NOTE: These children are listed in birth order.

Anna May Ladd

Anna May was born September 19, 1905 near Ripley, Indian Territory. In 1907 Indian Territory became the State of Oklahoma. She was the first born of Irvie and Hannah Ladd. They lived on Irvie's father's farm near the Grandparents so the family all doted on her. She was named by her bachelor uncle, Ray Ladd. He gave her a ring and a bracelet. She learned to talk when she was quite young - a talent which she maintains today superceded only by her sister Goldie.

When Anna May was about two and one-half years old, by wagon and team, she moved with her parents by wagon and team to a farm several miles away. She wanted to stay with her grandparents but was not permitted to stay. The weather was rainy. She cried and said, "I'm cold, and wet, and hungry, and sleepy. Why didn't you leave me with Grandma."

She grew up on farms in different counties. She loved school. When she was in the 5th grade, she had a teacher whom she admired very much. She decided then that she would be a teacher. She attended school in Shamrock 7th through 12th grades. She graduated in 1924 with the highest grades in her class.

A Syrian merchant with whom the family traded gave Anna May a lovely bouquet. Then he loaned her father $50.00 dollars. She used some of the money to go to Sapulpa (on the train) to take the examination for a teaching certificate. She enrolled in College, Oklahoma A & M. She stayed with an Aunt and Uncle Nellie and Frank Davidson, and did a summer term. She did not have the finances to enroll in college again. So she stayed home and helped her father pick cotton. Her mother needed help also as she had a young baby.

In January of 1925 the 4th grade teacher resigned in Shamrock. The Superintendent contacted Anna May and offered her the position. She taught school in Creek County for several years. She went to night-school, summer classes, and took correspondence courses and earned a Life Certificate in Elementary Education.

On June 23, 1929 she married Ebinezer Lee Phillipps whom she had known since childhood.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 82.

Goldie Fay Ladd

My name is Goldie Fay (Ladd) Denton. I was born December 10, 1906, in Ripley, Oklahoma on my Grandpa Ladd's farm [Charles Henry; her parents were Irvie and Hannah]. We lived there until I was three years old. We moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma on a farm owned by a lady named Miss Miller when I was four years old. I went to school in a one room school, had a lady teacher. I remember Anna May and me walking to school through a timbered area, we passed Aunt Nellie and Uncle Frank's house. I remember Troy my brother was born there, he was named Troy Frank after Uncle Frank as they had six girls, but no boy. A few years later they had twin boys Leonard and Dwight, several years later Leonard died from an injury from playing football at school.

When I was five years old we moved to the Creek Nation near Avery, Oklahoma. We lived in a big log house with an up-stairs. It was fun living there. We had to walk some distance to school. It was a one room school and the teacher's name was Mr. Adams. He lived and boarded at our house for some time. We would all walk to school together.

When I was seven years old we moved near Shamrock, Oklahoma. At first we had a one room school and the teacher was Mr. Taylor. In a short time the County schools were converted to town schools. Mr. Taylor was transferred to town and he was my teacher. I finished the six grade in that school. Then I was tranferred to High School where we had 7th and 8th grade and there I finished High School.

After high school I went to Stillwater to Oklahoma A & M College and spent the entire year earning my Teacher's Certificate. I was given a job teaching at Gypsy Corner's School near Depew. We had a teacherage where we all lived and a house keeper, who prepared all our meals. We were paid more than the average teacher of the times recieved because it was an Oil Company School. I taught four years, also at Depew School and Shamrock.

I decided to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I stayed at the Y.W.C.A. and made a new life for myself. There was a job advertised in the newspaper, so I put on my best dress, gloves and hat and made my way to that destination. It was a department store. Women were lined up to apply for the job, but I was hired. I worked there five years and this company had a store opening in Hawaii and I had a desire to go. Our Merchandising Manager suggested that I come to Los Angeles, California and he would help me to become employed in Hawaii. I had saved enough money so I went. To my great disappointment Pearl Harbor was bombed and war was declared, no one was allowed to travel to Hawaii.

I got a job in California at Barker Brothers, one of the most beautiful decorating businesses in the world at that time. I was so pleased and happy, I loved working there.

On December 11, 1942 I married Robert Aubrey Denton in Los Angelos.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 84.

Charlie Richard Ladd

Charlie Richard was born to Irvie and Hannah Ladd on August 31, 1908 near Avery, Oklahoma. Charlie was the third child born to Irvie and Hannah. Charlie helped on the farm and attended the various schools, as the family moved from one location to another.

