Weston Family Page 2

Mary Anna Weston went by her middle name Anna and was born in Ford County, Kansas on Mar. 14, 1894. Anna stayed in Derby when her family moved out of town to Wichita and later Florida. She was a junior in high school and wanted to finish her schooling in Derby. The family of Horace Jones took her in. Jones was the owner of the general store in Derby, which was located across the street from the hotel. Anna worked in the general store along with the Jones family. After graduating from Derby High School in 1913, Anna got a teacher’s certificate and began teaching at Carlton school a year later. She also taught a couple of terms at Derby prior to getting married to Walter Schwartz on Oct. 26, 1919 in Derby. (See Schwartz family for more information.)

Thomas Arthur Weston was born in Ford County, Kansas on Aug. 26, 1896. He passed away early in the morning on Mar. 23, 1907 in Derby, Kansas from spinal meningitis at the young age of 10 years old. Thomas was buried in the El Paso Cemetery in Derby, Kansas on Mar. 23, 1907.

Lydia Elsie Weston was born on Jan. 23, 1898 in Ford County, Kansas. She had moved to Florida with her family. There she met William Benjamin “Bill” Foltz, who worked for Thomas on their farm. The two fell in love and later married on Jan. 12, 1915 at Lake Charm in Oviedo, Florida. The couple briefly moved to Derby, Kansas, where their first born, Marie Ellen, was born on Sept. 22, 1917. The Foltz family eventually settled in Dalhart, Texas after a short stay in Liberal, Kansas. Bill had been a Rock Island Railroad engineer and retired in 1962 after 47 ½ years with the railroad. Lydia passed away on Feb. 7, 2002 in Dalhart, Texas. Bill was born in Beaver County, Oklahoma on July 3, 1892 and passed on Jan. 10, 1984 in Dalhart, Texas. Both are buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Dalhart, Texas. Lydia had three children: Marie Ellen (Foltz) Culbertson, Mary Ann (Foltz) Taylor, and Billie Jean (Foltz) Etheridge.

Helen Erma Weston was born on May 19, 1899 in Ford County, Kansas. On June 18, 1923 she married Robert Esther Huddleston. The couple owned the Huddleston Cafe located at 113 N. Emporia Ave. in Wichita for 20 years before retiring in 1942. They managed the Shirkmere Coffee Shop on the first floor of the Shirkmere Apartments at 256 N. Topeka for several years before moving to their farm north of Severy, Kansas. Robert died Feb. 13, 1989 and Helen died ten years later on Feb. 6, 1999. Both are buried in the El Paso Cemetery in Derby, Kansas. They had no children.

Charles Francis Weston was born on Mar. 3, 1901 in Ford County, Kansas. He married Neva Beatrice Hopkins, daughter of Charles and Viola Hopkins, on Oct. 20, 1920. Charles was a farmer and lived near Wichita and Derby most of the time. He died at the Davies County Hospital in Washington, Indiana on Oct. 7, 1949 from injuries caused by a car accident at the intersections of Highways 150 and 50 near Shoals Martin, Indiana. Charles, his daughter Charlene, his Maclary cousin, Francis Bryant, and his cousin’s wife were returning to Kansas after visiting his half-brother, Robert Elliott, in Delaware and attending a family reunion. Neva passed away on Oct. 17, 1990 and both are buried in the White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Wichita, Kansas. Charles had three children: Doris (Weston) Brace, Mary (Weston) Talbot, and Charlene (Weston) McClure.

Miles Howard Weston was born Sept. 5, 1902 in Wichita, Kansas. He married Sibyl Maurine Witten and passed away on Oct. 16, 1996 in Tarrant, Texas. Sibyl died on April 14, 1996 in Ruidoso, New Mexico. He worked as a salesman for a meat packing plant in Arkansas City, Kansas and later was a salesman while living in Pampa, Texas and finally Ruidoso, New Mexico. Miles had two children: Gwendolyn Louise (Weston) Sturm Childers and Richard David Weston.

Grace Eulala Weston was born July 26, 1905 in Derby, Kansas. She married Howard R. Troy on Dec. 2, 1922 and died Nov. 29, 1991 in Wichita, Kansas. Howard passed on Sept. 22, 1981 in Wichita, Kansas and both are buried in White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Wichita, Kansas. Howard “Spec” Troy was a lath and plaster contractor and the family traveled many places for his job. Grace had six children: Virginia (Troy) Bishop, Mildred (Troy) Kuhlmann, Charles R. “Ray” Troy, Ralph Troy, Ronnie Troy, and Roger Troy.

All of Tom and Mary’s daughters celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaries.

Some of the above information was provided by the Derby Historical Museum. Read more about Derby history on their blog here: www.derbykshistorymuseum.org/blog