William & Rose Vanderford
July 4th, 1957
50th Wedding Anniversary

40. William Austin¹⁰ Vanderford (John Austin⁹, Austin Comer⁸, William⁷, John⁶, Richard⁵, Charles⁴, George Paul³, Michael Paul², Paul¹) was born in Green Mountain, Marshall County, IA April 13, 1884. William died August 25, 1965 in Merrill, WI, at 81 years of age. His body was interred August 28, 1965 in Elgin, IL, Lakewood Memorial Park.

He married Rose Ernestine Miller in Melrose Park, Cook County, IL, July 4, 1907. Rose was born in Shiller Park, Leyden Township, IL April 30, 1889. Rose was the daughter of Frederick William Mueller and Ernestine Amelia Mueller. Rose died August 5, 1974 in Elgin, IL, at 85 years of age. Her body was interred August 9, 1974 in Elgin, IL, Lakewood Memorial Park.

William Vanderford lived in Maywood, IL prior to marrying Rose Miller according to their marriage certificate.

William Vanderford died at the home of his daughter, Violet Burgener, in Merrill, WI.

According to an article in the September 1, 1967 issue of The Gladbrook Tama Northern, William Vanderford and his family came to Gladbrook, IA about 1912. "Bill" Vanderford was a carpenter craftsman and contractor by trade. He was gifted in many other ways. He was always building useful and novel articles. His first real success was taking a 1914 Model T Ford chassis and building a very neat station wagon on it. Bill attended an air show in Waterloo, IA in 1921 or 1922. Part of an article in the 1922 Tama Northern states Bill visited with the Wright Bros. and brought home in his mind plans and designs for building a small plane. According to a letter from Mrs. Vanderford, she evidently helped Bill with some of the work. "Vanderford's airplane" was built in the downstairs back room in the house in which Mrs. Edith Broeker lives and the Modern Beauty Shop is located. (See image above)

All that Bill had for an airplane power plant was an old 2-cylinder Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine. The wheels and part of the frame and undercarriage were also taken from a motorcycle. Bill whittled the propeller out of a hickory timber and bound it with strips of brass. The wing trusses were made out of wood and glued together and then covered with unshrunk canvas. The canvas was then soaked with water and allowed to shrink tight. This was then covered with shellac and varnish, allowed to dry, and then rubbed down. This required several applications.

Various notes from Gladbrook citizens state early one spring, before the frost was out of the ground, Bill took his airplane out of the back shed by partly taking the shed apart, so as to get it through the door. From The Gladbrook Tama Northern, "They tightened the wire trusses that braced the wing until they all had the same tone. The first time they ran it around on the streets to see if it would go. The airplane spun around in the street and started for the Fred Wrage home. It ran over one of the small trees and almost ran onto the porch."

Lacking sufficient power, Bill's airplane never did get off the ground. The Gladbrook Tama Northern states he tried all summer to get a Henderson 4-cylinder motorcycle engine, but was unable to do so. Later that fall, Bill removed the wing and stored it in a steel shed. He removed the wheels and put runners on the body and made a snow sled.

A story with picture in the Des Moines Sunday Register dated February 18, 1968 offers a slightly different story of Bill Vanderford's airplane. "Not long after World War I, an Iowan named William Vanderford, of Gladbrook, saw an air derby at Cedar Falls. It impressed him to such an extent that he decided to build a plane of his own. He completed it in his main street shop in 1922. It was powered by a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine and the propeller was of hand-carved Iowa hickory with brass strips. The wings were wooden with a shellacked and varnished canvas cover. The fuselage was braced with wire. The plane made several trial runs up and down Gladbrook's main street. Once it got out of control and plunged through several bushes, coming to rest against a porch. Later it was test flown from a hayfield, but the power was sufficient to raise it only a few inches off the ground. Eventually Bill Vanderford sold the fuselage, gear and engine to a buyer in Minnesota who converted it into an ice sled.

William and his oldest daughter, Violet, came to Elgin in 1927 to find work. William knew "Homer" in Elgin and William applied to Rhineheimer Woodworking in Elgin as a cabinet maker. After proving himself he secured a full time job for $1/hour. Violet secured a job with the phone company. William returned to Iowa for his family and moved Rose and their six other children to Elgin on Labor Day weekend in 1927. In Elgin, they lived in small house on Hendee Street.

