Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Tribute to Charles Newton Cone

Today we are celebrating the 118th anniversary of my grandfather Charles Newton Cone's birth near Worthington, Nobles County, Minnesota. The son of Frederick Naaman and Helen Brown (Newton) Cone, he was their fourth child and second son. Before he was two the family relocated, with his Newton grandparents and his great grandfather John Champion Clarke, to Mapleton, Utah.
Charles Newton Cone circa 1899 from family collection.

The family were Presbyterians in a community that was overwhelmingly Mormon. He said that he often felt ostracized by his neighbors which made both his biological and church family paramount in his youth. In fact, it was through the generosity of the Springville Presbyterian Church that he was able to study at Fairmont College in Wichita, Kansas (now Wichita State University) and earn his bachelor's degree in Chemistry.
Circa 1925 in Seattle, Washington
Working as a research chemist, and business developer was very important to Granddaddy. He worked for several companies, watching them reap the material rewards for patents he developed before he founded his own Pacific Adhesives Company (PACO).

We remember the grandfather who read us stories or carried us piggyback on endless walks through his neighborhood. Each time we visited our Cone grandparents in Oregon, a visit to PACO was included. It was important to him, and our parents, that we know the work that was being done, see his laboratory, offices, and manufacturing plant. It was fascinating, but the glue they produced for the plywood industry was made from blood and hundreds of stacks of 50 pound bags of dried blood do not smell very good. We perfected the ability to follow him on the facility tour without breathing through our noses.
Charles Newton Cone 1898-1988
circa 1987 at home of son Charles Newton Cone, Jr. in  Charlotte, North Carolina.
It is always interesting to know what friends and colleagues thought of our ancestors. They had different relationships with them than we did as family members. Going through some papers recently, my brother found this tribute to our grandfather Charles Newton Cone.
He worked until a month before his death, 27 January 1988. He was a very special man and I think of him often.

Cecily Cone Kelly
6 December 2016

Monday, August 22, 2016

Can you help identify the people in these Cone family photographs?

Recently, Flora Cone Brim's granddaughter Flora, sent me a couple of old family photographs asking for help in identifying people. Both cousin Stephen Zerwas, William Laurence Cone's grandson and I have had some luck but we still need help. Please take a look at the pictures below and see if you can help.
Identified so far... from left Frederick Naaman Cone, Helen Brown Newton Cone,
Row behind second from left, Charles Newton Cone. Date and location is unknown.
Photograph from the personal collection of Flora Long.

My grandfather, Charles Newton Cone, wore his hair in this style while he was in college. He graduated from Fairmont College, now Wichita State University, in 1920. The fir tree in the right background may indicate that it was taken after the family moved to Oregon. They are still in Mapleton, Utah in the 1920 census.

Frederick Cone with wife Helen and daughter Mary E are listed on line 39-41.
"1920 United States Federal Census," Utah County, Utah, population schedule,
Mapleton, ED 197, p 4, penned, dwelling 51, family 51, Frederick Cone: digital images
Ancestry (http//www.ancestry.com: accessed 21 August 2016; from National Archives
microfilm publication T625,
In January 1921, Fred has registered his Ford truck at R 3, Salem, Marion County, Oregon.

The next photograph is taken quite a bit later.
So far identified... from left standing: Bob Brim (?); Tommy and Molly Cone Acheson; Flora Cone Brim;
three unidentified women; Helen Newton Cone; (standing behind) William Laurence Cone holding
daughter Catherine; Helen's husband, Frederick Namen Cone; William's wife, Wauneta Watts Cone; Charles Newton Cone holding son Frederick Allen Cone; and wife Hazel Allen Cone. Seated third from left, Charles Newton Cone, Jr. Photograph from the personal collection of Flora Long.
William Cone's daughter Catherine was born in 1934. My Dad, who is seated, was born in 1927, his brother Fred was born in 1933. Fred appears to be no more than 3 years old in this photograph so perhaps the photograph was taken in 1935-36. It is most probably taken in Oregon.

If you can help, please comment on this post. Thank you for all your help.