HOUGH

Samuel Milton Hough was born on the 6th of January, 1818 in Oswego County, New York. Family stories name his parents as Joel Hough and Sarah Stillson, but this has proven difficult to verify. Little is known about his early days; a brief biography written by his son Warren states that he was a blacksmith as a young man, and removed to Iowa in 1841. That may not be entirely accurate, however, as he married Eliza Jane Allen in Iowa the year prior. In any case, by 1846, Samuel and Eliza had settled in Pottawattamie County, purchased 80 acres of "raw land", and converted it into prosperous farm land. There, they raised seven children, many of whom became prominent citizens of the county. Samuel passed away on the 9th of November, 1881 at the age of 63.

Samuel and Eliza's children:

Mortimer Adelbert Hough, 1841 - 1874

Esther Hough, 1844 - 1914

Russell Morgan Hough, 1847 - 1930

Warren Milton Hough, 1849 - 1937

Marcellus Hough, 1853 - 1938

Herbert Alonzo Hough, 1855 - 1945

Denver Deloit Hough, 1859 - 1929

Mortimer was born on the 18th of December, 1841 in Lee County, Iowa, the eldest child of Samuel and Eliza. Mortimer followed his father into faming, and sometime between 1860 and 1863, married Naomi Barritt. The two had five sons together, and it is with those sons that the Hough history begins to get interesting. While most of his sons began their adult lives following in their father's footsteps - farming the land - they would eventually go in very different, and very confusing directions. Some became musicians and producers, some became career criminals, some lived quiet lives with their families, some adopted the children of those who could not handle a quiet life with their family. Mortimer, whether fortunately or unfortunately, never got to see this, as he passed away just three weeks shy of his 33rd birthday, on the 24th of November, 1874.

Mortimer and Naomi's children:

Milton Clement Hough, 1863 - 1927

Oliver Clifford Hough, 1864 - 1935

Clay Dean Hough, 1869 - 1938

Clarence Hough, 1870 - 1918

Calvin Marcellus Hough, 1873 - 1945

Milton was born on the 3rd of August, 1863 in Crawford County, Iowa, the eldest child of Mortimer and Naomi. Milton seemed to be a man of many talents who lived a fascinating life. In his teens, he farmed his family's land alongside his father and brothers. He was also a locally famous foot-racer who, if the newspapers of his day are to be believed, could have given Usain Bolt some healthy competition. He had apparently run a hundred yard dash in just under 10 seconds more than once. Whether this is true or not, there's no question he was an exceptional athlete. 

On Christmas Day, 1884, Milton married Mary Frances Leona Pratt, and the two raised their six children in Iowa. Milton eventually left farming and became not only a carpenter, but a composer and musician. Whether his musical career earned him much money or not is unknown, but his talents were relevant enough to be included in a historical manuscript about Pottawattamie County. 

Milton is a fascinating ancestor to me, as when I look at his descendants, two prominent talents emerge: the arts, and athletics, but almost never are both present in one person. It seems to me that Milton divided his skills and passed them off accordingly. He passed away in 1927, at the age of 64.

Milton and Mary's children: 

Harry Clair Hough, 1886 - 1966

Clara Bell Hough, 1888 - 1968

Ella May Hough, 1889 - 1954

Fay Winifred Hough, 1891 - 1977

Mortimer Clay Hough, 1893 - 1954

Ross Hough, 1901 - 1973

Ella, my great-great-grandmother, has long been a subject of rumour, and an enigmatic character in our history. Born on the 18th of April, 1889, Ella seems to have lived a pretty typical early life for a girl of her era and social standing. Typical, that is, until 1909, 3 days after her 20th birthday, when she gave birth to Clarence Oliver. Clarence Oliver Hough. Ella was single when her son was born, and the father has remained a mystery, but has been speculated on for well over a hundred years at this point. Some say he was an older man she was caring for, others go to a much darker place and claim he was a relative. Whatever the truth, it seems she knew she could not keep him, and she also knew she could not give him away. Her uncle, Oliver Clifford Hough, and his wife, Mattie Markesen, adopted Clarence and raised him as their son, but often had Ella either living with them or visiting regularly. When she wasn't living with Oliver and Mattie, she was living at home with her parents, at least until 1920. What Ella was up to between 1921 and 1933 is currently unknown, but in December of that year, she married James Hulett. It was apparently a first marriage for both of them, despite being in their 40s. They remained married until James' death in 1947. Ella never remarried, and passed away on the 25th of June, 1954. 

