Afolona Madsen Austin

Afolona Madsen was born in 1878 or 1879 to Anton Peter Madsen and Elizabeth Mary Jane Nelson. Anton's parents, Jacob Christensen and Dorothea Christine Jensen, joined the Mormon Church in the 1850's in Denmark. After Jacob and his family came to America in 1857, he discontinued the use of the Danish patronymic naming system, and adopted the surname Madsen, since his father was Christen Madsen. Jacob and Dorothea sent another of their sons, Christian, to America in 1853 at the age of 9 years old with some friends of their family who were given $500 to care for Christian until his parents could join them in the new world. It took a while for Jacob and Dorothea to divest themselves of their worldly possessions in Denmark, but they finally arrived in America with their other children when Anton was about 6 years old. Anton's brother, Christian, married Roxana Louisa Welker in 1869. Her father John Welker's sister, Mary Catherine, married Thomas Billington Nelson and their daughter, Elizabeth Mary Jane Nelson, married Anton Peter Madsen March 15, 1870.

After arriving in America, the Madsen's lived in Utah for about six years, and then the LDS church sent them to settle the Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho area in 1863. Anton and Elizabeth Mary Jane were listed in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census in Bloomington, Rich County, Utah Territory (although it was later named Bear Lake County, Idaho), as follows: Anton Madsen, 19, and Jane Madsen, 16; Anton was working as a farmer, and his personal estate was valued at $200.00. In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census for Bloomington, Bear Lake County, Idaho, they were listed as follows with their four children: Anton, 29, E.M. Jane, 26, Mary Jane, 9, Samantha, 6, Leah, 3, and Afalona, who was one year old.

Nineteen years later, their daughter, Afolona, married Theodore Hugh Austin on October 5, 1899, in Bear Lake County, Idaho. Prior to that, in the 1880 U.S. Census, Theodore had been living with his parents and siblings in the area of Cottonwood and Dingle Dell, Bear Lake County, Idaho. They were listed in the census record there as: Newton Austin, 37, Sarah J., 39, Newton, 12, Augustus E., 10, Martha, 8, Theodore Hugh, 6, James, 4, Leon B., 2, and John C., 9 months old. Theodore's father, Newton, was working as a rancher.

I could not find Afolona or Theodore in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, but they may have been living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, because they were listed in the 1901 census for Canada, and Theodore, 26, and Afolona, 22, had a son, Madsen Hugh, who was 8 months old at the time, however, he was born in the USA. Why they were living in Canada then is unknown, however, it may have been because Theodore's, parents, Newton and Sarah Jane Wilcox Austin, and their family moved to Cardston, Alberta, Canada, in 1898. Later, Newton and Sarah Austin moved to Kalispell, Flathead, Montana in about 1916. Newton passed away in Kila, Montana in 1922. After his death, Sarah moved to New York City to live with her daughter, Quina. Sarah died there but was buried in Salt Lake City, Utah, next to her husband in an unmarked grave.

By 1910, Theodore, 34, and Afolona, 31, were living in Garden City, Rich County, Utah, and were listed in the census with their children, Madsen Hugh, 9, Leah Jean., 8, Naomi Ella, 5, and Monroe, 3. Theodore was working as a "horse dealer", and they owned their own home free from a mortgage.

Afolona's mother, Elizabeth Mary Jane Nelson Madsen, born February 19, 1854, in Willard, Box Elder, Utah, passed away on February 18, 1913, in Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho. Although Bloomington, Idaho, and Garden City, Utah, are only 17 miles apart, I would imagine that Elizabeth was not able to see her grandchildren, Madsen Hugh, Leah Jean, Ella Naomi, and Monroe, very frequently when they were living in Garden City in 1910. Elizabeth was buried in the Bloomington Cemetery.

When Theodore Hugh Austin completed his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card on September 12, 1918, at the Local Board for the County of Twin Falls, Idaho, he described himself as being tall with a medium build, blue eyes, and light brown hair. He was 44 years old at the time, having been born June 14, 1874, and was working as a farmer for himself, living in Twin Falls, Idaho, with his wife, Afolona, although he spelled her name Aflona on his draft registration card. He also spelled his middle name Hue not Hugh.

