Fred Norton was my grandfather. He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1892. At age 16 he worked for the Sorghum factory there. His mother died when he was 18. When he was still 18 he worked for the Topeka Bridge & Iron Works. He eloped with my grandmother Edith Baker when he was just barely 19 and she was 17. They moved to several states during the early part of their marriage, wherever he had a new job. In 1914 when he was 21 they had their first child, Fredine. That was the same year his 18 year old brother Leslie was shot and killed for helping a friend take a joy ride in a horse drawn cab the evening before he was to start a new job out of state.
Things calmed down a bit and in 1917, when he was 25 they had their second child, Joan, my mother. Fred got a new job out of state and two months later his wife Edith and the two daughters joined him. He was a superintendent for Buffalo Mining Company in Miami, Oklahoma. They moved to Sebastian, Arkansas.
In 1919 they moved to Keokuk, Iowa where he helped build the largest dam in the world (until China built a larger one in more recent times.) The next year they moved to St. Louis, Missouri. I'm not sure if this was the time but he took a correspondence course to learn about the oil business. In 1922 they had their last child, Herb. They were living in Roger's Arkansas at that time. In 1930 when Fred was 38 they moved to Chicago, Ill. My mother told many stories about living there in the time when Al Capone was busy killing competitor mobsters.
Around 1933 Fred started his own oil company. There were good days and bad days and in those years there were mobsters involved in the oil business too and they made it too risky for my grandfather to stay there so he looked elsewhere. In 1936 they moved to Findlay, Ohio and Fred started working for Linco oil which grew and grew into the Ohio Oil Company and then became Marathon. Fred worked in the office building and was the inventor of V.E.P. oil. Because he worked for a company he was paid just one dollar for it.
He and Edith had many friends and were involved in church activities and socializing. Fred died from a heart attack after attending a Cleveland Browns football game in Cleveland with some of his friends from work. His team won and then while walking to the car he had his attack.
I barely remember him as a grandfather but my older siblings and cousin do and said he was very nice to them. He loved to take anyone fishing including his grandkids.
Contributor: Margaret Kuhlman (48607268) • [email protected]
Things calmed down a bit and in 1917, when he was 25 they had their second child, Joan, my mother. Fred got a new job out of state and two months later his wife Edith and the two daughters joined him. He was a superintendent for Buffalo Mining Company in Miami, Oklahoma. They moved to Sebastian, Arkansas.
In 1919 they moved to Keokuk, Iowa where he helped build the largest dam in the world (until China built a larger one in more recent times.) The next year they moved to St. Louis, Missouri. I'm not sure if this was the time but he took a correspondence course to learn about the oil business. In 1922 they had their last child, Herb. They were living in Roger's Arkansas at that time. In 1930 when Fred was 38 they moved to Chicago, Ill. My mother told many stories about living there in the time when Al Capone was busy killing competitor mobsters.
Around 1933 Fred started his own oil company. There were good days and bad days and in those years there were mobsters involved in the oil business too and they made it too risky for my grandfather to stay there so he looked elsewhere. In 1936 they moved to Findlay, Ohio and Fred started working for Linco oil which grew and grew into the Ohio Oil Company and then became Marathon. Fred worked in the office building and was the inventor of V.E.P. oil. Because he worked for a company he was paid just one dollar for it.
He and Edith had many friends and were involved in church activities and socializing. Fred died from a heart attack after attending a Cleveland Browns football game in Cleveland with some of his friends from work. His team won and then while walking to the car he had his attack.
I barely remember him as a grandfather but my older siblings and cousin do and said he was very nice to them. He loved to take anyone fishing including his grandkids.
Contributor: Margaret Kuhlman (48607268) • [email protected]
Fred Norton was my grandfather. He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1892. At age 16 he worked for the Sorghum factory there. His mother died when he was 18. When he was still 18 he worked for the Topeka Bridge & Iron Works. He eloped with my grandmother Edith Baker when he was just barely 19 and she was 17. They moved to several states during the early part of their marriage, wherever he had a new job. In 1914 when he was 21 they had their first child, Fredine. That was the same year his 18 year old brother Leslie was shot and killed for helping a friend take a joy ride in a horse drawn cab the evening before he was to start a new job out of state.
Things calmed down a bit and in 1917, when he was 25 they had their second child, Joan, my mother. Fred got a new job out of state and two months later his wife Edith and the two daughters joined him. He was a superintendent for Buffalo Mining Company in Miami, Oklahoma. They moved to Sebastian, Arkansas.
In 1919 they moved to Keokuk, Iowa where he helped build the largest dam in the world (until China built a larger one in more recent times.) The next year they moved to St. Louis, Missouri. I'm not sure if this was the time but he took a correspondence course to learn about the oil business. In 1922 they had their last child, Herb. They were living in Roger's Arkansas at that time. In 1930 when Fred was 38 they moved to Chicago, Ill. My mother told many stories about living there in the time when Al Capone was busy killing competitor mobsters.
Around 1933 Fred started his own oil company. There were good days and bad days and in those years there were mobsters involved in the oil business too and they made it too risky for my grandfather to stay there so he looked elsewhere. In 1936 they moved to Findlay, Ohio and Fred started working for Linco oil which grew and grew into the Ohio Oil Company and then became Marathon. Fred worked in the office building and was the inventor of V.E.P. oil. Because he worked for a company he was paid just one dollar for it.
He and Edith had many friends and were involved in church activities and socializing. Fred died from a heart attack after attending a Cleveland Browns football game in Cleveland with some of his friends from work. His team won and then while walking to the car he had his attack.
I barely remember him as a grandfather but my older siblings and cousin do and said he was very nice to them. He loved to take anyone fishing including his grandkids.
Contributor: Margaret Kuhlman (48607268) • [email protected]
Things calmed down a bit and in 1917, when he was 25 they had their second child, Joan, my mother. Fred got a new job out of state and two months later his wife Edith and the two daughters joined him. He was a superintendent for Buffalo Mining Company in Miami, Oklahoma. They moved to Sebastian, Arkansas.
In 1919 they moved to Keokuk, Iowa where he helped build the largest dam in the world (until China built a larger one in more recent times.) The next year they moved to St. Louis, Missouri. I'm not sure if this was the time but he took a correspondence course to learn about the oil business. In 1922 they had their last child, Herb. They were living in Roger's Arkansas at that time. In 1930 when Fred was 38 they moved to Chicago, Ill. My mother told many stories about living there in the time when Al Capone was busy killing competitor mobsters.
Around 1933 Fred started his own oil company. There were good days and bad days and in those years there were mobsters involved in the oil business too and they made it too risky for my grandfather to stay there so he looked elsewhere. In 1936 they moved to Findlay, Ohio and Fred started working for Linco oil which grew and grew into the Ohio Oil Company and then became Marathon. Fred worked in the office building and was the inventor of V.E.P. oil. Because he worked for a company he was paid just one dollar for it.
He and Edith had many friends and were involved in church activities and socializing. Fred died from a heart attack after attending a Cleveland Browns football game in Cleveland with some of his friends from work. His team won and then while walking to the car he had his attack.
I barely remember him as a grandfather but my older siblings and cousin do and said he was very nice to them. He loved to take anyone fishing including his grandkids.
Contributor: Margaret Kuhlman (48607268) • [email protected]
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