James H Ford / Maria Scott Ward

INDEX

[211] James H Ford was a veterinarian. Family legend has it that he was killed
when an unruly horse kicked him in the head. This occured in northern Iowa
in the Clarion-Wesley vicinity. Most of the children are recorded as having
been born in the Wesley, IA area. (NOTE: Census records show Charlotte as
Lottie E and Della as Adella) James Ford once owned the W 1/2 of the NE 1/4
of Section 22, Township 96 North, Range 27 West in Wesley township. This may
have been his original Homestead when he came to Iowa in 1869.

[170] Maria Scott Ward had a club hand, ie; no fingers, but only
stubs or buttons. Yet, she became an accomplished
seamstress and mother. She could manipulate the hand and
buttons to knit and sew and was a renowned seamstress. She
must have been a dynamic person from the descriptions others
gave of her years later. Maria visited her daughter
Charlotte Ford Simianer in the spring of 1913, at which time
she became ill, had an apparent cerebral hemhorrage, suffered
paralysis and passed away a few weeks later
The record shows that the Ford Brothers and William
Simianer purchased a burial plot in Grandview Cemetery where
she was buried. A hand carved granite stone marks her
grave. It was hauled out of the Rocky Mountains and hand
carved by William Simianer. Later the child of Roscoe and
Etta Welshans, Charlotte and William were all buried beside
her. (information provided by Carl Simianer grandson of
Maria Scott Ward).

[213] Adella Ford married a man named Falk. They had children but how many there
were or what their nemes are is unknown. She migrated to the Boise, Idaho
and her sister Charlotte made a trip to Boise to see her shortly after their
mother Maria Scott Ford passed away in 1913 (info by Carl Simianer)

[212] Ezra Ford (nicknamed "Jack"), married and had one child
named Helen, From the stories that I heard, Jack was a
vagabond and ne'er do well. I never heard of him having a
steady job. He did farm work on a day to day basis. Just
enough to keep a little money. We would come and go to
relative's" homes, arriving unannounced and leaving the same
way. He worked a spell with his nephew Francis Simianer.
Francis had a contract to haul gravel for an irrigation
company near Ft Collins, Colorado. They hauled the gravel
in belly dump wagons, each drawn by a four-horse team. They
got the gravel out of the bottom of Eaton ditch, where it
came out of the Cache La Poudre river, loading it by hand.
It was 5 miles to the job site. They hauled about 150
loads, making a and 1/2 trips per day. Jack was reputed to
be a good worker, when he worked.
One day in 1927 he vanished. No one knows where he went.
Several months later, the Sheriff at Grand Lake sent an
inquiry thru the Sheriff's Office at Fort Collins, looking
for the kin of one Jack Ford who had died there. In the
inquiry it was stated that the name William Simianer was
found on Jack's person. When the inquiry reached William
Simianer, he denied knowing anything about an Ezra "Jack"
Ford. William stated to his family that Jack never amounted
to anything and that we are not about to pay his burial
expenses. (Information quoted from Carl Simianer of 6251
Collins Way, Anchorage, Alaska 99502).

[214] Willard Ford married Rhoda Wickwire. They had an adopted
daughter named Irene. Willard was a dignified and
impressive looking man. He was of substance, as they say.
He lived for many years in Ottumwa, Iowa. The last 20
years that he worked it was a stationary boiler tender at the
hospital at Ottumwa. They owned their own home, which, as I
remember it, was a very nice home filled with antique
furniture. As I remember, he was a pillar of the family,
called upon when anyone was in distress. During the trip
that William and Harry Simianer took to attend Arthur's
funeral they drove to Ottumwa to visit Willard. He was ill
at that time and passed away soon thereafter. (From an
account by Carl Simianer, 6251 Collins Way, Anchorage, Alaska
99502 Feb 1, 1993)

[215] Arthur "Sock" Ford lived his entire live in Iowa. At Christmas time in 1934
word arrived at Ft Collins, CO, thru Blanche Ford, that "Sock" had passed
passed away. Wm Simianer, his wife Charlotte, their daughter Della Mae and
granddaughter Charlotte, along with the Harry Simianer family drove to
Des Moines for the funeral. "Sock" was buried in a cemetery in Des Moines
Iowa. This is all that is known about Arthur "Sock" Ford. (information
supplied by Carl Simianer)

[216] Charlotte Ford Welshans Simianer Married a man by the name
of James Welshans. They had a son named Roscoe. Shortly
thereafter they divorced.
Charlotte then married William H Simianer and they had 4
children: William H "Harry" Simianer, Francis, Beatrice,
Maria and Della Mae "Kitty".
They lived for a time at Ottumwa, Iowa where Harry and
Francis were born. In 1901 they moved to Denver, Colorado.
There they met a man named Jack Collamer who told them there
was a lot of work at Fort Collins. Jack had a team and
wagon going back to Fort Collins empty. He offered to haul
the family and their belongings and that is how they came to
Fort Collins. Charlotte suddenly fell ill in the spring of
1935 and passed away on the 21st of April in that year. She
was buried in the Grand View Cemetery at Ft Collins,
Colorado. (From information provided by Carl Simianer, 6251
Collins Way, Anchorage, Alaska 99502).

[217] George Ford's wife was named Ida. I do not know her
maiden name. They had two children, both boys. One was
named Hester and I cannot remember the other's name. They
lived near Omaha, Nebraska, near Bellvue. There are several
pictures in the family of George with William Simianer, some
with their wives. These pictures were obviously taken over
a period of years. I think that George and William Simianer
were pretty good friends. I do know that in June of 1913
when mother Maria Ward Ford passed away in William and
Charlotte's home at Fort Collins, Colorado, that George and
Ida were also there. Maria had come to Cheyenne, Wyoming to
visit her youngest son Harvey. She became ill, having
suffered a cerebral hemhorrage and was moved to Charlotte's
home at Fort Collins. They took her by train. I know that
George and Ida both passed away at Bellvue, Nebraska (From
information provided by Carl Simianer, 6251 Collins Way,
Anchorage, Alaska 99502).

[218] Harvey Ford, Harve, as he was called, married Blanche Loy
in Ottumwa, Iowa. Blanche was a local girl. They had no
children.
Harve was a diminutive fellow, measuring 5 ft 1 or 2
inches and weighing about 95 pounds. In his youth he had
been a jockey. He ran away with the circus as a kid. He
performed as a clown and wire walker. The slack wire was
his preference. Harve liked to "nip the berry" and Blanche
spent a lifetime trying to reform him. After he matured he
was a painter and a paper hanger and a good one. He was very
agile and could climb ladders and work on scaffolds with
great ease.
The Simianers were also painters and paper hangers.
Uncle Harve came to Colorado several summers in a row to work
with Francis Simianer. Both Harve and Blanche were delightful
people and we were always glad to see them come to Colorado.
Harve passed away about 1951 in Des Moines, Iowa. Blanche
survived for about 10 years. They are both buried in
Des Moines.

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