Sylvia Elizabeth Elledge

OBITUARY FOR SYLVIA ELIZABETH MADSEN ELLEDGE

The Arizona Republic for February, 14, 1960: Sylvia Elizabeth Madsen Elledge, pioneer Arizonan who was brought to the state by her parents in a covered wagon died yesterday. She was a member of the Christian Madsen family which settled in the Gila Valley in 1883. She was 2 when her parents arrived from Bloomington, Bear Lake County, Idaho. Elledge spent more than a half century in the Gila Valley and Safford. She moved to Phoenix 17 years ago. She is survived by a daughter, Kay Elledge. Funeral services will be held at 10 AM on Tuesday in the Colonial Mortuary. Bishop Dent Coombs will be responsible for the services. Friends may call at the funeral home.

In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census for Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho, Sylvia's parents and siblings were listed as follows: Christian Madsen, 35, Louisa Madsen, 27, Dortha, 11, John, 9, Ezra, 7, Musette, 5, and Alberta, 1 year old. The following year, on December 21, 1881, Sylvia was born into this family. Two years later in September of 1883, the family moved from Bloomington, Idaho, to Safford, Arizona. Sylvia's older sister, Dortha, wrote about their trip in a diary she started in about 1937 when she was nearly 70 years old.

In the 1900 census Christian, 55, Roxana, 48, Louisa Albertina, (Aunt Bertie), 21, Sylvia Elizabeth, 18, and their younger brother, Royal Eller Madsen, 14, were living in Safford, Arizona, and Christian owned a livery stable. They owned their farm free from a mortgage. They had given birth to three other children who did not survive childhood, Zina Albertina Madsen, who was born while the family was still living in Bloomington, Idaho, in 1877, Wilford Delbert, who was born in February, 1884, and died October, 1884, and Rosa May, who was born the day before Christmas in 1889, and died in July the following year, 1890.

Sylvia's oldest sister, Dortha Roxana Madsen, had married John Henry Rollins, Jr., in Safford, Arizona, in 1885, and they had a daughter, Dorthea Evelyn, in 1886, and a son, John Delbert Rollins in 1888. John Henry Rollins, Jr., was the son of John Henry Rollins, Sr., and Nancy Malinda West Rollins. Both of their families were early converts to the LDS Church in the 1830's in Ohio and Tennessee. Sadly, Dortha's husband John Henry, was killed in a tragic accident when he fell from a wagon in which he was riding, and his head was crushed by the wagon wheels. John Henry died on Christmas day in 1889.

Eight years later in 1897, Dortha married an Arizona Sheriff, Joseph Thomas McKinney, and they had four more children, Daniel Carroll McKinney, in 1898, Thelma Josephine McKinney Riess, in 1899, Joseph Madsen McKinney, in 1901, (who died before his 3rd birthday), and Gladys Violet McKinney Beals, who was born in 1904, about 2 weeks before her brother, Joseph died. In the 1900 census, Dortha was living with Joe McKinney in Cochise, Arizona, and living with them were Dortha's two children with John Henry Rollins, Dorthea Evelyn Rollins, 14, and her brother, John Delbert Rollins, 12, and Dortha and Joe's children, Dan Carroll McKinney, 2, and his sister, Thelma Josephine McKinney, 1 year old.

Sylvia married George Moyers Elledge April 3, 1907, and they had two children, a son, George Madsen Elledge, born in 1908, who died just over a year later on February 18, 1909, and was buried in the Safford City Cemetery, and a daughter, Kaye Aileen, born in 1911. By the 1910 U.S. Federal Census for Safford, Graham County, Arizona, George, 26, and Sylvia, 27, had been married for three years and George was working as a liveryman at his own stable. He may have been partners with Sylvia's father, Christian Madsen, who owned a livery stable in Safford for a number of years. George and Sylvia's daughter, Kaye Aileen Elledge, was born July 27, 1911, in Safford, Arizona.

In 1910, Christian, 65, and Roxana, 58, were still living in Safford, with their son, Royal Eller, 24, who was listed as Roy, and daughter, Louisa Albertina (Aunt Bertie), 30, and Roxana's father, John Welker, an 84-year old widower, his wife, Roxana Mahala Dustin Welker, having passed away six years earlier in 1904. Christian and Roxana had been married for 42 years and had given birth to 10 children, 7 of whom were still living. At one time, Christian and Roxana had also managed the Groesbeck Hotel in Safford, and transported people to and from the train station and the hotel via their livery stable teams and teamsters.

