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Ernal Floyd Thorpe ,Sr [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 was born 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 on 5 May 1891 in Springfield, Greene co, MO. He died 11, 12 on 28 Jul 1978 in [Denver, CO] and was buried 13, 14 in Ft Logan Nat'l Cem; Englewood, Arapahoe co, CO. Ernal married 15 Florence Bernice Spencer on 11 Oct 1926 in Jackson co, MO.

1910 Census for Sedgwick co, KS; Morton or Martin Twp. shows Floyd Thorp, age 18, hired man - farmer helper, in hh of James W. Hall.

Floyd served in WWI ; family information has it that Floyd was incarcerated at the Ft. Lyon Medical facility in Ft. Lyon, Colorado; indirect information indicates that Floyd was transfered to the VA hospital in Denver, Colorado in 1978; the SSDI has July 1978 as his date of death, last residence shown as Johnson county, Kansas, SS# 514-54-1555, card was issued in Kansas; information for Floyd has been found under Ernal Thorpe.

from SSDI
Ernal THORPE
Birth Date: 5 May 1891
Death Date: Jul 1978
Social Security Number: 514-54-1555
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Kansas
Death Residence Localities
ZIP Code: 66061
Localities: Olathe, Johnson, Kansas

! Information from Headstone: Ernal Floyd Thorpe, SR; PFC, US Army; WW I; May 5, 1891; Jul 28, 1978.

Florence Bernice Spencer [Parents] 1, 2 was born 3 on 13 Sep 1908. She died 4 on 17 Jul 1984 and was buried 5, 6 in Ft Logan Nat'l Cem; Englewood, Arapahoe co, CO. Florence married 7 Ernal Floyd Thorpe ,Sr on 11 Oct 1926 in Jackson co, MO.

Bernice Spencer and Elmer Thorpe's wife, Ethyl Spencer, were sisters.

Information from Headstone for wife: (0 2309) Florence B., his wife; 13 Sept 1908; July 17, 1984.

They had the following children:

  M i Vincel Dempsey Thorpe
  ii (c/o Ernal Floyd Thorpe, Sr) Thorpe 1 died unknown.

Doris (Clawson) Hommertzheim (Floyd's niece) remembered Floyd having a child that died young of cerebral palsey.
  M iii Richard Anthony "Tony" Thorpe
  M iv Ernal Floyd Thorpe (Jr)

Elmer Ray Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 on 24 May 1893 in Elwood, Madison co, IN. He died 10, 11, 12, 13 on 12 Mar 1977 in KS and was buried 14, 15, 16 on 14 Mar 1977 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. Elmer married 17 Ethel M. Spencer [1922].

1910 Census for Sedgwick co, KS; Martin or Morton Twp. shows Elmer Tharp, age 17, hired man, larborer - general farm; in hh of Charles F. Moran.

Elmer srved in WWI;
He and his wife, Ethyl, never had children; She died about 10 yrs after they were married;
Elmer requested to be buried by his sister Blanche in the Fairview Cemetery; Cheney, KS.

Obituary of Elmer R. Thorpe
Monday, March 14, 1977
Elmer R. Thorpe, 83, of 626 N. Baehr, retired dry wall finisher, died Saturday. Service 2:30pm today, Fairview Cemetery, Cheney (KS).
Survivors: brother, Floyd of Fort Lyon, Colo; sisters, Mrs Ethel Ezell of Colorado Springs, (CO) Mrs Maye Seaman of Hartford, Conn, Mrs Alice Golden of Denver. Wulf Mortuary, Garden Plain (KS)

Ethel M. Spencer [Parents] [image] 1, 2 was born 3 about 1906. She died 4 about 1932 and was buried 5 in [Prescott, Linn co, KS]. Ethel married 6 Elmer Ray Thorpe [1922].

Ethyl Spencer and Floyd Thorpes wife, Bernice Spencer, were sisters.

*Fred Clawson [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3 was born 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 on 28 Sep 1888 in Williamsburg, Franklin co, KS. He died 9, 10 on 20 May 1974 in Salida, Chaffee co, CO and was buried 11, 12 on 25 May 1974 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. *Fred married 13 *Blanche Pearl Thorpe in 1919 in Wellington, Sumner co, KS.