When he started High School in Shamrock he rode horseback for the first two years. The last two years he drove a model T Ford car.

One time Charlie was riding a horse quite fast, through the woods. He leaned to go on one side of a tree but the horse had ideas of his own and went on the opposite side, slamming Charlie against the tree. He was quite ill for several days with head and internal injuries.

When Charlie graduated from high school in 1927 his family was living near Shamrock, Oklahoma. It was about a year or two later he was struck with appendicitis. He was rather slow to recover from his illness. When he was able, he found a job in Pennsylvania working for Standard Oil of Indiana. He started at 45 cents an hour working in the oil fields. He would be home for a few months out of the year when weather was to poor to work.

During these trips home he continued his friendship with Janet Taylor a childhood sweetheart of many years. Charlie was transferred to Henderson, Texas by the Standard Oil Company a short time later. He and Janet were married in Henderson, Texas in 1931.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 85.

Homer Clay Manning Ladd

Homer Clay Manning Ladd was born near Avery, Oklahoma, October 12, 1910. Being named after his doctor, Homer Clay Manning, his nickname "Doct" stayed with him for many years.

Since his father was a tenant farmer in Oklahoma, the family lived on several different farms as he was growing up with his brothers and sisters. He attented school in Shamrock for most of his schooling. His sophmore year was cut short because he had to help on the farm. He never returned to high school, but attended a year of Business College in Tulsa.

He worked at many different jobs, such as farm work and oil field pipe line jobs in Oklahoma and Texas for $3.00 and $4.00 a day. During the depression years he worked on a farm for as little as $20.00 a month with room and board.

In 1936 he went to Idaho to work in the harvest, threshing alfalfa seed and digging potatoes. After the harvest was done he drove his 1932 Model B Ford to Oregon to visit his brother Roy, who had a ranch at Kellogg. Finding work more plentiful in Oregon, he decided to stay awhile. He worked as an apprentice carpenter for $3.00 a day with his future wife's Uncle, Frank Madison, doing all kinds of carpentry jobs.

On August 26, 1938 he married Thelma Esther Madison in Kellogg, Oregon, at the Madison home.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 87.

Troy Frank Ladd

Troy Frank Ladd, born August 23, 1912, was the fifth child of a family of two girls and two boys. Troy was always very good and caused very little trouble. His hair was kinky curly and remained that way until now.

Troy was nicknamed Sam after an old Indian, Sam Falls, who would just grunt when you spoke to him. It seemed that Troy would just grunt when you spoke to him when he was quite small.

When Troy was about 14 years of age we were playing war and our weapon was a green persimmon, which would be put on the end of a sharpened pole and thrown at each other. Leonard Phillips was on the opposing team and hit Troy an the eye with a persimmon, which broke up the game and Troy for several days.

Troy went to harvest in Northern Oklahoma one summer and decided to hop a freight train to get there, a brakeman kicked him off the train far from any settlement, and he had quite a time walking to civilization.

Troy graduated from a two room school called Stoney Point, and graduated from Shamrock High School. He worked for some various pipe line jobs and finally got a permanent job at the Tide Water gasoline refinery. In about 1934 he bought a Model A car which he kept in the barn. That summer lightning set the barn on fire and he lost his car, but he bought another Model A with a jump seat.

Troy always helped with the washing of clothes and always did his share with all the other work. He was always generous with his money and helped the folks a lot. He bought suits for Kenneth and Earl when they graduated from High School in May of 1936. Troy has continued to help people and is always there if needed.

He married Thelma Merledene Clark on August 7, 1938.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 89.

Etna LeRoy Ladd

Etna LeRoy Ladd, born August 1, 1914, was always active and took his place as a hand in the field at an early age. He had a rare blood disease when he was quite young and they thought he would not live for awhile, but finally he recovered good as new.

He was always getting hurt some way. He broke his arm while trying to get on a little red mule we owned called "Old Red". He was about seven years old, and was not big enough to get on from the ground. He climbed upon the barb wire fence and the staple pulled out of the post and he fell. That was the only broken bone that ever ocurred in the family.

Another time we were playing around a large pile of old boards and he ran three spikes through his foot that was attached to a small length of 2 x 4. Instead of waiting for us to help him he started for the house as fast as he could with the piece of board attached to his foot flopping with every stride. Dad soaked the foot in a pan of kerosene and the foot was well in a few weeks.

