NOTE: These children are listed in birth order.

Louella Fidelia Ladd

Louella Fidelia Ladd was born December 10, 1866 in Wisconsin. She married James McIntosh August 17, 1884 at age 18. We are not sure of the number of children, but know of four. Luella passed away in Kansas September l, 1921 at age 55.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 15.

Ina “Iney” Mildred Ladd

Ina Mildred (Ladd) Williams was born June 17, 1868 in Wisconsin. She married Albert [“Charlie”] Williams on June 29, 1885 at age 17. They lived near Elk City, Kansas. They were granted a homestead for 160 acres on April 22, 1901, southwest of Cushing, Oklahoma where they ran a dairy and raised various grains and hay. They lived there the rest of their lives. Ina and Albert had nine children. Their son James and daughter Gladys (Lukens) Williams now [1982] have beautiful new homes on the old homestead.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 16.

Nellie Elmina Ladd

Nellie Elmina (Ladd) Davidson was born in Dickenson County, Iowa February 17, 1871. She married Frank Davidson March 19, 1891 at the age of 20 at Mounds Valley, Kansas. They lived on a rented farm. They purchased 160 acres near Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1892, and raised mostly grain and sold milk and cream.

They lived there until early 1930s. They sold this farm and bought a farm in Kansas where they raised mostly wheat. They lived in Kansas until their retirement, when they sold the farm and bought a house in Cushing, Oklahoma. They lived there the rest of their lives.

Nellie passed away June 20, 1947 at Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon at age 76. Frank preceded her in death on January 14, 1946 at age 79. Nellie was laid to rest in Flynn Cemetery, Cushing, Oklahoma.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 18.

Leona May Ladd

Leona May Ladd was born October 30, 1872 in Dickenson County, Iowa. She died in infancy September 12, 1873.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 19.

Charles Dwight Ladd

Charles Dwight Ladd was born October 1, 1874 in Dickenson County, Iowa. He helped on the farm and also helped other farmers. In a letter to his folks he was homesick and would like to see them. This letter is in possession of Rilla (Davidson) Cook (Nellie's daughter). He died of pneumonia on October 16, 1894 at the age of 20.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 21.

Elno Boyd “Dick” Ladd

Elno Boyd “Dick” Ladd was born March 18, 1878 in Cherryvale, Kansas [It more likely was Neodosha, Kansas.–F. Ladd]. He married Mary "Mamie" Matilda Anderson March 18, 1902 at age 24.

They lived on a farm in the Happy Valley School area southeast of Cushing, Oklahoma most of their lives. They had seven children, four boys and three girls. Elno passed away January 9, 1918 at the age of 39 of pneumonia during the great flu epidemic. Elno was laid to rest in the Parkland Cemetery, Parkland, Oklahoma.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 21.

Raymond Wilbur Ladd

Raymond “Ray” Wilbur Ladd was born March 4, 1880 in Neodesha, Kansas. He married Bessie Stooky and they had four children. Bessie passed away at age 39 in Fruita, Colorado.

They had a homestead of 160 acres in Prowers County near Plains, Colorado. A lot of this dryland farm was in prairie grass pasture. They had cows, sold cream and had several horses. They had a well with windmill that provided water for livestock and domestic use. In 1920 they moved and bought 10 acres of irrigated land near Fruita, Colorado. It had a four room house, fruit trees, and a garden. They later purchased 40 more acres. They raised alfalfa, sugar beets, corn, potatoes, and wheat.

Raymond and Bessie's children were Ralph, born in 1912; Wilbur, born in 1914; Lorena, born in 1916; and Roberta, 1919. Ralph died at age 6 in 1918.

Wilbur lives [1982] in Colarado City with his wife Eldora. They have two married sons, Fred and Raymond. Fred has two sons, Raymond has two daughters and one grandchild. Fred lives in Denver and Raymond in California. Lorena lives in Loma, Colorado. We thank her for her contribution to-this family history. Roberta, now living in California, has two sons and a daughter. The daughter, Patushia, has 2 children, a boy and a girl.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 22.