My maternal Grandfather.
Our mother tells a story, told to her by our great grandmother, of how our grandfather, Fred Clawson, was almost stolen by a gypsy lady.
When Fred was a baby, there were gypsies around Williamsburg, Kansas, where Fred was born. His mother use to let them come into the yard to get water and one of the gypsy ladies always admired Fred's beautiful blonde hair and fair blue eyes. One afternoon, after having put Fred down for his nap, she heard a noise from the bedroom; upon going to check, she found the admiring gypsy lady exiting through a bedroom window with Fred in her arms. Well, I can only imagine the scene which followed, but the gypsy lady didn't get my granddad; and I imagine they were no longer allowed in the yard for water.
According to my mother, Fred completed grade school around Williamsburg, Kansas. Around 1900 the family moved to El Reno, Oklahoma; here Fred worked at a railroad foundry, where his father was also employed.
By 1911, Fred was living around Spivey, Kansas and engaged in farming (this from a postcard written to Fred, dated 1911)
Around 1918, Fred was living by Cheney, Kansas; perhaps owning a farm. It was on this farm that our mother, Doris Lucille Clawson, was born in 1922.
Our mother also tells of Fred playing a banjo in a band before he was married; the band played local and in near by towns. Fred was considered a "bachelor", he didn't marry until he was about 32 years old.
Fred married Blanch (Thorpe) Fitzgerald in Wellington, Kansas in 1919, after her first husband, Grover Fitzgerald, had died from influenza during the epidemic of 1918-19. There were so many influenza victims around the Cheney area that our grandfather would drive the Doctor, in a horse and buggy, from patient to patient so he could catch some sleep between visits.
When our grandmother's first husband, Grover, died; she and her daughter Junie were also deathly sick with the flu; our grandfather took on their care as a personal responsibility. Our great uncle, June Thorpe, credited granddad's care for having saved Junie's life; he said granddad spent days in a rocking chair, holding and rocking our Aunt Junie; nursing her and her mother back to health.
During WW1, Fred Clawson was a member of the Kansas State Guard; Co." A", 29th Battalion, Cheney, Sedgwick county, Kansas. Our grandmother's first husband's brother was also a member of this guard unit, as was her brother, Willie.
When our mother was about four years old she says they moved from the farm, on which she was born, into Cheney, Kansas. They lived in Cheney until my mother went to high school; at this time they moved to Wichita, Kansas.
They were living in Wichita when my grandmother died in Dec 1941. My mother had married in 1939, but when her mother became so ill, her dad, Fred, asked if she, along with her husband, would move back home to help care for her. After Blanche's death, Fred never remarried. He lived in Kingman, Kansas for awhile before moving to Colorado, where he again owned a farm. Here the "widow women", as Granddad called them, were always bringing him homemade and fresh baked "goodies". People would ask him why he didn't re-marry, he would reply, "Why would I want to get married again, I've already had the best woman in the world."
Fred's farm in Colorado sat along the Arkansas River; on this property there had been an old post office and Fred's house use to be the old stage stop; it sat at the edge of a hill, with a stable and various "sheds" built under it and into the hillside. He use to use one of these "rooms" or "sheds" as a chicken house; I remember a porcelain egg he use to keep in one of the nests, this was suppose to get the chickens to lay eggs in the nests instead of various places around his property. Later he built a chicken house on the same level of ground as his house; there were large lilac bushes here also where my sister, Shirley, and I use to play house and hide-n-seek. Along the railroad tie steps, leading to the lower level of "rooms", there were giant cottonwood trees where Shirley and I would play with our toy cars and trucks, making roads around their roots.
Granddad had an apple orchard, and grew corn and alfalfa; he also raised sheep. One of his sheep had twins but would only care for one of them; granddad brought the other lamb to our house and told Shirley and I, "if we could feed it and keep it alive, we could have it." We named her Baby and did a good job of caring for her. She became our pet and grew to be a healthy adult. Her tail had never been cropped, we thought that was such a cruel thing to do, so we had the only long tailed sheep around. We would tie our wagon to her and take turns with one in the wagon, the other standing a few feet in front of Baby waving our arms at her until she would chase us, then which every one was in the wagon got a ride, the other had to just run really fast. However, when our sister Debby was learning to walk, she would come into the yard, waving her arms to keep her balance and Baby would take that as a sign to charge; of course, Debby was too young to play that game, so granddad ended up taking Baby to the sale barn; along with our pet donkey "Frances" and our black colt we had named "Thunder". Granddad got a lot of good natured ribbing from his friends at the sale barn over the menagerie he brought in that day.
When Granddad got too old to farm he moved into a little log cabin and always had a large vegetable garden and beautiful flower gardens. I remember being with him in his gardens while he pulled weeds; he always knocked the dirt off their roots before disposing of them, saying "You don't want to throw your soil away."; I've thought of this often over the years, and always knock the dirt from the roots of whatever I pull from the ground.
When Granddad was still farming, he had another saying I've always admired, that's "You want to save some for the wildlife."; he wouldn't farm every acre of land he had, or collect every morsel of food from his fields.
Since the 1940's, Fred's home had been Howard, Fremont county, Colorado; however, the last few months of his life were spent in a nursing home in Salida, Colorado; this is where he died, May 1974.
As Fred had requested, he was returned to Kansas and buried next to his wife, Blanche, in Fairview Cemetery; Cheney, Sedgwick county, Kansas.