Etna went to school at Stoney Point, Shamrock, and graduated from Depew High School in May of 1933. In the summer of 1933 he went to harvest and ended up in the potato fields of Idaho where he met his future wife Mildred Bullock. She lived in Oregon but was visiting her uncle, who was Etna's employer.

Etna came to Kellog, Oregon that fall and he and Mildred were married.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 91.

Earl Boyd Ladd

Earl Boyd Ladd was born June 30, 1917. It was very warm and my Father cut brush and made a brush arbor to help shade the house, so it would be more comfortable inside. The house was on a farm near Shamrock, Oklahoma. I had two sisters and four brothers. It seemed we always had lots of company--aunts, uncles and friends. I continued to suck my thumb until I was about twelve so I was nicknamed Babe.

Mama used to play with us, often knocking down waspnests, picking flowers and looking for greens. When I was six years old I fell off the top of the wagon and was paralyzed in my left arm and right leg for about two months, but with excellent care I recovered. Due to this I missed that year of school.

I started to school at a two room school. Mr. Rhodes was my teacher. We had to walk about one and a half miles. There are so many thoughts of growing up--the beautiful spring days and, when there was rain, a carpet of different colored flowers. The oak, black jack, red oak, black walnut and pecan trees would burst forth in green splendor. The cold of winter, the intense heat of summer, the rolling hills, hunting for squirrel, rabbit, oppossum and coon. Sitting in the woods and watching the redbirds, the call of the whippoorwill, the whistle of bobwhite, cattle bawling to be fed, tingling of the horse and cow bells. The wind as it whipped around the house. The fierce crack of lightning, cyclones in the sky, then sweeping like a serpent to the ground, leaving a path of destruction. Beautiful moonlit nights, large watermelon patch, washing the clothes every Saturday by hand on a washboard, butchering hogs and curing the meat. Making lye soap and lard, canning peaches and vegetables, many times hundreds of gallons. The good home baked bread with freshly churned butter or butter milk, fried chicken or chicken and dumpling most every Sunday, going barefoot in summer, buying shoes each fall, once in while delicious cinnqmon rolls, buying sugar and flour by 100 pound sacks, mixing the yeast starter each night, filling the kerosene lanps, helping to neuter hogs, calves and horses, all are wonderful memories.

Also helping the birth of animals, going to town once a year by wagon to buy school clothes, delighted if we got an ice cream cone. How we looked to Christmas, very seldom an evergreen, most any kind of bushy tree (no leaves) decorated with popcorn, colored paper, and elder berries. How we looked forward to the one small present--some hard candy and an orange. In later years Anna May and Ebb were always there and we got better presents. A big turkey dinner from our own flock of turkeys, taking cantalope to school for lunch and trading with the oil field kids for sandwiches. The big pot of beans on the wood stove when we came home from school. The frustation when some brother or sister came by and slapped my thumb out of my mouth when I was bothering no one. But most of all was the love that existed in the family, the care and example set by Dad and Mom, and when you really needed some one they were always there to help or listen.

I finished the fifth grade at the two room school called Stoney Point and the sixth grade in Shamrock. We moved and I finished the seventh and eighth grades at a two room school called Hull in May 1932. Attended high school in Depew 1932-33.

We moved on a farm by Drumright, and lived there from January 1934 to May 1936. I attended Pleasanthill High School, graduating that year. During my senior year I started seeing Annalee Rogers. In 1936-37 I attended Drumright Junior College and stayed with Anna May and Ebb. In 1937-38 I attended Bristow Jr. College, rented a one room apartment for $6.00 a month, utilities furnished. I worked in a boarding house waiting on tables for Aunt Rose, got my meals. Washed cars on Saturday for the Chevrolet garage from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., receiving $2.00 per day.

Annalee Lela Rogers and I were married September 5, 1938.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, pages 93-94.

Oliver Kenneth Ladd

Oliver Kenneth Ladd "Wimpy" was born August 26, 1919 on a farm west of Shamrock, Oklahoma. He was the eighth of nine children, the sixth consecutive boy. Being what they thought was the last he was spoiled by all the older brothers and sisters and I am sure that Dad and Mom contributed their share, also.

Kenneth nursed longer than most babies and the older children got to teasing him, he got so when he wanted his dinner he would pull at Mama to go in another room or behind a door. He begin to talk at an early age and learned very fast. He could repeat the pledge of allegiance and several poems, so he was the star attraction for many family gatherings.

