Harrison County, Missouri - Chapter 28: American Red Cross, 1921

Chapter 28: American Red Cross

BRANCHES AND AUXILIARIES - OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES - FIRST WAR FUND DRIVE - MEMBERSHIP DRIVE - OFFICERS OF HARRISON COUNTY CHAPTER - LIFE MEMBERSHIP - HOME SERVICE SECTION - PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT - RED CROSS PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE - JUNIOR RED CROSS.

Harrison County Chapter includes all Harrison County, consisting of sixteen branches and seventeen auxiliaries. Following is a list of the branches with their auxiliary, chairmen of each and date of organization:

The week of June 17-23, 1917, was the week set aside for the first war fund drive for the Red Cross. There being no organization in Harrison County, a meeting was called at the home of F. T. Harvey. Several persons responded to this call, and F. T. Harvey was elected temporary chairman and V. E. Yates temporary secretary. A petition signed by all present was sent to the Southwestern Division of the American Red Cross at Saint Louis, asking permission to organize a permanent Red Cross Chapter in Harrison County. The request was granted and a meeting was called at Odd Fellows Hall June 27, 1917, when a pemianent chapter of the American Red Cross was perfected in Harrison County.

The following officers were elected for the year of 1917: V. E. Yates, chairman; William A. Miner, vice-chairman; Mrs. W. P. Bryant, secretary; Mrs. T. E. Stone, treasurer. Plans were at once formed to conduct a county campaign, to secure funds for the American Red Cross. This resulted in a sum being raised of nearly $4,000.00. Also sixteen branches and seventeen auxiliaries were organized in a few months.

The first war fund drive was conducted in July. Amount raised, $4,000.00. The first Red Cross membership drive was conducted in December, 1917. Chairman, John Ross. Members secured, 6,420. The second war fund drive was conducted in May, 1918. Chairman, W. C. Cole. Amount raised, $18,965.23. The second membership drive was conducted in December, 1918. Chairman, John Ross. Members secured, 14,612. Third membership drive was conducted in December, 1919. Chairman, John Ross. Members secured, 100. Fourth membership drive conducted in December, 1929. Chairman, W. E. Todd. Members secured, 699.

Besides our membership and war fund drives, money was raised by donation, sales and entertainments. The fifth membership drive is now on at the time this is being written with Garland Wilson as chairman.

Life Membership. - A. number of Harrison County citizens hold life membership in the Red Cross, but the record containing a part of these has been misplaced and a full roster can not be given. Among them are:

Christmas Parcel Committee, 1918. - The Christmas Parcel Committee, which had charge of all packages sent overseas for Christmas in 1918, consisted of Mrs. C. B. Henderson, chairman; Mrs. F. M. Frisby, Mrs. F. L. Sawyers, Mrs. James Walker, Mrs. James Hampton, Mrs. E. S. Hubbard and Miss Zola Myers. This was a very important committee and was domiciled in the directors' room of the First National Bank. They gave unsparingly of their time to assist those who wanted to send Christmas parcels to their loved ones serving at the front. A very accurate record was kept of these parcels, to whom and by whom sent, but that record is not available, probably having been taken by the chairman when she moved from Harrison County.

In the early days of the World War the American Red Cross under its congressional charter and by the confidence reposed in it by the American people was charged with the task of safeguarding the welfare of the homes of our fighting men, and when the war broke out it was apparent to everyone that no one could fight well if he was worrying about his dependents at home.

The Home Service Section of the American Red Cross was organized for the purpose of reducing such worry to the minimum. It was the business of Home Service Sections to take the places of soldiers and sailors in their homes as far as possible, giving moral, financial or other assistance when needed. The Home Service Section of the Harrison County Chapter of the American Red Cross was organized June 27, 1917,

During the war Harrison County sent 820 persons into service. These and their dependents constituted the field of work of the Harrison County Chapter. Most of these families were entirely able to care for their own needs. The Home Service Section rendered assistance of various kinds to 225 families.

In October, 1920, Mrs. F. L. Sawyers became chairman, and today more than three years after the armistice, and contrary to expectation, the army of disabled men is constantly increasing and the Red Cross obligation to them is growing in proportion. After demoblization American Red Cross responsibility for supplementing governmental provisions looking to the safe re-establishment and self-support of the ex-service man was not abated.

When the government called upon the women of America to help with the war work, thousands of Harrison County women responded promptly, and were organized into a, loyal and en;thusiastic body of Red Cross war workers. Mrs. E. W. Prentiss was elected Director of Women's Work.

The Production Department was the first section of the Red Cross to begin work and was, perhaps, the most active of the departments of the Red Cross Chapter during the war.

