He was in the U.S. Navy in 1942. Went to boot camp in New Port, Rhode Island, then Jacksonville Air Station.
He lived with his mother after his divorce from Maymie until she [Margaret Alice Lawson] married Paul - then he lived with us [William Barton Folks] for 1 yr. He then purchased his home on 1212 Villanova Ave. Folsom. Shortly after that he married Anne.
Written by Marie E. DeLand-Folks
Told by William Barton FolksTranscribed by William Dee Folks
Information in “[ ]” added for clarification.
I remember my grandfather, Albert Folks, well for I was eleven years old and living with my grandparents in Hillsdale, Kansas when he died. That is I remember him well for an eleven year old boy. And yet I do not know him well either for he was a man who went about his farm life in his later years, the years I knew him, faithfully but quietly.
Physically he was a small person. That is probably why my mother, his daughter, was so slight, and why I am so thin. I remember him as being a nice looking man with a mustache and a reasonable head of hair that he combed each morning with his comb which he kept on a small medicine cabinet on the back wall in the farm kitchen, while there at Hillsdale. His comb was a wooden, circular comb that my older brother had the last time I saw it. I was just looking through the few pictures I have of him and in only one of them is he without a mustache. He was a very young man then - possibly twenty years of age. I do not know why he preferred to wear a mustache for he looked good without one. Of course if I had to shave with a straight razor the way he did, I might wear a full face of whiskers. One of the straight razors I have stored away may have been his.
I have one picture of him with his two brothers, two sisters and their mother and father. Grandpa was the oldest child and he must have been in his late twenties when the picture was taken. He was wearing a mustache then. But so was his second brother, Newton.
I'd say Albert Folks was a handsome gentleman, of slight build, and usually wearing a serious countenance. I do not remember him doing a lot of laughing or kidding around, but I also do not remember him getting in any disagreements with anyone either - that includes with Grandma.
His back was broken somehow when he was working for the Southern Pacific in Deming [Luna County], or the railroad he worked for before that, the railroad that had a line running up the Rio Grand River Valley in New Mexico. I do not know how his back was broken, or how serious and painful the initial injury was. I remember only that his upper back had a big, pronounced bend in it. I do not know how a back could become bent that way without it being very painful, but I do not remember ever hearing him doing any complaining, or ever- shirking his work.
George Maxwell, Albert's youngest son one time mentioned Grandpa being a crane operator for the railroad, but I am pretty sure he did not start out operating a crane for these people.
At the time he was working for the first railroad he, with his family, was living at, or in the vicinity of Espanola, New Mexico. His and Grandma's last child, George Maxwell Folks was born there, and their two older children, Albert Devern and Laura Mable went to school at the Indian school at San Ildefanso. The teacher's name was Mrs. Esther Hoyt.
Albert Folks was born near Hanover, Michigan on April 13, 1859, and at the age of six months was taken to Osawatomie, Kansas where his parents lived until they settled on what came to be known as the Folks homestead, two miles east of and a half a mile north of Osawatomie. I do not know if they actually homesteaded this home place, or they preempted it or bought it. We might be able to answer this unknown by checking the county records.
He married Gertrude J. Wyatt at her folks home at or near Garnett [Anderson County], Kansas on January 5, 1890. He was thirty years of age; she was sixteen. These two ran a farm for about three years in the vicinity of Bush City [Anderson County], Kansas, not far from Barnett. Their first child, Albert Devern was born there on June 18, 1892. They then sold this farm and bought an eighty acre farm near Tyro [Caney Twp, Montgomery County], Kansas, down near the Oklahoma state line, and about eleven miles west of Coffeyville. It was here their second child, Laura Mable was born on September 17, 1894. This date is better than a hundred years in the past, but since Laura Mable was my mother, the date does not seem to be so far back. (I am doing this writing in September of 1995.)
Brief notes left by Minerva Jane Rucker Wyatt, Gertrude's mother, tell me they sold this farm in 1896 and moved to near Paola, Kansas, where their second son, William Newton, was born on January 25, 1898. I have no recollection of where this place near Paola was, but it must have been another farm. Both Osawatomie and Paola are near the Folks family homestead, and Hillsdale is only a little farther away.
Minerva's notes tell me Albert and Gertrude, with their family, moved to near Espanola, New Mexico in January of 1899, where Albert went to work for the railroad. It was here their last child, George Maxwell was born on August 23, 1900.
I do not know what year it was Albert gave up his work for the Southern Pacific Railroad at Deming and he and his family moved to some place in Oklahoma, probably a farm. And I do not know how long they stayed there but about the time of World War I they again took up residence on the old Folks homestead our of Osawatomie, for that is where my mother went sometime after her first husband died of pneumonia in El Paso, Texas. He died February 20, 1918. It was probably at this time she drove a jitney in El Paso, prior to going home.
Of course Grandpa rode in trains on occasions. He worked for two different railroads, and during his life-span, railroading was big business. Our western country was opened up to a good extent through the use of and by the promotion of railroads. And I am sure he rode in a few automobiles. (I remember his younger brother drove like a hot-rodder in his younger years, before there were any hot-rodders.) But I have my doubts that Grandpa ever learned to drive an automobile. Usually his means of travel was behind a team of horses or mules. On special occasions he may have been privileged to drive a buggy, but usually it was a farm wagon. I remember riding once with him out of Hillsdale, when I was a little grandson. We went to the west on a gravel road, and I believe we went to get a load of firewood. He may have put in the day cutting the wood before loading it. I was too small to be of any assistance.
My older brother, Charles, remembers going to the south out of the old home place near Osawatomie in a wagon with Grandpa. They were leading a cow to somewhere to be delivered to someone.