*Blanche Pearl Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 5, 6, 7, 8 on 13 Nov 1895 in Waterloo, Kingman co, KS. She died 9 in Dec 1941 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS and was buried 10, 11 on 19 Dec 1941 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. *Blanche married 12 *Fred Clawson in 1919 in Wellington, Sumner co, KS.

Other marriages:
Fitzgerald, Grover Cleveland

My maternal grandmother.
Although the marriage date is not recorded, there is a marriage application date given as 9 Jan 1914 for Grover C. Fitzgerald, 20, of Murdock, KS and Blanche Thorpe, 18, of Cheney, KS.; this from the "Kingman co, KS Marriage Records, Vol II, 1920-1988; with Supplement for 30 Ap 1913 - 28 May 1917"; Supplement pg "v".

They had the following children:

  F i Junie Pearl Fitzgerald
  M ii David Lowell "Bud" Clawson (twin)
  F iii *Doris Lucille Clawson (twin)
  M iv Charlie Dean Clawson

Grover Cleveland Fitzgerald [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 was born 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 20 Jul 1894 [June 1893] in Bloomington, McLean co, IL. He died 14, 15, 16 on 26 Feb 1919 in Kingman co, KS from influenza and was buried 17, 18, 19 in Vinita Cem; Kingman co, KS. Grover married 20 *Blanche Pearl Thorpe [arnd 9 Jan 1914] in [Kingman or Sedgwick co, KS].

*Blanche Pearl Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 5, 6, 7, 8 on 13 Nov 1895 in Waterloo, Kingman co, KS. She died 9 in Dec 1941 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS and was buried 10, 11 on 19 Dec 1941 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. *Blanche married 12 Grover Cleveland Fitzgerald [arnd 9 Jan 1914] in [Kingman or Sedgwick co, KS].

Other marriages:
Clawson, *Fred

My maternal grandmother.
Although the marriage date is not recorded, there is a marriage application date given as 9 Jan 1914 for Grover C. Fitzgerald, 20, of Murdock, KS and Blanche Thorpe, 18, of Cheney, KS.; this from the "Kingman co, KS Marriage Records, Vol II, 1920-1988; with Supplement for 30 Ap 1913 - 28 May 1917"; Supplement pg "v".

They had the following children:

  F i Junie Pearl Fitzgerald

June Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3 was born 4, 5, 6, 7 on 13 Apr 1898 in Reno co, KS. He died 8, 9, 10, 11 on 22 Nov 1974 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS and was buried 12, 13, 14 on 26 Nov 1974 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. June married 15 Hazel LaFever about 1927. The marriage ended in divorce.

Other marriages:
Epperson, Sue J. "Susie"

1930 Census for Kingman, Kingman co, KS shows June Thorpe as son-in-law in hh of Gertie Lafever; also in hh is June's wife, Hazel and daughter, Eloise. June's occupqation is shown as "Barber".

June requested to be buried by his sister, Blanche (Thorpe) Clawson, in the Fairview Cemetery; Cheney, Kansas.

Hazel LaFever [Parents] 1, 2 was born 3 about 1910 in KS. She died unknown. Hazel married 4 June Thorpe about 1927. The marriage ended in divorce.

They had the following children:

  F i Eloise Thorpe 1, 2 was born 3 about Jan 1929 in KS. She died unknown.

June Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3 was born 4, 5, 6, 7 on 13 Apr 1898 in Reno co, KS. He died 8, 9, 10, 11 on 22 Nov 1974 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS and was buried 12, 13, 14 on 26 Nov 1974 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. June married Sue J. "Susie" Epperson.

Other marriages:
LaFever, Hazel

1930 Census for Kingman, Kingman co, KS shows June Thorpe as son-in-law in hh of Gertie Lafever; also in hh is June's wife, Hazel and daughter, Eloise. June's occupqation is shown as "Barber".

June requested to be buried by his sister, Blanche (Thorpe) Clawson, in the Fairview Cemetery; Cheney, Kansas.

Sue J. "Susie" Epperson [Parents] 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 5, 6 on 30 Jul 1912 in OK. She died 7, 8, 9 on 26 Aug 2004 in [Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS] and was buried 10 in Big Cabin, Craig co, OK. Sue married June Thorpe.

Other marriages:
,

June Thorpe and Sue did not have children together; however, Sue had one daughter, as did June.

