (Caroline Webb). He had been married not quite a year. August 13th a baby boy was born to Lil and they named him after his Father, Charles Alonzo.
Besides Lon, I have had a brother (Henry Melvin Sperry) and three sisters (Retta, Lillian May and Eva Pearl) get married. That leaves Father (Charles Henry Sperry) and Mother with one child at home, Baby Ruth (Ruth Sperry), aged 18.
Melvin married Vera Daley (Vera Lucille Daley) in September 1910. The following November, Retta married Earl Watson (William Earl Watson) and Lillian married Theodore Carter (Theodore Crawforth Carter).
In September 1912 Pearl married Wallace Vickers (Wallace Joseph Vickers). Melvin and Vera live in Salt Lake, Retta and Earl in Brigham Canyon, where he runs a drugstore. Lillian and Theo in Nephi, while Wallace and Pearl are spending their winter in Idaho, where he is teaching school, and Pearl is attending school.
Last spring (1912) we added two rooms and a cellar and porch on to our homeland had the little bedroom remodeled into a pantry and bathroom. It seems so good to have hot and cold water and bath and toilet in the home. I did all my own work all summer until August when Ruth came and stayed with me for two weeks. While she was there we washed all quilts covered four and made a new one.
Mother, Sister Lunt and Aunt Ann Lunt helped quilt.
In September Arvilla Broadhead came to live with us and is still here. She is one of the best girls I have ever had (and I’ve had some good ones) she has been so good to the children, she adores Earl, so much so that she said “I wish you would give Earl to me, then our family would be complete,” her mother had all girls.
On the fifth of November, Election Day, Arthur was born, It was 9 o’clock a.m. He weighed over 12 ½ lbs. The Doctor said we will call it a bouncing 12, it was Dr. Bennett, said it was the largest child he ever delivered. He just rolled in fat. When he was five weeks old he lost nearly two lbs., and at two months he weighed 12 1/2 lbs. He was born in our home and Dr. Bennett, my husband (Alfred Oscar Lunt), Grandma Lunt (Priscilla Pitt) and the nurse, Ethel Gadd, were with me when he was born, Ethel stayed with me until Baby was two weeks old after that Grandma Lunt came over and washed the baby. For four days, I tried to care for the baby and wait on myself. On the third night after Ethel left I forgot to draw the extra quit up on me until in the middle of the night when I woke up feeling cold, result I took a bad cold. On Saturday, I was quite miserable all day, the Dr. called, he didn’t like my looks. My Grandpa Sperry (Charles Sperry) came to see me, he told me my cousin Sarah Sperry Epperson (Sarah Jane Sperry) had her first baby (Renee Epperson), a girl born on the 21st of November. Towards evening Ethel called to see me, oh was I glad to see her, I poured out all my tales of woe into her sympathetic ear, she undressed the baby and had them bring my super to me, but I was unable to eat it. Suddenly I was taken with severe pain in my right shoulder and just below the shoulder blade. I had to gasp to get my breath, Ethel hurried me into bed and phoned the doctor, he came and pronounced it Pleuro-Pneumonia. Ethel remained with me eight more weeks.
From Saturday until Thursday, which was Thanksgiving Day, I suffered dreadfully, not being able to take a deep breath at all, every breath was a stab of pain. In the evening of Thanksgiving, Edgar Lunt (John Edgar Lunt) and Charles Grace (Charles Howard Grace) administered to me. Edgar anointed me and Charles sealed the anointing, while their hands were still upon my head I felt the pain leave my shoulder and back and after they were through I raised up in bed and took a breath clear down to the bottom of my lungs without a bit of pain. The spirit of the Lord was present and I was melted to tears. I cried so hard that I used the sheet to mop up my tears.
Due to the excitement my my fever came up a little, but the Pneumonia was gone and did not return, Later in the evening I had a severe coughing spell which brought back a little pain in my back but never again did I suffer as I had done,
For a week my temperature kept quite low then for two weeks after that my temperature ran from 101 to 103, The Dr. was afraid he would have to insert tubes into the pleura to draw off the puss, but through the blessings of my Heavenly Father, I was spared that ordeal.
On Sunday Brother’s John W. Ord and Thomas Vickers, Sr. came and administered, that same day our new bishop, Albert Belliston, came to see me.
My fever had been bad for two weeks and one Saturday night I woke up in the night, my fever was 104.6, I was sick to my stomach, couldn’t even keep a spoonful of water down, oh I was so sick, I went off to sleep again and when I woke up it was quire late in the morning. I raised up in bed and looked around the room, everything seemed strange, so quiet, so peaceful, I said aloud, “my feel as if I were almost well”. I lay back on my pillow, still mystified over the great change that has come to me. In a few minutes Grandma Lunt came into the room, she sat down and asked me how I felt, I told her I was much better, then she told me that the Bishop called a special prayer circle for me and afterwards some of the brethren were coming down to administered to me. Later the Bishop, his counselor, Brother Christensen and Brother Joseph Vickers administered to me. Bishop did the anointing and Brother Vickers sealed the anointing. They prayed that from that time I would begin to get better. I never had a bad day from that time, my fever gradually left me and three weeks from that day, I stood on the floor.
The first time the Dr. saw me after the experience, he was surprised to see how well I was looking, and now whenever he sees me he tells me I’m a wonder. He says to think as sick as you’ve been all the medicine you’ve taken is physic, I forgot the name of the medicine, but I remember him saying, laughing, how the firm would like to get hold of my case, they would surely publish it in their journal and it would be a boost for the medicine. “And you doing so well”. But I gave the honor and praise to my Heavenly Father for I know that it was through His blessings I am better and am grateful for the same. Ethel left me on the 19th of January. She took Della (Della Lunt) up to her place to stay overnight, her brother Bert (Charles Gilbert Lunt) brought her back to us the next day.
I am not yet able to do anything, only wait on my baby and myself. I’ve caught a severe cold in my head, I think I’ve caught it from little Earl.
Mother hasn’t had very good health, I think a good deal of it is through worrying over me. Grandma Lunt has been very good to me, scarcely missing a day to come over to see me, and sometimes two and three times in a day. She still bathes the baby and in the evening comes and makes me an eggnog.
On the 5th of December, Bishop Belliston and Counselor Brother Christensen came down in the evening and blessed the baby giving him a name: George Arthur Lunt. Lillian (Lillian Lunt) and Bert had both been baptized and Alfred (Alfred Oscar Lunt, Jr.) was entered into the Priesthood as a Deacon.
Tonight, at Priesthood meeting he was as set apart to be a Counselor in his quorum. This morning before breakfast I endeavored to take a sponge bath. It made me so exhausted I could hardly get back to bed, which shows how very weak I am but once more my natural self.
Loony Lunts and Company 