I have puzzled over where they went and to whom they delivered the cow. The answer to this puzzle could possibly give me the answer to another puzzle that bothers me. How, in these days of little travel by common farmers, did Grandpa manage to get far enough south out of Osawatomie to meet Grandma who was living with her folks near Garnett, Kansas -- a distance in the vicinity of twenty-five or thirty miles. I know Grandpa's father, George Francis Folks, had a brother named John in the Osawatomie area during their early days there, and I believe the brother was still there when George Francis died in 1916. And I believe Grandpa was delivering this cow to a cousin who lived down towards Garnett, Kansas. Charles told me this cousin was a very fat man, and died young as though he had some kind of a gland problem. But I can not nail the facts down.
Anyhow, I'll bet when Grandpa was first down that way and saw Grandma he was hard smitten.Written by Alex Bradford, Jr. - September 1995
FOLKS, GEORGE Maxwell
PVT US ARMY
WORLD WAR II
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/23/1900
DATE OF DEATH: 08/06/1975
BURIED AT: SECTION 3A ROW G SITE 10
LOS ANGELES NATIONAL CEMETERY
950 SOUTH SEPULVEDA BOULEVARD LOS ANGELES, CA 90049
(310) 268-4675
1895 Census shows WB Wyatt in Nebraska before going to Kansas
Died at his daughter Mable's home, while listening to his granddaughter play the piano.
Funeral service held at his home, conducted by Rev Joel Barker of the Osawatomie Methodist church
Funeral services were conducted from the home by Rev Joel Barker, of Osawatomie, pastor of the Methodist church
Must have gone with her parents shortly prior to turn of century, to New Mexico where her father worked for Southern Pacific Railroad (?) in Espanola, then Deming area. (She and her older brother attended the San Ildefanso Indian School about the turn of the century. The teacher was a Ms. Hoyt.) Her first husband, Charles Peter Anderson, worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad for a while. Pancho Villa was giving trouble about that time and Mom, for a night or two stood guard on top of old adobe structure with a Mouser rifle. She and her husband ran a hotel in El Paso for a short time. He died of pneumonia Feb. 20, 1918. Mom drove a jitney in El Paso for a while then must have re-joined her folks on the old home place out side Osawatomie, Kansas. She married Alex Bradford after he returned from Army service in France and Germany in a railroad unit in World War I. Mr. Bradford moved around quite a bit through their marriage years and she with their children went with him when she could. Sometimes she was not able to follow him. When World War II came along Mr. Bradford went up to Canada and joined their fighting forces. Laura moved to California, from Texas where she and Mr. Bradford had been living, to be with or near her two grown, older sons and her younger brother, George Maxwell Folks. During the war her two younger sons went into the service and her older son worked for Lockheed Aircraft, as did Max Folks. Laura also worked for Lockheed. Laura Mable Folks was a physically small person (never weighed a 100 pounds) but she was full of grit, determination and love. (written by Alexander Bradford, Jr. 2003)
His address in Australia was 1/2 RR2, Wohga, Victoria, Australia
Dad, Alex Bradford, was born in Australia. I have no Knowledge of him prior to his coming to the United States. I have been told he worked as a ship's carpenter but am not sure there. Records show he worked for the Southern Pacific Railway Company starting in 1915 and ending in 1918. He served in the U.S. Army in France and Germany in 1918 and 1919 in a railroad outfit. As noted above he married Mom, Laura Mable Folks, Jan. 7, 1920; that would probably be in Osawatomie, Kansas. For about two years he worked with the U.S. Supreme Court Receivership in a land dispute between Oklahoma and Texas. He worked for years in the oilfields of Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. He also worked as a Caterpiller and Fordson Tractor salesman in McCamey, Texas. Superintendent of CCC camp at Shiloh, Tenn. He joined Canadian forces for service in World War II; may have transfered to British Forces. Served as firefighter for Douglas Aircraft in north east Africa. Served somehow in distribution of U.S. military (?) equipment in Pacific and China after war. Remet and married Margaret after Mom's death. Margaret and her first husband had lived in south Texas, Harlingen-San Benito area, when Dad first them. Margaret was a wonderful person. (written by Alexander Bradford, Jr. 2003)
The 1930 Census lists a Charles H. as a son to Alex. Charles is 16 years old on this census, which puts his birth year at abt 1914. That is 6 years prior to Alex and Laura's marriage.
Must have gone with her parents shortly prior to turn of century, to New Mexico where her father worked for Southern Pacific Railroad (?) in Espanola, then Deming area. (She and her older brother attended the San Ildefanso Indian School about the turn of the century. The teacher was a Ms. Hoyt.) Her first husband, Charles Peter Anderson, worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad for a while. Pancho Villa was giving trouble about that time and Mom, for a night or two stood guard on top of old adobe structure with a Mouser rifle. She and her husband ran a hotel in El Paso for a short time. He died of pneumonia Feb. 20, 1918. Mom drove a jitney in El Paso for a while then must have re-joined her folks on the old home place out side Osawatomie, Kansas. She married Alex Bradford after he returned from Army service in France and Germany in a railroad unit in World War I. Mr. Bradford moved around quite a bit through their marriage years and she with their children went with him when she could. Sometimes she was not able to follow him. When World War II came along Mr. Bradford went up to Canada and joined their fighting forces. Laura moved to California, from Texas where she and Mr. Bradford had been living, to be with or near her two grown, older sons and her younger brother, George Maxwell Folks. During the war her two younger sons went into the service and her older son worked for Lockheed Aircraft, as did Max Folks. Laura also worked for Lockheed. Laura Mable Folks was a physically small person (never weighed a 100 pounds) but she was full of grit, determination and love. (written by Alexander Bradford, Jr. 2003)