The census record stated that Christian Madsen came to America in 1854, which was actually probably in 1853 when he was 9 years old. For some reason, his parents sent him to America from Denmark with friends of the family who were given $500 to care for Christian in the new world while his parents sold all their worldly belongings after having joined the LDS Church. They needed the money from the sale of their property to be able to bring the rest of their family to America, which included the mother and father and several brothers and sisters. Christian's parents, Jacob and Dorothea, were not able to come to America until about 1857, and their last child, Jacob, was born in Utah in 1860.

In 1910, Christian still owned his livery stable and his son Roy was working there as a teamster, and living with them were Christian's wife, Roxana, and her father, John Welker, who had his own income. Living next door was Christians' sister, Eliza Madsen Welker, a 60-year old widow, and her son, David, 38, a salesman in a retail liquor store. Eliza's husband, Alfred Welker, a cousin of Christian's wife, Roxana Louisa Welker Madsen, had passed away in 1896. Eliza and Alfred had given birth to seven children, only three of whom were still living at the time, including David, and his sister, Amy Letetia, and brother Arthur Elijah, who had started their own families and were living with their spouses at the time. Eliza and Alfred's first son, Alfred Franklin, had been born in 1869 and died in 1871. A daughter, Dorthea Annie, was born and died in 1877, and another son, James Jacob Welker, born in 1880, died in 1882.

Another of Christian's sisters, Inger Marie Madsen, also married a Welker, James Albert Welker. He was the son of James Wilburn Welker, the brother of John Welker, Roxana Louisa Welker Madsen's father. Christian's brother, Anton Peter Madsen, married Elizabeth Mary Jane Nelson, who was the daughter of Mary Catherine Welker and her husband, Thomas Billington Nelson. Mary Catherine Welker was the sister of both John Welker and James Wilburn Welker. So there were a lot of connections between the Madsen and Welker families, both Mormon Pioneer families..

Three years later, on June 1, 1913, Roxana Louisa Welker Madsen's father, John Welker, passed away at the age of 87 years old, and was buried with his wife, Roxana Mahala Dustin Welker, in the Safford City Cemetery. He had lived through a lot in those years, including seeing the Prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr., and his brother Hyrum killed at the Carthage Jail in Illinois on June 27, 1844. John lived to see the age of the automobile and the telephone, and according to his daughter, Dortha, he did not think much of the automobile. He was more of a horse man than a car man! He didn't think autos would last, that they would scare too many people.

Just five years after her grandfather, John Welker's death, Sylvia's mother, Roxana Louisa Welker Madsen, passed away at the age of only 66, on January 26, 1918, in Safford, Arizona, and was buried in the city cemetery there. Later that year, when Sylvia's husband, George, completed his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card on September 12, 1918, in Globe, Gila County, Arizona, he described himself as being tall with a medium build, brown eyes and black hair. He was 35 years old, living in Miami, Gila County, Arizona, with his wife, Sylvia, and was working as a crane operator for the International Smelter Company. His address was Box 1473, Miami, Gila, Arizona.

In 1920, George and Sylvia were living in Miami, Gila, Arizona, and he was working as a motorman in a smelter. George, 35, and Sylvia, 36, and Aileen, 8, owned their own home but had a mortgage. They were still living in Miami in 1930, in a home they owned located at 15 Hill Street. The value of their home was $2,000 and they had a radio in their home. George was working as a converter foreman in the smelter. George, 46, and Sylvia, 45, had been married for 24 years. Their daughter, Aileen, 18, was still living at home, was single, and not working, since she was probably still in school.

In the 1920 census, Sylvia's father, Christian Madsen, 75, was living with two of his children, Royal Eller, 34, and Louisa Alberta (Bertie), 40, and her husband, William Branch, 38, on Thatcher Road in Safford, Arizona. Christian was no longer working, Royal, listed as Roy, who was working as a laborer, and William was working as a cowboy on a stock ranch.

Sylvia's father, Christian Madsen, passed away at the age of 77 on March 9, 1921, in Safford, and was buried with his wife in the Safford City Cemetery. Ten years later, Sylvia's brother, Royal Eller Madsen died in 1931 at the fairly young age of 46 years old. He was also buried in the Safford cemetery in the Old Layton Section on the North End of the cemetery. His death was due to a suicide in which he shot himself in the temple with a .45 pistol.