When their son, Madsen Hugh, completed his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card also on September 12, 1918, at the Division No. 1 Draft Board located at 300 Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, he described himself as being short with a medium build, blue eyes and light colored hair. He was 18 years old, born July 12, 1900, and was living at 664 South 4th East, Salt Lake City, Utah. He was working as an oil house man for the Western Pacific Refueling Company, located at 302 South Main in Salt Lake City, Utah. He listed his mother, Mrs. Afolona Austin, as his nearest relative, who he indicated was living at the same address as he was on South 4th East in Salt Lake City.

I don't know why Theodore Hugh Austin's draft card indicated he was living in Twin Falls, Idaho, with his wife, Afolona, on September 12, 1918, and their son Madsen Hugh Austin's draft card indicated he was living with his mother, Afolona, at the 664 South 4th East address in Salt Lake City on the same date. But obviously, his mother could not have been living in two places at the same time.

In the 1920 U.S. Federal Census for Twin Falls, Idaho, Theodore, 45, and Afolona, 41, and their family were listed as follows: Theodore, 45, Ethel, 46, Madsen H., 20, Leah J., 19, Ella L., 15, Monroe, 13, Ezra F., 8, and David D., 6. They were living on Eighth Avenue East. Why Afolona was listed as Ethel in the census is unknown, but perhaps her middle name was Ethel. Also, her age was wrong based upon her birth year being 1878 or 1879. Perhaps the census taker just made a mistake with her information. Theodore was working as a teamster with his own team.

Afolona's father, Anton, passed away at the age of 71 years old on April 19, 1924, in Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho. He had been born in Rostrop, Aalborg, Denmark on June 16, 1851. He was buried in the Bloomington Cemetery with his wife, Elizabeth.

Theodore and Afolona's daughter, Ella, at the age of 17, had married Raymond F. Koch, 19, on October 5, 1922, in Twin Falls, Idaho. Raymond and his parents were born in Texas. By 1930, Ella and Raymond were renting a home for $35.00 per month at 4219 Randolph Street in Huntington Park, California, and were listed in the census record as follows: Raymond C. Koch, 26, Ella N., 25, and children: Peggy C., 5 years 3 months old, and Laura N., 2 years 1 month old. Raymond was working as a receiving clerk for a transportation company..

Madsen Hugh Austin married Helen Mae Harrington in Twin Falls, Idaho, March 16, 1922. Sadly, just three years later on July 22, 1925, Madsen Hugh Austin passed away in Los Angeles County, California, at the very young age of 25 years old. I don't know if Madsen and Helen had any children before he passed away, and I could find no public records for Helen Mae Harrington Austin after their marriage record. I wonder if he was living in Los Angeles at the time because his sister Ella and her husband were already living there.

A 1929 U.S. City Directory showed that Theodore and Afolona Austin were living at 730 Richards Street in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Theodore was working as a machinist. I'm not sure how long after that they left Utah and headed for California, but by 1930 they were already living there.

In the 1930 census, Theodore,56, Afolona, 50, and their son, David, 16, were living at 5415 Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park, Los Angeles, County, in a home which they were renting for $30.00 per month. Theodore was working as the proprietor of a grocery store. They had previously been living in Idaho, but it appears that David was born in Wyoming, so they must have been in Wyoming some time around 1913 before returning to Utah and then moving to California.

Their address in Huntington Park was about five miles from where my great grandmother, grandmother, and mother were living at 6715 Victoria Street in Los Angeles in 1930. I wonder if Afolona visited her cousin, Dortha Roxana Madsen Rollins McKinney (my great grandmother) when they were living in Los Angeles, or if they even knew each other. When Anton Peter Madsen's brother, Christian, and his wife, Roxana Louisa Welker Madsen, and their family left Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho, in 1883 to move to Safford, Arizona, their daughter, Dortha Roxana Madsen, was only 14 years old, and her cousin, Afolona was only about 5 or 6 years old, so they may not have been close or even known each other very well because of their 8 or 9 year age difference.

