Alfred Welker

The above photo probably does not include Alfred but rather his oldest living son David Ephraim Welker, born in 1871, as well as Alfred's wife, Eliza Madsen Welker, born in 1849, their daughter, Amy Letitia Welker, born in 1875, and their son, Arthur Elijah Welker, born 1883. The photo was probably taken not long after Alfred passed away on Christmas Day in 1896. Young Arthur looks to be about 15-17 years old in this photo, and since he was born in 1883, it seems likely the date of the photo would have been 1898 or 1900, a few years after Alfred's death.

Alfred was the son of James Wilburn Welker and Anna Pugh Welker, born in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa, on July 22, 1847, a few years before his parents trekked to the Great Salt Lake Valley with thousands of other Mormon Pioneers. He was listed in the 1851 census for Pottawattamie County and was also listed in the 1850 U.S. Federal census as follows: James, 26, Anna, 33, Alfred, 3, Emaline, 2, Philenia, 1, and Martha Pugh, 66, who was Anna's mother.

The Welker family joined the Mormon Church in Ohio in the 1830's, and moved with other church members to Missouri, Illinois, and then Iowa before they migrated to the Great Salt Lake Valley. They traveled to Utah in the Isaac Stewart Mormon Pioneer company of 1852.

Living next door to James Wilburn Welker was his brother, Jacob Stoker Welker, 21, and their mother, Elizabeth Stoker Welker, 50, and James and Jacob's sisters, Mary, 18, and Rebecca, 15, and their youngest brother, Adam, 9. Living nearby was their brother, John Welker, (my 3rd great grandfather) and his wife, Roxana Mahala Dustin Welker, who were married in 1850 in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Their daughter, Roxana Louisa Welker, was born there in August, 1851, before the family departed for Utah. After they arrived in the the Great Salt Lake Valley, Roxana Louisa Welker married Eliza Madsen Welker's brother, Christian Madsen.

After living in Utah for a several years, in 1863 the church sent the Welker and Madsen families to help settle the Bloomington, Bear Lake County, Idaho, area. Alfred married Eliza Madsen in about 1869, and in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Bloomington, they were listed as follows: Alfred, 23, Eliza, 21, and their first son, Alfred Franklin Welker, who was 8 months old. Alfred was working as a farmer and his real estate was valued at $350 and his personal estate at $200. Sadly, their son, Alfred Franklin, passed away while still a baby.

Alfred and Eliza were still living in Bloomington during the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, and with them were their children David Ephram, 8, Amy Letitia, 5, and Jacob, 1 month old. Their son Jacob would also die as an infant, as did a daughter named Dorthea Annie, who died at the age of 6 weeks. Their 5th child, Arthur Elijah, was born 3 years later in 1883 before they left Idaho for Safford, Arizona, in September of that year.

When Alfred died on Christmas day in 1896 he was only 49 years, 5 months and 3 days old, per his headstone. Per his obituary his cause of death was malaria fever. Alfred was buried in the Safford City Cemetery, in Safford, Graham County, Arizona. Following is an obituary which is from Find A Grave.com:

Alfred Welker Dead. On Friday last Alfred Welker, of this place, died of malaria fever. Mr. Welker has been suffering with this disease for about four months and up to a week before his death was on the improve, but about that time he took a relapse and continually grew worse until his death as above stated. The funeral took place last Sunday at the Layton Meeting House, and the remains were interred in the Layton Cemetery.

Alfred was a pioneer in Graham county, having come here when it was a mesquite thicket, and when the Apache held full away, from Bear Lake County, Idaho. He has helped fight the battles of civilization, and his name will always stand as one who has made it possible for people to live in safety in this valley.

In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census for Graham County, Arizona, Alfred's widow, Eliza, 51 was living with her two remaining sons, David, 28, and Arthur, 17. Her daughter Amy had already married Henry Morgan Merrill on July 26, 1894, in Safford, Arizona. By 1900, Amy, 25, and Henry, 33, had two children, Morgan Clair Merrill, 2, and Amy Lucille Merrill, 9 months old, and they were living in San Jose, Arizona. They had already lost one child as an infant. Henry was working as a farmer.

By 1910, Amy, 35, and Henry, 43, had two more children, Zelma L., 7, and Arthur B., 5, and their two older children were Morgan, 12, and Lucille, 10. They had moved to York, Arizona, and Henry was still working as a farmer. In 1920, they had moved to Solomon, Arizona, and living with them were their two youngest children, Zelma, 17, and Ruth, 15. Henry was still working as a farmer. Eliza Madsen Welker passed away December 31, 1910, and was buried with her husband in the Safford City Cemetery.

Arthur Elijah Welker married Mary Belle Greenhalgh, and in 1910 was living with Mary and her family. They were listed in the census as Arthur, 27, Mary, 23, Joseph Greenhalgh, 50, Lucelia, 52, Robert, 32, Alma, 16, Lester, 13, Samuel, 11, and Dawaine, 6. Arthur was working as a barber. Arthur and Mary had one son, Alfred Melvin Welker, born in 1916. Sadly, Arthur passed away just ten years later on February 28, 1926, and was buried in the Safford City Cemetery. His wife, Mary married second Harry G. Thomas and third, John Michael Hanagan, but I don't know if she had any children with either of her other two husbands.

Alfred and Eliza Madsen Welker's son, David Ephram Welker, born in 1871, passed away July 6, 1915, and was also buried in the Safford Cemetery. I don't think he ever married, since his Arizona Death Certificate indicated he was single at the time of his death. He was only 43 years old when he died suddenly from syncope, with La Grippe being a contributory factor to his death. He was working as a farmer at the time of his death.

By 1930, Amy, 54, and Henry, 63, were living by themselves in Solomonville, Arizona, on River Road in a home they owned valued at $5,000 and they had a radio in their home. Henry was still farming but six years later, he passed away in 1936 in Solomonville, Graham County, Arizona.

In the 1940 U.S. Census for Tucson, Amy, a 65-year old widow, was living with her daughter Zelma Willoughby, 37, who had married Lloyd C. Willoughby. Zelma was single, so she must have divorced Lloyd or he had passed away. Lloyd was born in 1898, but his death date is unknown. Amy and Zelma were living in a home they owned valued at $2,500 located at 1122 Central Avenue, and Zelma was working as a stenographer for a soil conservation service company. Amy passed away November 12, 1963, in Safford, Arizona, and her daughter, Zelma, passed away eleven years later on May 5, 1974.