Irons

Gilbert Maddison 1877-1946 and Maud G. Maddison 1884-1973 are buried in Oak Hill.

In 1910 Woodbury County, H.C.P. Madison is 38, born in England, farming, with Mabel 25 and Minnie 5.

In 1920 Long Beach, California, H.C.P. Maddison is a real estate salesman, 47, Mabel 37, Minnie 15, and they have Leona 9 and Margaretta 4.

H.P.C. Maddison was running for the school board in April 1920 Washington County "Mr. Maddison is an up-to-date business man, apparently at or above 45 years of age. His family consists of a wife, and three children, all children attending the public schools of Akron."

In 1930 Harry (Henry) C. Maddison is farming in Akron precinct Washington County, Colorado, widowed, 58, with Leona 19 and Margueretta 14.

Henry Charles Parker Maddison is buried in Akron 75372426, born Jan 14, 1872, dying July 21, 1930.

Eugene Francis Loftiss 1905-1969 and Minnie Irene (Maddison) Loftiss 1904-1974 are also buried in Akron.

Henry Charles Parker Maddison was born on Jan. 14, 1872 in Chatten/Wandon, Northumberland, England to Robert and Anna Maddison. He immigrated to

America

with his parents in Mar. 1880 at the age of eight and lived in Anthon, Iowa.

His friends in Iowa included H. O. Fox. When the Little Sioux River froze solid in the winter of 1898, he and his friend H. O. Fox and the rest of the town went ice skating every night. They use to swing “fair haired lassies” on the ice. “Harry” was the best man in the wedding party of his brother, Gilbert. He became a corn farmer, like his father. On Nov. 1, 1902 at the age of 30, he married Mabel Lenora Irons. She was just 20. They had three children in Iowa

Backing up for a moment... In the winter of 1885-86 (or 86-87), there was a 14” snowfall on Thanksgiving weekend in the . It crusted over however and then the temperature dropped to zero for the rest of the winter. All the cattle from Texas to Canada either starved or were eaten by wolves. This came on the heels of a severe summer drought that left the herds in poor condition. On New Year’s Day, the temperature fell to minus 41 and four feet of snow covered the ground. Cattle died by the tens of thousands. The next summer was blistering hot. The cattle that made it to market were of poor quality. Prices crashed despite the low supply of beef. This trend continued into the Crash of 1893

In 1910, the federal government began encouraging farmers to move back into the area. Harry and Mabel took this opportunity to move the family to Colorado in the fall of 1916. Harry also had asthma and probably moved to Colorado for the dry climate, (as did Ray Graber, Sr. for his TB). Harry was 44 years old (His father was 45 when he came to America. ). He left his corn farm in Iowa on Big Creek in the care of R. W. Maddison . The youngest of their three daughters, my mother, was just three months old . Harry’s older sister, Elizabeth Douglas Leslie Maddison, had already moved to Akron in 1907 to homestead. Harry had a dry land farm. In dry farming, the land is plowed after each rain to reduce evaporation. Harry had chickens and cows. He plowed the fields with a horse and grew wheat (hard winter wheat). At harvest time, men known as harvesters came to harvest.

Harry farmed but was also interested in real estate for some time, later going into the mercantile business. Almost everyone had a farm in addition to a store in town. Harry was always deeply interested in farming and, after disposing of the store, became actively engaged in agriculture again. Harry was somewhat wealthy. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He gave $5,000 to the church so they could buy a pipe organ. In those days, $5,000 was equivalent to a year’s wages or the price of a house in town. The family was rich enough to travel and went on a vacation to Long Beach, CA. There is a photograph of Madelyn and Leona on the beach there. He subsequently lost his fortune due to bad investments.

Mabel died at the age of 44, leaving him to raise three daughters and run a ranch by himself. The youngest daughter was nine. In those days, the recently departed use to be placed in state in the home of the family. His daughter, Leona, remembers Harry sobbing beside the casket.

One family story is that Harry once broke his arm starting a crank-start car when it backfired and the crank came out of his hand, swung around and hit his forearm.

Harry died suddenly, at his ranch, south of Akron, on Monday Jul. 21, 1930 about noon at the age of 58 years and 6 months, a widower of four years. He had been in poor health for several months, but his death was wholly unexpected, the immediate cause being a heart attack. He is buried, Block 4, Section 9, Lot 19, Space 4, beside Mabel. (38)

Harry died intestate which was the subject of a law suite in May 1956. The suite alleged that Harry conveyed his farm to George McKenna on Sept 6, 1921 although the deed was misplaced and never recorded. George subsequently sold the farm to Theodore Krier on Oct. 21, 1939. The three daughters brought the suit to regain possession of the farm. I do not know the outcome of the suite although I suspect they lost. As of the year 2000, the farm was in great disrepair, with numerous abandoned automobiles and school busses.

