(MRS. VICTOR) DOROTHY GODFREY

    My father, P. H. (Bogue) Weidman was born five miles south of Red Oak, Iowa, on one of the first homesteads taken in Montgomery Co. He was born Dec. 14, 1880 - deceased Jan. 30, 1953.  He was the sixth son in a family of eleven; seven sons and four daughters. My mother, Allie Florence Davis was born in Benton Co., Mo., Sept. 21, 1884  deceased Sept 14, 1977. Both are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Red Oak, Iowa.

    Grandpa Weidman and Grandpa Davis had a joint interest in Benton Co., Mo., called "The Ranch". My parents met there and were married Oct 25, 1903.

    I was born at The Ranch, July 3, 1905. When I was about three years old we came to Iowa and lived on the Weidman homestead. My brother Dean and sister Myrle were born there, also a sister Nina, who lived only nineteen days. Brother Lloyd was born later at Alvo, Nebr., where we lived three years while papa operated a general store. Papa and most of his brothers were not cut out to be farmers, but because that was the family occupation they were expected to be farmers, and aptitude tests were unknown.

   Papa tried farming, merchant and carpentry. His greatest love was working with wood. When I remember the penmanship pictures and carvings he did, I am sorry so few were preserved. We moved to Elliott from Alvo, Nebr. the summer of 1918.

    I graduated from Elliott High School in May 1921 and married Victor Godfrey Sept 6, 1924. Vic was born Dec 9, 1901 in Waveland Twp., Pott. Co., Iowa; and died Aug 29, 1976 at Red Oak, Iowa, and is buried in Hillside Cemetery, Elliott. His parents were Franklin Godfrey, born Nov. 10, 1877 in Wav. Twp., Pott. Co., deceased Nov 22, 1971 at the Murphy Memorial Hospital in Red Oak. Mother Maggie Ellen Brown, born at Indianola, Iowa April 1, 1878, and did on Nov., 5, 1948 at their home in Elliott. Vic's parents, brother Harold and maternal grandfather are buried in Wav. Twp. Cemetery. Vic's brother Harold was born in Wav. Twp., Dec 2, 1903, deceased Sept. 28, 1978 at the Good Samaritan Care Center in Red Oak, Iowa. Vic's father too was a square peg in a round hole. He would have been much happier as a chemist.

   To us were born three daughters; Elzene and Ilene, Dec. 10, 1926 and Eleanor, March 28, 1930. We farmed one year east of Grant and then moved to a Godfrey farm five miles west, 2 3/4 miles north of Elliott, where the twins were born. After the crash of 1929 we sold our farming and household equipment, expecting to go to California. We waited for Eleanor's birth and decided to stay in Iowa. We rode out the "Great Depression", Vic doing whatever he could and came through with an old truck which he built up into a four truck grain and livestock hauling business. We owned and operated the general store, now known as Gord's Grocery, from July 4, 1949 until March 1955. After recovering from a severe heart attack Vic decided to try the real estate business, and together we took the Iowa broker's test and worked in that as long as he lived. I still have my license. I have been bookkeeper, answering service and salesman these many years for our own business and also operated my own income tax service for twelve years.

    Our daughters are: Mrs. J. S (Elzene) Mitchell, Decatur, Ga., with three daughters and one grandson; Mrs. J. E. (Ilene) Gladson, Miami, Florida, with a son and daughter and two granddaughters; and Mrs. L. D. (Eleanor) Carlisle, Bellevue, Washington with three sons, (one deceased), two daughters and one granddaughter.

    Many are the tales of the depression. It left an indelible print upon those of us old enough to be responsible for a family. Most of us are hoarders. Waste tears us apart. Every family could write a book of it's experiences.