Sue is buried in the Big Cabin Cemetery, Craig co, OK. There is a space between Sue and headstones for James W. and Lola (Epperson) Straw. A notation in the book "Big Cabin Cemetery - Tombstone Readings" states that "Lola Straw is a sister to O. L. 'Ras' Epperson (1900 - 1997). He is buried at the Ketchum, Oklahoma Cemetery.
They are the children of J.O. & Mary (Wood) Epperson, who are buried here, with some of their other siblings and cousins etc."
I think Sue and Lola are sisters. This is futher backed up by the 1920 Census for Craig co, OK that shows Oscar L. age 19, Lola, age 14 and "Susie", age 7; along with other siblings, in the hh of J.O & Mary Epperson.

William Lincoln "Willie" Thorpe ,Jr [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 was born 6, 7, 8, 9 on 11 Feb 1900 in Reno co, KS. He died 10, 11, 12, 13 on 7 Jul 1974 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS and was buried 14, 15, 16 on 10 Jul 1974 in Fairview Cem; Cheney, Sedgwick co, KS. William married 17, 18 Delphia Leona Scott on 5 Nov 1924 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS. The marriage ended in divorce.

Willie was too young to serve in WW1 but served in the Kansas State Guard at this time.

Willie requested to be buried by his sister, Blanche (Thorpe) Clawson, in the Fairview Cemetery; Cheney, Kansas.

Obituary of William L. Thorpe (Jr)
Wichita (KS) Eagle
Tuesday
9 July 1974
William L. Thorpe, 74, of 1319 May, retired plasterer, services at 2:30 pm Wednesday in Fairview Cemetery, Cheney (KS). He died Sunday. Survivors include three sons, Eugene (of) Irvine, Calif, Charles (of) Tulsa (OK), and Jim (of) Wichita (KS); a daughter, Mrs Richard Kline (of) Goddard, KS; three brothers, Floyd (of) Los Alamos, CA and Elmer R. and June, both of Wichita (KS) and three sisters, Mrs Ethel Ezell (of) Colorado Springs (CO), Mrs Mae Seaman (of) Hartford, CT and Mrs Alice Golden (of) Denver (CO). Wulf Mortuary, Garden Plain (KS) has charge.

Delphia Leona Scott [Parents]

Other marriages:
Loy, Foster A.

They had the following children:

  M i Eugene Douglas "Gene" Thorpe
  M ii Charles Ray "Charlie" Thorpe
  F iii Phyllis Joan Thorpe
  M iv Jim Wayne Thorpe

Paul Edward Seamon (or Seaman) [image] 1 died unknown. He married Roberta Mae "Bobbie" Thorpe. The marriage ended in divorce.

Roberta Mae "Bobbie" Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 was born 6, 7, 8 in 1903/1904 in Reno co, KS. She died 9, 10 arnd 1997/Jan 1999 in [CT] and was buried 11 in [CT]. Roberta married Paul Edward Seamon (or Seaman). The marriage ended in divorce.

Headline: DEATHS
Publication Date: January 19, 1999
Source: The Hartford Courant
Page:
Subjects:
Region:
Obituary: Ellington
"Roberta Seaman, 96. Holmes Funeral Home, 400 Main St. A memorial service will be held today at 1 p.m. at North United Methodist Church, Manchester.
South Windsor"

They had the following children:

  F i Juanda Seamon [image] 1 died unknown.
  M ii Paul Edward, Seamon II 1, 2 was born 3 on 20 Nov. He died unknown.

Walter W. Evans (twin) [Parents] 1, 2, 3 was born 4, 5 on 11 Mar 1900. He died 6, 7 on 27 Mar 1955 in Denver, CO and was buried 8 in Mt. Olivate Cem; [Denver, CO]. Walter married 9 Alice C. Thorpe on 12 Aug 1930 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS.

Alice C. Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 was born 6 on 11 Sep 1908 in Sedgwick co, KS. She died 7, 8 on 22 Jan 2005 in Denver, CO. Alice married 9 Walter W. Evans (twin) on 12 Aug 1930 in Wichita, Sedgwick co, KS.

Other marriages:
Golden, Ralph

They had the following children:

  F i Velma Jean Evans
  F ii Roberta Evans
  F iii Peggy Ann Evans
  F iv Theresa Evans
  M v John Walter Evans

Ralph Golden 1 died unknown. He married Alice C. Thorpe.

Alice C. Thorpe [Parents] [image] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 was born 6 on 11 Sep 1908 in Sedgwick co, KS. She died 7, 8 on 22 Jan 2005 in Denver, CO. Alice married Ralph Golden.

Other marriages:
Evans, Walter W. (twin)

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