When he was three years old we moved to a farm 4 miles south of Shamrock. At that time the little red mule we had owned so long ran free and would come through the yard and go down by the road to feed. One evening as "Old Red" came though the yard Kenneth grabbed a small branch and ran out and hit him on the hind leg. Old Red usually was gentle and kind, and kids could climb under and all over him safely. I had heard my folks say "he wouldn't hurt a fly." When Old Red felt the whack and looked back and saw Kenneth assaulting him he must have thought the boy needed a lesson in manners. So with a mule grin, the kind that mules can give, he proceeded to tap Kenneth right in the middle of the forehead with a quick right hoof and calmy walked on his way. Kenneth of course went down like a pole-axed steer, out cold, with blood running down his face and laying on the ground. Mama ran out and picked him up in her arms and screamed "he is dead." She carried him into the house and applied cold towels. By that time Dad had come from the barn and many of the other children were gathered around. Kenneth lay lifeless with Mama continuing to work over him, his eyes fluttered and opened and he let out a big yowl. Everyone smiled--he was alive. Within a few days he was as good as new.

When Kenneth was six years of age he started school, a two room school called Stony Point. Anna May was his teacher. He went there through 5th grade. He transferred to Shamrock through the 6th grade and rode a school bus. Then the family moved to a farm three miles south. Kenneth changed schools, going to a two room school called Hull. His teacher was Mr. McFarland. In 1932 he graduated from the eighth grade there. That fall of 1932 he started to Depew High School and rode with LeRoy in his Model T Ford. In 1933 he started to Depew High School but had to walk 3 miles. The family moved again to a farm three miles east of Drumright and Kenneth started to school at Pleasanthill High School. There he played basketball and was on the track team. He met his wife-to-be, Vernell Rogers. He graduated in the spring of 1936 and spent the next 2 years on the farm helping his folks.

On May 20, 1939 he and Vernell Rogers were married.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 96.

Donald Alvin Calvin Coolidge Ladd

Donald Alvin Calvin Coolidge Ladd, born July 4, 1924, was the 9th of a family of 2 girls and seven consecutive boys, seventeen years younger than Anna May and five years younger than Kenneth. His coming surely was a beautiful surprise and an accident Irvie and Hannah didn't expect. Hannah was 43 years of age. No one in the family ever mentioned his coming. Anna May was in college and came home one weekend, just the day before Donald was born. She said, "Don't you think we better start getting ready for a baby?" Mother replied, "I don't think that is any of your business." So the subject was closed.

Donald grew very fast and was idolized by all the family. He was very good and caused very little trouble. He started to school at Hull School and rode a little white donkey. A neighbor boy rode with him sometimes. One evening Donald was supposed to go to the neighbors house for awhile, but when they got to our gate the donkey turned in and no amount of coaxing would convince him to go farther so Donald and his friend had to walk. Donald finished grade school at Pleasant Hill and graduated from Pleasant Hill High School in May of 1942. He played basketball, was very popular, and had many friends.

Soon after graduation he came to Oregon with Annalee and me [Earl, his brother]. He stayed with Kenneth and Vernie [another brother and his wife] and worked at various jobs, on the road, laying plank road and on Etna's farm and finally began driving a logging truck. He was drafted into the service, and after boot camp was assigned to the Sixth Marine Division. He saw action in the South Pacific, Guam, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. He had shells explode all around him and had two trucks blown to pieces that he was driving. He never recieved any injuries. He was discharged Feb. 11, 1946 and, after a short visit with his family in Drumright, Oklahoma, returned to Oregon and his love for driving logging trucks.

All the nieces and nephews loved him and he was like a big brother to them. In 1947 he moved to Roseburg with Kenneth and Vernie. They purchased a home on Alameda Street, and with help from Etna they both purchased a logging truck and began hauling for the Roseburg Logging Company. He was happy and carefree for he loved this kind of work. He was killed in an accident when a log jumped out of the bunks on his truck and pinned him against a stump. This was in May 1948. He was laid to rest in the Scottsburg Cemetery near a longtime friend David Nugent who was killed a few months earlier in a logging accident.

As of this writing 34 years later all the other brothers and sisters are living and in excellent health.

From "The Past to Remember" by Earl Ladd, Annalee Ladd, Pat Ladd Grade, and Barbara Ladd Haun, 1982, page 101.