SkipworthNelson

Acree/Sachse/Hoover/Ogden/Skipworth/Nelson/TenEyck/Williamson
& Associated Families

Vonce Skipworth Stella Nelson Taken 1922 at age 48 Taken c1920 at age 45 Photos from Robert E. Miller and Carole (Nelson) Ketterer

Vonce DeLeon Skipworth: was born in New Madrid, Missouri, in 1874, the oldest of four children. He grew up living all around the mid-West in railroad towns. His father was a Civil War veteran. He married Stella Nelson in 1895 and they raised two children. In 1900 they were living in Kansas City, Missouri, with Stella's family. They moved to Chicago some years later, where Vonce did very well for himself - eventually becoming a vice-president of the Wilson Meat Packing Company. In 1938 he started the Skipworth Packing Company in Ohio. Unfortunately, some years later it went bankrupt. However, he kept his dignity intact until he died in 1945 in Ohio, where he once had had high hopes for his business.
Ozella Nelson,: known as Stella, was born in Iowa in 1875, one of four children. There are indications that she moved around the mid-West in her early years - her father, a Swedish immigrant, was a saloon keeper and her mother ran a boarding house when necessary. She married Vonce Skipworth in 1895 and eventually raised two children in Chicago. Her and her family's circumstances went from lean to plenty to lean again, but she wasn't deeply fazed by it. She died in 1962 in Florida, where she and her sister, Minnie, then lived.

1874	Vonce was born near Point Pleasant, New Madrid Co., Missouri, probably at his parents' farm, as the eldest of four children (with an older half-sister).
1875	Stella was born in Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa, as the third of four children.
c1890	Vonce's parents moved to Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri, after living seven years in Blue Mound, Linn Co., Kansas.
c1890	Stella's parents moved to Kansas City to open a new boarding house there.
1895	Vonce and Stella were married, presumably in Kansas City.
1896	Their daughter, Helen N., was born in Kansas City, shortly before Stella's father died there.
1900	Vonce, Stella and Helen were living at Stella's mother's boarding house in Kansas City, as Vonce, then a clerk, was beginning his career in the meat-packing & distribution industry.
c1902-1926	The family lived in Chicago, Illinois, where Vonce eventually became a vice-president of Wilson and Company. In 1905, Vonce, then an assistant traffic manager, pled guilty, with superiors in the Schwarschild & Sulzberger Packing Co. of Chicago, of conspiracy in illegally accepting rebates from railroads, being fined $5,000.
1910	Stella's mother died of heart disease in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha Co., South Dakota, having lived with her younger married daughter there for several years.
1916	Their son, Edward Nelson, was born at a Chicago hospital.
1922	Vonce's mother died of neuroasthmia in Sulphur, Murray Co.,Oklahoma.
c1926-1930	The family lived in New York City, where Vonce was president of the Silz Packing Company.
1927	Vonce's father died of heart disease at his daughter's home in Denison, Grayson, Co., Texas.
c1930-1933	The family lived in Detroit, Michigan, where Vonce was general manager of Parker-Webb Co.
c1933-1937	The family moved back to New York City (Forest Hills), when Vonce was named president of Adolf Gobel, Inc., a larger packing company.
c1938	The family moved to 47 S. Kensington Ave. in Springfield, Clark Co., Ohio, when Vonce purchased the Springfield Abattoir Company, established about 1890, and re-named it the Skipworth Packing Co., Inc., becoming its president.
c1941	The Skipworth Packing Co. went bankrupt and Vonce opened a small second-hand furniture store, which he managed.
1945	Vonce died, at age 71, in Springfield, eight months after their golden wedding anniversary.
c1952	Stella moved to 609 Palm St., in West Palm Beach, Florida, for her retirement years.
1962	Stella died of heart disease, at age 87, in West Palm Beach.

Above vignettes by S. Acree THE SKIPWORTH HOME c1940

47 S. Kensington Ave., Springfield, Ohio

Photo from Frances (TenEyck) Skipworth

TIMELINE

1874 Vonce was born near Point Pleasant, New Madrid Co., Missouri, probably at his parents' farm, as the eldest of four children (with an older half-sister).

1875 Stella was born in Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa, as the third of four children.

c1890 Vonce's parents moved to Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri, after living seven years in Blue Mound, Linn Co., Kansas.

c1890 Stella's parents moved to Kansas City to open a new boarding house there.

1895 Vonce and Stella were married, presumably in Kansas City.

1896 Their daughter, Helen N., was born in Kansas City, shortly before Stella's father died there.

1900 Vonce, Stella and Helen were living at Stella's mother's boarding house in Kansas City, as Vonce, then a clerk, was beginning his career in the meat-packing & distribution industry.

c1902-1926 The family lived in Chicago, Illinois, where Vonce eventually became a vice-president of Wilson and Company. In 1905, Vonce, then an assistant traffic manager, pled guilty, with superiors in the Schwarschild & Sulzberger Packing Co. of Chicago, of conspiracy in illegally accepting rebates from railroads, being fined $5,000.

1910 Stella's mother died of heart disease in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha Co., South Dakota, having lived with her younger married daughter there for several years.

1916 Their son, Edward Nelson, was born at a Chicago hospital.

1922 Vonce's mother died of neuroasthmia in Sulphur, Murray Co.,Oklahoma.

c1926-1930 The family lived in New York City, where Vonce was president of the Silz Packing Company.

1927 Vonce's father died of heart disease at his daughter's home in Denison, Grayson, Co., Texas.

c1930-1933 The family lived in Detroit, Michigan, where Vonce was general manager of Parker-Webb Co.

c1933-1937 The family moved back to New York City (Forest Hills), when Vonce was named president of Adolf Gobel, Inc., a larger packing company.

c1938 The family moved to 47 S. Kensington Ave. in Springfield, Clark Co., Ohio, when Vonce purchased the Springfield Abattoir Company, established about 1890, and re-named it the Skipworth Packing Co., Inc., becoming its president.

c1941 The Skipworth Packing Co. went bankrupt and Vonce opened a small second-hand furniture store, which he managed.

1945 Vonce died, at age 71, in Springfield, eight months after their golden wedding anniversary.

c1952 Stella moved to 609 Palm St., in West Palm Beach, Florida, for her retirement years.

1962 Stella died of heart disease, at age 87, in West Palm Beach.

Copyright © 2001- by Charles Acree. All rights reserved.

Acree/Sachse/Hoover/Ogden/Skipworth/Nelson/TenEyck/Williamson & Associated Families

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Acree/Sachse/Hoover/Ogden/Skipworth/Nelson/TenEyck/Williamson
& Associated Families