Irvie Earl Ladd

Irvie Earl Ladd was born July 11, 1883 in Neodesha, Kansas. When he was 8 years of age, they moved to Clayton, Payne County, Oklahoma. They came by wagon.

They had three wagons and other livestock. One wagon was pulled by a team of oxen named Baldy and Spot. He told of getting tired of riding and walking along the side of the wagon. This was in the year 1891; later they moved near Ripley, Oklahoma.

During his early life he worked on the farm helping his folks. According to the 1900 U.S. Census he was in school at age 15. We do not know in what grade. He could read and write, which was an accomplishment for those times. His nickname was Fatty. We cannot understand this for he was never fat in his life.

He married Hanna Marie Courtright December 24, 1904 at age 21. When he was married he had 21 dress shirts. He was always very neat, but loved his "Days Work" chewing tobacco.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 23.

Irvie Earl Ladd was born on July 11, 1883 near Neodasha, Kansas. He was the son of Charlie Henry and Henrietta Marie (Richmond) Ladd. He was the 8th of 11 children.

Hannah Marie (Courtright) Ladd was born on March 24, 1881 in Cedar Vale, Kansas. She was the daughter of Richard R. Courtright and Hannah Marie Slater. She was the 11th of 13 children.

On December 24, 1904, they were married in Stillwater, Oklahoma Territory. Irvie worked on his father's farm near what is now Ripley, Oklahoma for about two years. During that time their first two children were born, Anna May in 1905 and Goldie Fay in 1906.

The next year, the family moved to a farm near Avery, Oklahoma. They always rented their various farms. Most of the farms that the Ladds rented were one hundred and sixty acres, which is one fourth of a section. Land was available for homesteads in parcels of this size. Irvie raised wheat, corn, cotton, oats, and various feed crops for his own livstock. He was quite a successful farmer. As a family project, they also had a garden where they raised their own vegetables and fruits. Hannah and the children did most of the work in the garden, except the plowing. They sold the extra vegetables in town. Rent would normally be paid by a certain percentage of the crop. The usual rent was one fourth of the cotton and one third of the oats, his main crops. Irvie owned his own tools, plow, and mules.

In August of 1908, their third child was born. They named him Charlie Richard, after his grandfathers on both sides of the family.

In 1909 the family moved to another farm. This one was near Cushing, Oklahoma. Water had to be carried by bucket from outside. This was the arrangement in all of their farmhouses. Many times the walls were thin and wallpapered with newspaper. In 1910, Homer Clay Manning was born; he was named after the family doctor.

In 1912, Troy Frank was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 1914 Etna was born just after the family moved to a farm near Shamrock, Oklahoma. About this time the two girls, Anna May and Goldie, started taking Charlie to school with them. It was about 2 1/2 miles to walk. Some neighbor boys would carry Charlie half way, then he would walk the rest of the way.

The farm where Etna was born was located between Shamrock and Avery, Oklahoma. This farm was owned by Hannah's brother-in-law, John Wilson. Irvie built an addition to the log cabin type home that was already there. The children of school age, went to school. The school teacher's name was Mr. Adams. He was a young man and new at teaching. He lived, as most teachers did, with a family who lived near the school. Later in the term, he came to Irvie and Hannah and ask if he could room with them for the rest of the term. He claimed that the man he was living with was "rude and foul mouthed." So he moved in with them.

When Etna was still a baby, he became quite ill. His gums bled, and he became weak and pale. The country doctor just shrugged his shoulders. He could not figure out what was wrong. A neighbor who had a car, took Irvie and the baby to another doctor some distance away. This doctor could not figure it out either, or he just never said what it was. But he did give Irvie a small amount of medicine saying that it would either help him get well or kill him. Irvie took the medicine and went home, He later decided to give Etna the medicine. After the baby had taken the medicine Irvie went out in the yard and leaned against a tree and wept. The next morning Etna was improved and he continued getting better. The family was so happy about it that they took Etna into town a couple of months later, and had his picture taken. Anna May still has that picture.