Ella and Unknown's children:

Clarence Oliver Hough, 1909 - 1992

My great-grandfather, Clarence Oliver Hough, was born on the 21st of April, 1909, in Oklahoma. Raised by his great-uncle and great-aunt, it seems likely that he was aware Ella was his biological mother, and that his older brother Earl was also adopted, which makes one wonder how he felt about his family dynamic. In any case, Clarence stayed with Oliver and Mattie until he got married, around the age of 21, to Josephine Hooker. Clarence and Josephine had two daughters, Clara and Sarah. 

Clarence worked as a mechanic and civil servant, but his passion was aeronautics. In October of 1930, he made his first solo flight, and in May of 1931, obtained his pilot's license. My father recalls him tinkering with and flying private planes when he was a child, and several family members have told me about his love of flying. Not only was he a skilled mechanic and pilot, he was also a fine fisherman, and seemed to innately understand machines and vehicles of any variety. But, perhaps my favourite story about Clarence of all time is one found in a 1948 article in the Lawton Consitution. On a hot day in July, a couple visiting from Michigan were thrown into a panic when their car engine caught fire. The fire department had been called, but a calm and cool Clarence, who just happened to be nearby, walked into a cafe, ordered an unopened bottle of Coca-Cola, pricked a hole in the bottle cap, and poured the soda over the fire, extinguishing it. This image of him brings me great joy. 

I met my great-grandfather once, just before he passed. My father brought me to Lawton to meet my American family, and that included Clarence and Josephine. I have little recollection of our interactions - I was 10, and they were in their 80s - but I do recall that he was still driving a giant Cadillac, half in the ditch and half on the road, and other motorists just gently swerved around him, seemingly aware that this was just Clarence, going out for his morning drive for coffee. Though I didn't realize it at the time, it is now obvious to me that he was somewhat legendary in his community. Everyone knew who Clarence was, and in his later years, offered him the space, literally and figuratively, to live out his last days in peace. Clarence passed away on the 10th of June, 1992, at the age of 83. 

Clarence and Josephine's children:

Clara Jolene Hough, 1993 - 1994

Sarah Katherine Hough, 1936 - 2011

Clara Jolene Hough was born on the 17th of August, 1933 in Lawton, Oklahoma. From a fairly young age, she rejected her first name, and went by Jolene or Jo for most of her life. Jolene was known to be a strong student, but a bit of a troublemaker - a combination of traits that would follow her for the rest of her life. When she was just 16, she and my grandfather, Robert Harloff, brought my father into the world, and two more children quickly followed. It's unclear exactly when Jolene and Robert divorced, but by 1957, she had married Ray Williams and had a daughter with him. Not long after, they moved to Dallas, Texas, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. 

I find my grandmother an interesting, if deeply troubled character. By all accounts, she was incredibly intelligent, creative, and resourceful. She was also petty, vindictive, and mean when she wanted to be. She coddled some of her children and abandoned others. She worked hard at times, and scammed people at others. She was a highly talented painter, and a highly talented grifter. She flitted between empathy and compassion, and coldness and spite. Despite the fact that Jolene was my father's mother, despite the fact that I have met her in person, more than once, despite the fact that her ex-husband, my grandfather, has been nothing but fair and forthcoming, I still feel like I know nothing about my grandmother. Every story I hear contradicts the one that came before it. Every memory seems independent of anyone else's memory. Jolene was, it seems, many different people, depending on who she was dealing with. 

Jolene passed away on the 24th of February, 1994. 

Jolene and Ray's children:

Julie Williams, 1957 - 2016