William Austin Vanderford and Rose Ernestine Miller had the following children:

42 i. Violet Rose¹¹ Vanderford was born in Melrose Park, Cook County, IL August 25, 1908. Violet died September 2, 1980 in Merrill, WI, at 72 years of age. Her body was interred September 7, 1980 in Merrill, WI, Luther Memorial Lutheran Cemeter. She married Herman Burgener Jr. in Elgin, IL, June 28, 1930. Herman was born in Burgdorf, Switzerland June 28, 1904. Herman was the son of Herman Burgener Sr. and Bertha S. Saameli. Herman died July 6, 1992 in Merrill, WI, at 88 years of age. His body was interred July 10, 1992 in Merrill, WI, Luther Memorial Lutheran Cemeter. (See Herman Burgener Jr. for the continuation of this line.)

43 ii. Elsie Elizabeth Vanderford was born in Conrad, Grundy County, IA January 17, 1910. Elsie died October 14, 2001 in Elgin, IL, at 91 years of age. Her body was interred October 19, 2001 in Elgin, IL, Bluff City Cemetery. She married Loren James Dolby in Elgin, IL, February 12, 1955. Loren was born in Elgin, IL December 18, 1899. Loren died March 14, 1985 in Elgin, IL, at 85 years of age. His body was interred March 20, 1985 in Elgin, IL, Bluff City Cemetary. Elsie (Vanderford) Dolby's obituary from the Elgin Courier News:

Elsie E. Dolby, of Countryside Manor in Elgin, passed away October 14, 2001. She was born January 16, 1910 in Conrad, Iowa, the daughter of William A. and Rose E. Miller Vanderford. She lived in Elgin most of her life. She worked as a bookkeeper at Modern Dairy in Elgin for 42 years. She was past president of White Collar Girls and had perfect attendance for 32 years. She enjoyed gardening, crossword puzzles, music and was a die hard Cubs fan. She loved sports of all kinds and was an avid walker. She is survived by a step-son, Lloyd J. (Darlene Kline-Dolby) Dolby of OR; three step-grandchildren, Constance Dolby Vasek of WA, Laura Dolby-Nicholson of UK and Barbara Dolby Hadley of WA; five step-great grandchildren, Arthur, Marie, and Reid Vasek, Fiona Nicholson and Henrietta Hadley; Nancy Jean Bonkoski formerly married to Mr. Lloyd Dolby; a brother, Wilbur (Eleanor) Vanderford of FL; two sisters-in-law, Sybil Vanderford of Elgin and Dorothy Vanderford of WI; many nieces and nephews including her niece and special care giver Pat (Dr. Jon)Sunderlage of West Dundee. Preceded in death by her parents; husband, Loren J. in 1985; three sisters,Violet Burgener, Lurae Tucker and Hazel Wagner; also two brothers, Austin and Charles. Funeral services will be 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 19, 2001 in Madison Funeral Home, Rev. Edward Davis officiating. Burial at Bluff City Cemetery. Visitation will be 4-9 p.m., Thursday in the funeral home. In honor of the spiritual care given by Rev. Davis, memorials may be made to St. Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hampshire. Arrangements by: Madison Funeral Home, Elgin. (847)741-1128

44 iii. Hazel Lucille Vanderford was born in Conrad, Grundy County, IA July 13, 1911. Hazel died November 20, 1998 in Elgin, IL, at 87 years of age. Her body was interred November 28, 1998 in Elgin, IL, Lakewood Memorial Park. She married Raymond Eddy Wagner in Dundee, Kane County, IL, November 16, 1935. Raymond was born in Dundee, Kane County, IL September 6, 1906. Raymond was the son of William E. Wagner and Martha Schmidt. Raymond died April 21, 1984 in Elgin, IL, at 77 years of age. His body was interred April 24, 1984 in Elgin, IL, Lakewood Memorial Park. (See Raymond Eddy Wagner for the continuation of this line.)

45 iv. Lurae Emma Vanderford was born in Gladbrook, Tama County, IA June 26, 1913. Lurae died October 12, 1998 in South Elgin, Kane County, IL, at 85 years of age. Her body was interred October 18, 1998 in Elgin, IL, Lakewood Memorial Park. She married Sidney E. Tucker in Elgin, IL, October 5, 1937. Sidney was born in Morseville, IL August 12, 1903. Sidney died May 26, 1981 in South Elgin, IL, at 77 years of age. His body was interred May 30, 1981 in Elgin, IL, Lakewood Memorial Park. (See Sidney E. Tucker for the continuation of this line.)

+ 46 v. Austin John Vanderford was born January 26, 1915.

Chuck Vanderford

+ 47 vi. Charles Homer Vanderford was born January 15, 1917.

+ 48 vii. Wilbur Lavern Vanderford was born August 04, 1921.

Send email to preparer: charlie@vanderford.net

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