In 1916 the family moved again. This time they moved because Hannah's brother-in-law dicided that he wanted to move on the land himself. The two families lived together in the house for about a month before the Ladds found another farm to live. The Ladds lived in the log cabin part of the house and the Wilsons lived in the new section. These months the children really had fun. They would play paper dolls with dolls cut from old Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs. They would build huge bonfires and play and talk around it for hours during the winter. The farm that Irvie found was nearer Shamrock, but in the some area. The farm had no house on it, so the family lived in a small house they rented for about two months. During this time Irvie built a house and planted his crops. There was a school near by; the teacher was a very strict older man. One day Charlie was sitting too close to the heating stove and became much too warm. He was afraid to move without permission and was even afraid to ask permission, so he sat there. Later he caught cold and had pneumonia. No doctor was called, Hannah's care and home remedies cured him. The children never went back to that school. Charlie was too ill and the girls helped their father on the farm.

By the next term, they were on their farm and in the new house. They lived there nearly five years. The move was only about two or three miles from Hannah's brother-in-law's land. The children were able to play with their cousins again. One time one of the children found a baby wild rabbit. It only lived a short while. The children had a complete funeral for their little pet. None of them had ever been to one, but someone knew how it should be.

During the time the family lived there, Earl Boyd was born; this was in 1917. In 1919 another son was born, Oliver Kenneth. Irvie did quite well on this farm and the family enjoyed it greatly. But again, the family had to move. Between the years of 1922 and 1933 the family moved four times.

The house they lived in next had no well. Irvie would take the wagon and fill large water barrels at the nearest place, which was about two miles away. One time the children got into the water and had a huge water fight. Of course they got in trouble for wasting the water, but Anna May remembers it was well worth it.

In 1924 the last child was born. Charlie wanted to name the boy Alvin, and his father thought Donald was a proper name. His mother felt that since the boy was born on the president's birthday they should name him after the president. After much discussion they settled on the name Alvin Donald Calvin Coolidge Ladd. He was the seventh son.

There is a superstition that says that the seventh son born to a family has special healing powers. When Donald was about six or seven years old, the son of one of their neighbors became quite ill with a serious, contagious disease they called the "thrash". The neighbor asked Donald (the "seventh son" of Irvie and Hannah) to breathe into the sick child's mouth, believing this would cure him. Hannah and Irvie were quite upset when they found out, fearing that Donald would contract the disease also. Donald did not get sick and the boy got well very quickly afterward.

In 1930 the family moved to a farm near Depew, Oklahoma. They called it the Cooper Place, after the man who owned it. After Charlie graduated from high school, he stayed at home and helped his family farm. One afternoon about a year later, Charlie and his father were topping kaffir corn. This is a feed crop used for chickens. Topping is the way the kaffir corn is harvested. The whole top of the plant is out off, dried and ground for feed. Charlie started having severe pains in his abdomen, so much so that he doubled over. Irvie thought he was just constipated and told him to go to the house. He continued to have pain and finally called a doctor. His appendix had ruptured. They operated and he was in the Depew hospital about ten days to two weeks.

Because of Charlie's severe illness, Homer, who was two years younger, was not able to complete his senior year of high school. He was desperately needed on the farm. After Troy was old enough to help, Homer went to business college. Homer later was working, for pay, on his uncle's farm near Tonkawa when he took ill. They really didn't know what was wrong with him so they decided to take him home. About half way he fainted and became much worse. They really thought that he was going to die. Finally he was taken to the doctor that evening. The doctor said nothing could be done because the appendix had already ruptured, and that he felt that it was too dangerous right after a rupture to operate. The doctor thought it was hopeless, and said Homer might die during the night. The doctor operated in the morning and it did not take him long to recover.

In 1933 Irvie moved onto his last farm, which was near Drumright, Oklahoma. The rent was one hundred and seventy-five dollars each year. The existing house on the land when they first moved there was rather poor. After a few years, the owner built a new house, but they did not raise the rent. This was the largest of Irvie's farms. It was half a section, or three hundred and twenty acres.