Family heirlooms from that era are two books published in 1837 and 1865 that are signed on the inside cover by B. F. Maddison, Wandon, January/’71.

Mabel Lenora Irons [Maddison] was born in Clinton County, Iowa on Feb. 1, 1882. Her father remarried when she was five years old. She was eight years old when her father brought her to Colorado, near Sterling. They made there home there for two years, 1890-92, and then returned to Anthon, Iowa. She lived at home in Anthon until she married Harry on Nov. 1, 1902, at the age of 20. He was 10 years older than her. They moved to Colorado in the Fall of 1916 (Margaretta was 3 months old). Mabel was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since childhood Mabel had two canaries although she hated to clean the mess. She also had a two-story house but hated to climb the stairs. She died of heart problems, leakage of the heart as it was called in those days, after over a month in suffering on Sunday Sept. 12, 1926 at 1:25 PM at age 44 years and 8 months. Funeral services were held at the ME church and interment made in the Akron Cemetery, Block 4, Section 9, Lot 19, Space 3. Those attending the service from a distance included Mr. And Mrs. Gilbert Maddison and Miss Nina Maddison of Anthon Iowa. Children include:

Minerva (Minnie) Irene Maddison [Loftiss] – Born Sept. 18, 1904 in Anthon, Iowa. She moved with her parents to Colorado in 1917 when she was 12 years old. She attended grade school and high school in Akron, Colorado. She later attended Denver University. She married Eugene (Gene) Francis Loftiss in 1927, born on his parent’s ranch Feb. 28, 1905 seven miles southwest of Akron. Gene lived on the farm two farms away, 2.25 miles away. There was only one farm house between Minnie and Gene growing up. The roads outside of town are still all dirt as of year 2000. Gene was the son of Frank W. (1878 - 1944) and Caroline (1873 - 1962) Loftiss. Frank ran for Treasurer of Washington County as a Republican. Gene had a dry land farm. He had chickens and cows. He plowed the fields with a horse and grew wheat. Minnie was exceedingly pretty and Gene was quite handsome. After three years of marriage, her father died and her two younger sisters came to live with her during the summer months, although Harry’s sister Elizabeth “Leslie” also lived in Akron. After her sisters graduated from high school, she and Gene moved to Denver. She worked for Sears and Roebuck in Denver for 10 years, from 1935 to 1945. During the war years, Gene worked in a defense plant and for some other time as a salesman. Returning to Akron, she managed a small clothing store. In 1951, Gene sold 720 acres of the ranch at auction for $36 an acre (He kept the mineral rights to the land). He would have gotten more if he had sold it all but he kept 320 acres of the best grass land. The ranch house had five rooms, running water, garage/barn, chickens, hogs, well, and windmill. In 1955, she and Gene started the first Laundromat in Akron and operated it until Gene’s death. Most town folk know them from the Laundromat. Gene painted the highway signs for the Laundromat. Customers came from 30 or 40 miles away. The Loftiss family owned a garage in town and a ranch seven miles south of town, see map. Frank and Caroline lived in town. Gene and Minnie lived in the house behind theirs. They all lived on the ranch in the summers but in town in the winters. Oil was discovered on the ranch. They had no children. Gene died first on Feb. 21 1969 after a brief illness at the Washington County Public Hospital and was buried in Akron Cemetery, Block 6, Section 12, Lot 54, Space 4. Minnie was living at 152 West 8^th Street. On Jun. 12, 1974, Minnie became critically ill and was taken to Logan County Hospital where her condition grew steadily worse. She died of organ failure on Jul. 3, 1974 at age 69 and was buried on Jul. 6, 1974 in Akron Cemetery next to Gene. Her estate sale was Aug. 3, 1974. Leona was the executor of the estate and Madelyn, who was battling cancer at the time, came from Virginia to help.