The surgical dressings division was supervised by Dr. Frances Burgess. Most of the branches assisted with this work which continued from September, 1917, until the official closing of the war work. The output from this division was 122,227 surgical dressings.

Hospital garments were made under the supervision of Mrs. John G. Walker, beginning in September, 1917, and continuing until July, 1919. The women of America by that time had all of the warehouses belonging to the Red Cross in America and in France filled with a reserve stock of hospital supplies, garments and dressings. The output from this division was 69,451 hospital garments.

Knitting Division. - When the Red Cross Chapter was formally organized, a large number of women, already organized with Mrs. C. A. Sherer as chairman, and doing fine work as Navy League Knitters, loyally and patriotically became Red Cross workers. Mrs. C. A. Sherer was appointed supervisor of knitting with Mrs. E. H. Frisby as assistant and the task of securing material began. This proved to be a most difficult matter. Finally, in October, 1917, women and children, with great enthusiasm, were busy. Oh, how they did knit. The telephone in the home of the Director of Women's Work and Supplies was nearly rung off the wall. The entire output was 4,044 knitted garments, including sweaters, socks, helmets, wristlets and mufflers. All branches and auxiliaries rendered excellent service and the Chapter as a whole rendered splendid service both in amount and quality of work.

Refugee relief work was under the direction of Mrs. John G. Walker and was combined with the hospital garment work during the latter part of the war. Three thousand, nine hundred and twenty-six garments represented the output from this division.

Many women put patriotic service before all other consideration and hundreds were entitled to receive the certificates which, in recognition of loyal service to the nation, were awarded through the Red Cross. Of thousands of women can be said as was said of one of old, "She hath done what she could." No reward, no remuneration, was expected - only a duty performed - that was the reward.

The Harrison County Red Cross Chapter was indebted to the Harrison County Bank for the use of their work room for nearly two years; to the Farmer's Telephone Company for the free use of the telephone ; to Verne White for free drayage of all freight; to J. E. Weber and Paul Linville for services as shipping clerks ; to Ed Skinner, B. S. Allen, A. S. Cummings and Dr. Sawyar for favors too numerous to mention.

A work initiated by the women of the Red Cross was undertaken before material could be obtained from St. Louis headquarters. That work was to furnish every Harrison County soldier with a pillow. Mrs. F. T. Harvey was chairman of this work. A total of 1,028 pillows were given and sent to the Harrison County Soldiers.

Miss Genevieve Bazan. Red Cross Public Health Nurse

by Mrs. William Roleke as supervisor, was not organized until the later part of the war. Three thousand, two hundred and forty-two garments were sent to the relief of the Belgians. A large collection of metal, brass, silver, tin-foil, etc., was shipped to headquarters.

Mrs. E. W. Prentiss

The public health nursing work in Harrison County was begun by Mrs. Fannie Cole Prentiss. In July, 1921, Mrs. Prentiss was succeeded by Miss Genevieve Bazan. Classes and demonstrations in home hygiene and care of the sick were conducted during the remainder of the summer, the nurse getting acquainted and familiarizing herself with the various communities in the country, and making plans for the school nursing work, which is the principal work done by the Red Cross nurse during the school year.

The nurses' office, which is located over the Harrison County Bank, Bethany, Missouri, is open to anyone wanting information on health, or assistance, on one entire day of each week.

School nursing, which consists of examining school children, visiting the parents to get their co-operation in remedying the defects, through their private physicians, investigating the school buildings as to sanitary conditions, health work in the school, occupy the nurse's time.

In Harrison County, there are ninety rural and ten city schools, and in all, over 5,000 school children. Every effort is made, in planning the work, to reach all schools in the county, not only examining the children, but giving them some health instruction, which they are urged to follow.

Plans to have milk furnished to underweight children are being carried out in all schools, both city and rural. Wherever possible physicians and dentists are giving their time and services in helping with the examinations in the schools.

The Junior Red Cross was organized on quite an extensive scale during the school year 1920-21. About three thousand of Harrison County's boys and girls took the Junior pledge, which is as follows : "I pledge myself to honor and serve the flag of my country, and to work, save and give, in order that the Red Cross, the emblem of humanity, sacrifice and service may bring relief and happiness to suffering people throughout the world."

In order to help secure a school nurse for the county and furnish transportation for her, each member contributed twenty-five cents membership fee. This fee was not required but was a voluntary gift on the part of the Juniors. The money thus secured was used to purchase a Ford coupe, which is labeled on each side: "This car donated by Junior Red Cross." This act of the Juniors makes it possible for the nurse to visit all parts of the county and is directly in line of the Junior's watchword, "Service."