The oats, cotton, wheat and potatoes were sold, but the feed crops were mostly used for the hogs, cattle and cows that he kept. The cows would be milked and much of the milk was consumed by the family. Any extra was sold. All of the cream was collected in a large milk can under the house in the cellar. Once a week, the cans were taken to the grocer in town. He would send it up to Kansas to a creamery. They made butter with it and sent Irvie a check each month for its worth. Hannah always made her own butter, especially after one particular incident. The grocer happened to open a can of cream and found a rat floating in it. He calmly removed the rat, resealed the cream, and sent it on to the creamery. They would not eat any creamery butter after that. The cream and milk money, along with the money from the extra butter and cottage cheese that Hannah made, was a much needed addition to the income of the family. Of course, the hogs,, chickens, cattle and eggs that Irvie raised in addition to crops brought much income.

Hannah would make hot cereal out of the bran that was bought for the horses. They would go out and get a sifter full of bran and sift out the fine part. This would be used for making hot cereal and the rest would be given to the horses. Bran, oatmeal and malted wheat were the only cereals available for some time. The first cold cereals the family had were Post Bran Flakes and Wheaties.

They did their clothing in a large iron kettle that was outside the house. The clothes would be actually boiled to make them white and kill germs. The soap they used for bathing and clothes was made in a huge kettle outside over a fire whenever the livestock were slaughtered. They would also make lard for cooking in this way.

Hama's father was well educated, a politician, a surveyor for the government. He had instilled within his children a love for learning. Hannah wanted her children all to receive as much education as they possibly could. Irvie only completed second grade and felt that education really was not important. But he allowed the children to go to school. Three taught school and two of these earned a master's degree in education. Five of the children went to some college.

Hanna taught her children at home through stories and games. Anna May actually learned to read some before she went to school. She learned by asking her mother to read the printing on the newspaper that papered the walls of their home.

Irvie loved giving nicknames to people. He was pretty good at thinking of nicknames that would stick. He must have picked up this talent from his own father, who called him Fatty. This is one nickname that cannot be figured out, since he was never fat in his life. Irvie had a nickname for all of his children, and even for his wife. Hannah was called Yank. Goldie was called Rat because she was bald as a baby and Irvie thought she looked like a rat. Anna May was call oppossum because she had short thick hair as a baby and it would do nothing but stand on end. Charlie was called Buster after a comic strip character called Buster Brown.

When Homer was a baby, he was quite sickly. He would have the flu, colds and catch anything else that was around. Irvie called him Doc, after their country doctor who spent so much time doctoring him. Etna was called Toughy after a girl in a magazine story. Etna was stocky and would fall down often but never got hurt. Troy was named after an Indian man who lived on a farm near theirs. The man refused to speak English and would not listen if you spoke to him. He would only grunt at you. Troy learned to talk a little bit later and before he spoke, he would grunt like Sam, the Indian. Irvie called him Sam.

Earl was called Babe, I think it was because they thought he would be the last. Kenneth was called Wimpy after a comic strip character and Donald was called Skeezix after a comic strip character.

This farm they lived on for fourteen years and finished raising their family. They retired in 1947 and moved to the town of Drumright. Hannah was quite sickly and she saw a doctor who diagnosed her problem to be cronic asthma. Anna May and her husband Ebb lived in Dnmright. They would spend much of their time at the house caring for Hannah. Anna May and Ebb finally moved into Irvie and Hannah's home. It was a very nice white wooden house with two bedrooms. But it had a small yard, much too small for even a nice garden. Irvie was used to working very hard on the land. He had a difficutlt time adjusting to retirement. There were beautiful hardwood floors in the house. Irvie would scrub the floors, just to have something to do. All of the children were gone then, many in Oregon, one to California and one in Wyoming.

One Sunday morning, Hannah began talking of snow and saying unusual things. Shortly she seemed ill and had to go to bed. On Thursday, she died. It was March 13, 1949.