Mabel Leona Maddison Daugherty Lindgren. “Leona” was born May 10, 1910 in Anthon, Iowa. She was 15 when her mom died. After that, Leona and her younger sister, Madelyn, went to live in a rooming house in town to go to school. On weekends, they went out to the ranch. Leona would cook. She and Madelyn always prepared potato soup or raison pie until one day Harry said “Don’t you know any anything besides those two dishes?” Leona use to go horseback riding at Aunt Leslie’s ranch. Leona married Clyde Morgan Daugherty on Apr. 13, 1930 in Sidney, Nebraska at the age of 19. (There is a Clyde Morgan Daugherty Apr. 6 1894. May 28 1941, a veteran of the Spanish America War buried in the Akron Cemetery). Clyde was born in Akron. They had one son, Jack Clyde Daugherty born Thursday, Oct. 21, 1937. Clyde and Leona were divorced in Jul. 10, 1939. Clyde died the same year. In 1941, Leona and Jack lived with Madelyn and Ray in Denver where Leona made bullets for the war effort. Madelyn would take care of Jack while Leona worked. Leona married Clinton Leonard Lindgren in Cheyenne Wyoming on Jan 13, 1944. They had one daughter Judy Ann Lindgren Born Aug. 21, 1944. Clint and Leona were never divorced. Clint was last seen in approx. 1950. He died in Phoenix in Aug. of 1973. Leona, Jack, and Judy lived in Denver, Longmont, Wyoming, Lincoln, and finally back in Akron. Leona worked for BWA (Waxman) Clothing and Furniture store in sales in Akron. Leona lived next door to Minnie and Gene’s Laundromat. Leona did not have a car and walked everywhere she went. When the store closed Leona took in ironing from Minnie and cleaned the town hall. Her daughter, Judy, also ironed. Leona was the administrator of Minnie’s estate in 1974. She lived with Judy from approximately 1993 to 2000. In 2000, she moved in to a nursing home. She suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s (or senility) although she was in good health, with only cataracts, angina, macular degeneration, and mild heart attacks. Leona died on May 21, 2001 at the age of 91.

Margaretta Madelyn Maddison [Graber] - Born 08/19/1916 , died 12/02/1976. Margaretta “Margie” Madeline Maddison Graber was born on Aug. 19, 1916 in Anthon, Woodbury County, Iowa and moved to Colorado that fall. Her mother, Mabel, died when she was nine years old. “Margie” and her sister Leona lived in at a boarding house in town during the week and returned to the ranch on the weekends. Her father died when she was 14. Margie and her sister, Leona, went to live with her adult sister, Minnie, who was already married to Eugene (Gene) Loftiss. After high school, Margie attended cosmetology school in Denver. There she began using her middle name with a different spelling, Madelyn M. Maddison. Madelyn met Ray Graber on a blind date. Ray had also moved to Colorado with his family at an early age. On that date, she had a cold and asked to go home early. She was afraid that Ray would not call again. They were married on Oct. 15, 1940 in Omaha, Nebraska in a civil ceremony. She went by the married name of Madelyn M. Graber. They were married for 12 years before they had their only child. She died of breast cancer on Dec. 2, 1976 at Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Fairfax County, VA. Madelyn grew up in an era of operator assisted local calls. One family story is that when she was a young girl and wanted to call her friend, she would pick up the phone and ask the operator for phone number “Ticky-tick, peas.” Being orphaned probably had a profound impact on her life. She was a very shy woman. Madelyn saved every letter she received, including suitors and her husband. These are preserved in Letters Written to Madelyn. Further details are provided in a joint biography entitled, Ray and Madelyn .

An infant son or daughter, died at birth or soon after. The grave stone inscription reads “Maddison, Infant of Harry Maddison, baby”. Buried Oak Hill Cemetery, Anthon, Kedron Township, Woodbury County, Iowa. No date is given.

Mable Leona (Maddison) Daugherty Lindgren 1910-2001 is buried in Akron "First husband was Clyde Morgan Daugherty. She is the mother of Jack Daugherty and Judy Ann (Lindgren) Schmale. "

Jack Daugherty, 75, a former resident of Akron, Colorado, passed away November 27, 2012, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1963, having moved to Roswell, he thrived in the heat and culture of "The Land of Enchantment". A memorial service in celebration of Jack's life was held on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at the Good Samaritan Society - Manzano del Sol Village in Albuquerque. We sang "On the Wings of a Snow White Dove" followed by an emotional poem written by Jack's dear friend and veterinarian, Dr. Ada Johnson, read by Carlene (Gebauer) Rossman of Parker, Colorado. Jeanne (Gebauer) Vance of Austin, Texas, shared amusing stories of Jack's life; and Cindy (Daugherty) Nunn of Florida spoke of her father's unique wit and how much he will be missed. Jack was born in Akron on October 21, 1937, to Clyde Morgan Daugherty and Mabel Leona (Maddison) Daugherty.