In the 1940 census George, 56, and Sylvia, 57, were living in Greenlee, Arizona, and were the owners of a chicken farm. Their daughter Aileen was no longer living at home, since she had moved to California around 1935, and in 1940 was living in Phoenix, Arizona. George and Sylvia owned their own home, and they both had one year of their high school education. Sadly, just 3 years later, George Moyers Elledge passed away from pneumonia and diabetes at the young age of just 59 years old.

In the 1940 census for Phoenix, Arizona, George and Sylvia's daughter, Kaye Aileen Elledge, was 28, and living as a lodger in a home located at 509 First Street, which was owned by a Mr. Erwin H. Karz, 35. There were four other lodgers living in his home, Alhert D. Ashby, 35, Grace Ashby, 32, Josephine Wykoff, 33, a divorced woman, and Paul Van Kassenhove, 27, also divorced. Mr. Karz was from Russia, Mr. Ashby from Kansas, Mrs. Ashby from New York, Aileen from Arizona, Josephine from Colorado, and Paul from Michigan.

Previously, in 1935, Kaye Aileen Elledge had been living in Hollywood, California. She had a 4 year college education, and was working as a stenographer in an office. For the 24 weeks she worked at 35 hours per week in 1939, her income was $600. Josephine was working as a nurse for a private family and for the 52 weeks she worked in 1939, her income was $1260. Paul was working as a chauffeur for a private family and his income for the 52 weeks he worked in 1939 was $1,500. The owner of the home, Mr. Karz was an attorney in private practice, Mr. Ashby was a merchant and Mrs. Ashby was her husband's helper.

Sylvia Elizabeth Madsen Elledge passed away on February, 13, 1960. She was buried with her husband and son in the Safford City Cemetery. Their daughter, Kay Eileen Elledge passed away seventeen years later on February 9, 1977, in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, and was buried in the Safford Cemetery there. She never married nor had any children, and some people in the family indicated that Kay was a lesbian and may have been in a loving relationship with a woman, but I don't know her name. Perhaps she was the woman, Josephine, who Kaye had lived with in 1940 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sylvia's brother, John Christian Madsen married Caroline Perkins, and they had six children, John Wilford Madsen in 1894, Carl Edward Madsen in 1896, Joseph Abraham Madsen in July of 1898, who died in July of 1899, Louisa Elizabeth Madsen in 1901, Glenna Melba Madsen in 1904, and Dorothy Ulah Madsen McMorrow in 1912. Her brother Jacob Ezra, married Mary Ella Owens, and he and his wife owned and ran a shoe store in Safford, but they never had any children.

Sylvia's sister, Aseneath Musette Madsen, married Hyrum Smith Bingham and had two children, Hyrum Glen in 1897, and Fern Catherine Bingham Milardovich in 1913, who died in 1945 from childbirth. Fern's baby daughter, JoAnn, also died and was buried with her. Musette's husband, Hyrum, died in 1951, her son, Hyrum Glenn in 1955, and Musette herself died in 1956.

Sylvia's sister Louisa Albertina, (Bertie) married William Branch, but they never had any children. Louisa Albertina was born in 1879 and died in 1962. Her husband, William Lyman Branch, born in 1881, died in 1958.

Most of he remainder of the Madsen family lived in Arizona for the rest of their lives, except for Dortha, who moved to Bakersfield, California, sometime between 1910 and 1920, when she separated from her second husband Mr. McKinney. She was listed in the 1920 census living there with her children, Dan, Thelma, and Gladys, along with a niece, Louyre Rollins Rosenbloom, and Louyre's 2 year old son. Louyre was the daughter of one of Dortha's first husbamd, John Henry Rollins' brothers. Louyre's husband had died before their son was 2 years old, and she later moved to San Diego and married again.

Dortha, moved to Los Angeles in about 1924. He son, John Delbert had worked for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in California from as early as 1917, when he was living in Needles, California. He also worked for them when they lived in Bakersfield, and he later moved to Riverside, California, and passed away there in 1967. He was married three times but never had any children.

Dortha passed away in 1953, while living with her daughter, Thelma and her husband Steve, in Santa Susanna in the Simi Valley of Los Angeles County. Dorttha was buried in the Safford City Cemetery with her parents. Her daughter, Dorthea Evelyn, married Stephen James Eubank, in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1909, and they had three children, Frances Amelia Eubank Smith, in 1911 in San Diego, Elsie Louise Eubank Koegler, in 1913 in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, and James Rollins Eubank, in 1915 in Seattle, Washington.