A while after her death, Irvie remarried. He and Georgia sold their home to Anna May and Ebb, and bought another house. Irvie was able to have a garden and chickens. Irvie lived nineteen years longer than Hannah. On March 8, 1968, he too died. They are both buried at Parkland, Oklahoma.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, pages 75-79.

In 1909 Hannah and Irvie lived near Cushing, Oklahoma. They lived in a big old house but the roof leaked. The next year the second son, Homer, was born. The doctor, Dr. Cargill, came by horse and buggy to deliver him. Irvie's brother Ernest and his wife Ealen lived nearby. Ealen would come and bathe the baby and help to care for the mother. The month was October and the weather became cold and rainy. A fire would be built in the cookstove and Ealen would sit in front of the oven with the baby. The roof leaked and pans were set on the bed to catch the drips. The winter was cold and often a pan of coals would be set under the baby cradle for warmth.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 27.

In the late fall of 1911 Hannah and Irvie Ladd moved to a farm near Stillwater, Oklahoma. They lived near Irvie's sister and husband, Frank and Nellie Davidson. They all had great times together. Among the animal pets was a little runt pig. Sometimes he would want to come right into the house so the children made a little wooden yoke for him and put him inside the garden fence.

On this farm Irvie and Hannah's third son, Troy Frank, was born. He was named after his uncle Frank Davidson. He was delivered by a mid-wife by the name of Mrs. Bigler. Nellie and her daughter helped to care for mother and baby.

(Submitted by Anna May (Ladd) Phillips)

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 18.

Essie Mae “Pearl” Ladd

Essie Pearl Ladd was born in Neodesha Kansas January 25, 1886. She married John Barrett Thomas on January 4, 1905. They took a 160 acre homestead relinquishment in Western Oklahoma near the town of Woodward. We do not know what they paid for it.

According to their daughter Opal (Thomas) Crank of Cushing, Oklahoma they lived in a dugout for several years. She said, "the fleas were terrible." They experienced bad times during the 1930 dust storms, but prospered in later years.

Essie and John had eight children, 2 girls and 6 boys, They are all living [1982] except Buford, who passed away in 1961.

Essie passed away January 1, 1963 at age 77.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 24.

James Ernest Ladd

James Ernest Ladd was born September 23, 1889 in Neodesha, Kansas. He married Mary Ealen Gaut on December 25, 1910. They bought 80 acres and rented 80 acres, near Agra, Oklahoma.

According to their daughter Leona Anderson, of Chandler, Oklahoma, "We always lived from hand to mouth as the saying goes. When the depression came in 1929 the going got plenty tight. My folks never did completely recover. In 1937 they had a farm sale and started to Washington State. On the way the car broke down and money ran out so they went to work for Dave Martin on a farm. Dad worked in fields and Mama cooked for workers. They never left New Mexico. I never heard of any statesmen, presidents, or notorious outlaws in the family. Most were good Christian people working hard to make an honest living, to raise and educate their children."

Ernest and Ealen had three children, all girls. Ernest passed away August 15, 1976 at age 87 at Bloomfield, New Mexico. He was laid to rest in the Parkland Cemetery, Parkland, Oklahoma.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 26.

In 1909 Hannah and Irvie Ladd lived in a big old house near Cushing, Oklahoma. The next year the second son, Homer, was born. The doctor, Dr. Cargill, came by horse and buggy to deliver him. Irvie's brother Ernest and his wife Ealen lived nearby.

Ealen would come and bathe the baby and help to care for Hannah. The month was October and the weather became cold and rainy. A fire would be built in the cookstove and Ealen would sit in front of the oven with the baby. The roof leaked and pans were set on the bed to catch the drops. The winter was cold and often a pan of coals would be set under the baby's cradle for warmth.

Submitted by Anna May (Ladd) Phillips.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 27.

Ruth Etta Ladd

Ruth Etta Ladd was born April 3, 1893 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She married Frank Parisho on June 3, 1912. They lived in Oklahoma most of the time around Stillwater, Agra, Perkins and Ripley. Frank was a police and security officer and moved from place to place.

Ruth passed away in October 1950 at age 57.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 28.