As a result of Dortha moving to Arizona in 1883, she may not have even known that Afolona had moved from Idaho to Los Angeles. After living in Arizona for over 20 years, Dortha moved to Bakersfield, California, by 1920, and she moved to Los Angeles in about 1924, so she might not have known Afolona was living nearby at the time. By 1940, Dortha was living with her daughter and son-in-law in Santa Susana in the Simi Valley of Southern California, which is about 55 miles from where Theodore and Afolona were living in El Monte, California during 1940.

In the 1940 census Theodore, 65, Afolona, 60, and their son, Frank, 29, were living at 1920 N. Cogswell Road, El Monte, with their daughter, Ella, 35, and her husband, Raymond Koch, 36, and their daughter, Peggy, 15. Ray and Ella's other daughter, Laura, must have passed away, because she was not listed in this census, and would have been only about 12 years old in 1940, based on her age in the 1930 census. According to this census record, Theodore and Afolona had previously been living in Forbestown, Butte County, California, in the year 1935, which is in the northern part of the state of California. Ray and Ella had previously been living in Los Angeles in 1935.

Raymond Koch owned his own home which was valued at $4,000, and he was working as a dispatcher for a freight trucking company. His income for 1939 was $1,920.00 for the 52 weeks he worked that year at 48 hours per week that year. Afolona had been working for 20 weeks as a governess in 1939 and for the 50 hours per week she worked that year her income was $125.00. Her son Frank was working as a foreman for a barrel manufacturer, and his income was $1,300.00 for the 52 weeks he worked in 1939.

A U.S. Public Records Index listing showed that Ella N. Koch was living at 23701 South Western Avenue, Space 23, in Torrance, California, but no year was given in this record. An Idaho Birth Index record for Ella gives her name as Naomi Ella Austin, born October 14, 1904, in Taylor, Bingham, Idaho, to parents Theodore Hue Austin, 30, and mother, Afolona Madsen, 25 years old. I wonder what year she was living in Torrance, California.

Sadly, just 5 years later, Afolona passed away on July 15, 1945, in Los Angeles County, California. The California Death Index shows that she was born April 6, 1878, not 1879. Her husband Theodore passed away February 5, 1953, at the age of 78 while living in Yakima City, Washington.

Theodore may have moved to Washington with one of his sons after the death of his wife, Afolona. His son, Monroe, was found in a Washington State death index record showing he passed away on October 5, 1976, in Yakima City, Washington. Theodore and Afolona's son, Francis Ezra or Frank, passed away at the age of 65 in Yakima City, Washington, just three months later on January 6, 1977. Frank was born April 21, 1911.

Theodore and Afolona's son David DeWitt Austin, passed away while living in Los Angeles County, California, May 5, 1982. He had been born in Wyoming, June 6, 1914. Their daughter, Ella Naomi Austin Koch, passed away March 16, 1986, while living in Orange County, California, and a U.S. Social Security Death Index record for Ella Koch indicated that her last residence was in Newport Beach, California.

Their daughter, Leah Jean Austin, was married March 20, 1920, to Paul Bandy, in Twin Falls, Idaho, but I found no additional public records for her after their 1920 marriage record.

Sadly, this is all I know about my first cousin thrice removed, Afolona Madsen.

GEDCOM Note

Seal to Parents: @I151@

GEDCOM Source

FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org) "FamilySearch," database, \i FamilySearch\i0   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (http://www.familysearch.org) Y Y accessed 30 Jun 2017), entry for Afolona Madsen, person ID KWJZ-H7Y. 3

GEDCOM Source

FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org) "FamilySearch," database, \i FamilySearch\i0   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (http://www.familysearch.org) Y Y accessed 30 Jun 2017), entry for Afolona Madsen, person ID KWJZ-H7Y. 3

GEDCOM Source

FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org) "FamilySearch," database, \i FamilySearch\i0   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (http://www.familysearch.org) Y Y accessed 30 Jun 2017), entry for Afolona Madsen, person ID KWJZ-H7Y. 3