Dortha's first daughter, Dorthea Evelyn Rollins Eubank passed away in April of 1956, and was buried in the Safford City Cemetery. Evelyn's daughter, Elsie Louise passed away in 1992 while living in Wofford Heights, California, her daughter Frances Amelia, passed away in 1995 in Toms River, New Jersey, while living in North Hanover, NJ, with her daughter, Della Dale Smith-Pistelli, and Evelyn's son, James Rollins Eubank, died in March of 2003, while living in Oceanside, California, from a massive stroke, at the age of 88 years old.

Frances married Halley Dale Smith in 1932 in Yuma, Arizona, and had one daughter, Della Dale, in June of 1951, in Lynwood, California. Louise married Alfred John Koegler in 1936, and they had two sons, Alfred John Koegler, Jr., in 1938 and James Rollins Koegler in 1945, both in Los Angeles. James Rollins Eubank married Vera Pauline Hulse and they had two sons, Robert Glenn Eubank born in 1946 in Hollywood, California, and Jerald Charles Eubank, born in 1951, in Los Angeles.

Vera still lives in Oceanside, California, Bob lives in Encinitas, California, and Jerry lives with his wife, Susan Walsh Eubank, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Alfred John Koegler lives in Montana, and his brother, James Rollins Koegler, died in 2009 from a heart attack. Della Dale Smith married Daniel Hugo Pistelli of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and they have lived in Brenham, Texas, since 2005. Bob and his wife, Weihong Zhou Eubank, had two children, Meili Vera Eubank in 1993, and Tai James Eubank in 1996. Meili lives in New York City and works for Goldman Sachs and Tai will be at the Naval Academy starting in 2016, graduating in 2020.

Dortha's daughter, Thelma Josephine McKinney Riess, married Stephen Riess, a geologist from Germany, and they lived in California for most of the rest of their lives. Thelma 's husband, Steve, born in 1898, died in 1985, while living in Oceanside. After that, Thelma moved to Mesa, Arizona to live with her sister, Gladys Violet McKinney Beals, and she passed away there and was buried in Safford City Cemetery with the rest of her family. Thelma and Steve never had any children of their own, although did have an adopted daughter for a brief time, but it didn't work out and the child was returned to the orphanage.

Dortha's two other children, Dan Carroll McKinney and Gladys Violet McKinney Beals, also lived most of their lives in Arizona, briefly in California, and then passed away in Arizona, Dan in 1969 and Gladys in 1992. Dan had three children with two wives, Dan Carroll, Jr., in 1926, (still living, I think), JoAnn Elizabeth, in 1929, who died in 2003, and Thelma Rose McKinney Case, in 1940, who died of cancer in 1972. Gladys had two children with her husband, John Beals, Colin in 1928 and Cheryl in 1932, who are still living. Collin had three children, John, Sheri and Kristi, who are all still living. Cheryl had three children, Diane in 1951, a son, Dana in 1953, and Alan in 1956. Diane is still living in Arizona, and Dana is living in Mexico. Alan passed away in 2012 from liver cancer.

Sylvia's brothers, John Christian and Jacob Ezra also passed away in Arizona and were buried there in the Safford City Cemetery, John in 1952 and Jacob in 1935. Jacob's wife, Mary Ella, died in 1949, and John's wife, Caroline, in 1960, and they are also buried in the city cemetery in Safford. John and Caroline's children, John Wilford, died in North Dakota in 1962, Carl Edward in Los Angeles in 1952, Joseph Abraham in Arizona in 1898 as a baby before his first birthday, Glenna Melba, in Patagonia, Arizona, in 1925, (due to suicide by a .22 rifle shot to the temple), Dorothy in 1990 (in Hawaii), but I'm not sure when John and Caroline's daughter, Louisa Elizabeth Madsen died. She was born in 1901, and in the 1940 census she was working as a nurse and still living with her parents. Dorothy, who had also trained as a nurse, married Bernard J. McMorrow, born in Boston in 1909, and they moved to Hawaii in 1939. They had two sons, one in Arizona in 1932, William, and another, Martin John Kalani McMorrow, in Hawaii, in 1939. He still lives in Hawaii with his wife Sandra.

That is the end of the Madsen family story as I know it. Lots of sadness in this family!

Della Dale Smith-Pistelli, July 18, 2015, at Brenham, Texas.