Second child and son of Arizona Pioneers: Harry Wilford Layton and Emma Reay.

Husband of: Ida Isabell Norton Layton, married 21 DEC 1921 in Central, Graham, Arizona, USA.

Father of: Gwena Layton Motes, Melburn Corthel Layton, Farrel Ralph "Jake" Layton, Velma Jean Layton Hawkins Holley, Darl Keith Layton, Larry Wayne Layton, and Elbert Jay Layton.

Ralph Reay Layton, son of Harry Wilford Layton and Emma Reay, was born in Central 5 June 1901. He attended Central School. Ralph is a farmer and helped his father on the farm when he was growing up. His hobbies are hunting and fishing. Ida Isabell Norton, daughter of John Edward Norton and Mary Etta Webster, was born 11 July 1903 in Central. She attended Central School. She crochets, makes flowers, sews, reads and makes quilts. Ralph and Ida were married 31 December 1921--a double wedding with Ida's brother Lloyd and Vera Cluff.

Their first home was at the east end of Central Road near Glade Smith's current home. The one room was moved there by David Cluff and additions were made. In 1940 they built a home on their farmland on west Central Road. They lived there for a number of years then bought 320 acres in Willcox, Arizona and moved there to live in 1957. They farmed there until the Fall of 1963 when they returned to Central, leaving their son, Larry, to manage the farm.

Ralph and Ida attended General Conference in Salt Lake City in 1934, visited San Francisco, went to Yellowstone in 1969, attended World's Fair in New York and in San Francisco, visited Niagara Falls, Washington, D.C., visited LDS Church historical spots in Nauvoo, etc., and attended the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, New York.

Ida was Relief Society counselor in Central, Relief Society president in Willcox, Primary president twice in Central, Primary counselor in Willcox, Mutual president in Central, teacher in the Sunday School, Primary and Mutual, Era director for several years and a visiting teacher. Ralph served on the Central School board of trustees.

(This bio. was supplied by Ida for the book "A Century in Central 1883-1993" for the Central, Arizona Centennial celebration, 1993.)

Shivaree of Ralph Layton and Ida Norton
Many couples married in the early part of the century were subject to "shivaree" pranks. This old tradition has fortunately died out.

31 December 1921 the double wedding of Lloyd Norton and Vera Cluff, Ralph Layton and Ida Norton was shivareed. The ceremony was held at the home of John and Etta Norton, parents of Lloyd and Ida. Only the parents and grandparents of both couples were invited. While Bishop Edsil Allred was performing the ceremony, all the brothers and sisters and cousins gathered outside the window and stared in. Sister Emma Layton, Ralph's mother, reached up and pulled down the window blind, but that did not seem to help much. As soon as the ceremony was over, Ted Norton gave a loud shrill whistle. The shivaree crowd rushed in and grabbed Lloyd and Ralph. Vera and Ida rushed into the bedroom, changed their wedding dresses, and made it to the car only to be pulled out. The crowd drove off with the grooms, leaving the brides standing in the road. After leaving Ralph and Lloyd stranded that night at Link Ferguson's goat ranch some 30 or 40 miles away, the group returned. They had warned Lorenzo, Wallace, and Jessie Jenkins, Zola Claridge, and others who happened to be playing for a New Year's Eve dance in Klondyke that evening, not to pick up the grooms and bring them back to Central.

In the morning, Ralph and Lloyd went to the road and waited for the band to come along. The grooms caught them on a hill where the Model T had slowed, trying to get up the hill. They jumped on the running boards of the car and rode a little way until the men in the car finally said to them, "Well, you might as well get in."

Back in Central, New Year's Day being Sunday, Vera and Ida attended Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the disconsolate brides started walking toward the center of town. They were met by their husbands who were driving Ralph's father's car. The girls jumped in and the four of them did not return to town until after midnight.

( A Century in Central 1883-1983, page 67-68, excerpt)