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Compiled by Ruth A Cox, Aug 1998 (Ruth is the daughter of "Bea" (Gaddis) Cox, granddaughter of Wade & Elletta (Swafford) Gaddis.)

Wade Graham and Elletta Mae (Swafford) Gaddis

This is a short story about one set of my Grandparents - Wade Graham Gaddis and Elletta Mae Swafford. It is a compilation of stories I have heard from my mother, Beatrice (Gaddis) Cox, and my several aunts: Emma, Rowena, Maxine and Marjorie. Unfortunately, Pearl, Alice and Mavis, as well as Mom's two brothers, Wade and Dean, were gone by the time I matured sufficiently to become interested in the subject.

Wade was born near Decatur, Illinois., on 18 May 1883 in the home of his parents, Willis and Emma (Graham) Gaddis. He had one older sister named Nellie. Sometime around 1900, they moved to the small community nears Byers, Pratt County, KS. It was here that Wade met and married the woman he would live with for over 55 years -Elletta Mae Swafford.

Elletta was born in Jonesboro, IN 10 Oct 1885, the fourth of the 13 children of Marcellus "Lindon" and Anna L (Carey) Swafford. Lindon had brought his family to Pratt County, KS also about 1900.

Wade and Elletta were married 17 Oct 1903. They lived with his parents in Hopewell while Wade filed on a 160 acre homestead in Stevens County, KS. During the winter of 1903-4, and with the help of his father, he built a one room cabin on the homestead. In the meantime, their first child "Bea" was born. When Bea was six months old, Wade and Elletta loaded their possessions in a covered wagon, tied a cow on behind, hung a coop of chickens underneath the wagon and moved approximately 150 miles across the plains to the homestead.

At first, Wade didn't farm the whole 160 acres. But, he had fields for broom corn, milo maize and cane. Broom corn was his cash crop. The cane was feed for the stock. And, he hauled all the water for the stock and for household use. After living in the cabin for 4 or 5 years, Wade decided to build a dugout. He made it much larger as the family had grown to five by then. Pearl was born in 1906, and Eva in 1908. The dugout was two rooms with only the lower part in the ground. Wade made it so it could eventually be pulled out and placed on the top of the ground like a regular house. It had wooden walls and a wooden floor, which was very unusual for that time. After finishing the dugout, Wade found a rig to dig a water well. He had been hauling water every day except Sunday since they moved to the homestead. After getting the well dug, he built a windmill to provide the power for the pump which brought the water to the surface. There was much joy in the dugout - more water for household use and no more hauling it in barrels every day! Wade then used the rig to dig several wells in Stevens County for other homesteaders.


In 1913, Wade moved from the homestead to the Hockett place, which was near Hugoton, in Stevens County. It is speculation as to why he moved, but his family had gotten larger. They had a stillborn baby in 1908, Alice in 1910 and Emma in 1913. And the school was three miles away which was too far for one child to go alone. Bea didn't get to go to school until she was eight. When Pearl was old enough, Wade let them take the buggy to go to school.

The Hockett place was a well established farm with a bigger frame house, peach and apple orchards and only a half mile from the school. Four children were born to Wade and Elletta while they lived at the Hockett place. Mavis was born in 1915, Wade, Jr in 1917, Marjorie in 1919 and Wanda in 1921. Wanda died in 1922.

About 1922, Wade and Elletta moved again. This time to Haviland, Kiowa County, KS. Bea and Pearl were attending school at the Friends Academy in Haviland, which necessitated their staying in that area and working for board and room while attending school. It should be noted here that both Wade and Elletta were devout Quakers and a Christian education and upbringing for their children was a very top priority.

Wade evidently traded the Hockett place for a butcher shop business and a large, well made frame home in Haviland. It was here in Haviland that their last three children were born. Maxine, born in 1923, Dean in 1925, and Rowena in 1926. But, the number of children in the home was beginning to decrease. Bea had married just before they left the Hockett place. Pearl married in 1924.

Wade and his family prospered. The butcher business was good, the children were growing and attending the Academy. Alice married in 1931.

But, the events of the day were to overcome Wade and Elletta. Wade had borrowed money when the individual to whom he had sold the Hockett place stock and equipment defaulted on payment. The Great Depression of the 1920's hit. Wade couldn't pay the loan because people could no longer patronize his butcher shop. He lost the butcher shop and the big house. They moved into a small frame house there in Haviland and Wade did whatever odd jobs he could find. And, during the early 1930's, Wade suffered from a back problem. He could stand and lie down, but couldn't sit - except in his old car.

About 1936, (when Maxine was in the eighth grade) Wade loaded their possessions into a trailer behind his car and, with the three youngest children still at home, drove to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas where Pearl and her husband had settled. (Emma and Mavis had graduated and had jobs outside the home. Wade, Jr had married in 1936 and established his own home.) They stayed in Texas not quite a year. Wade's back got better, but it was difficult to obtain a job with the cheaper Mexican labor in the area. They had left Marjorie working for her board and room in Haviland so she could finish High School. They put their things back in the trailer and returned to Haviland for Marjorie's graduation.



In the meantime, the Dust Bowl had devastated Kansas. Bea and her husband, Ira, had moved from Western Kansas to Southwest Colorado because Ira had developed dust pneumonia. Ira had found a farm on Granaut Mesa, just outside Dolores, CO but he was doing a lot of trucking and his boys not yet old enough to work the land. So he offered Wade the use of the land.

Once again, Wade loaded the little trailer with their possessions and moved to Colorado in 1937. The car they used to move to Colorado was Emma's, but quite worn out. So Wade refitted the trailer with a tongue to which he could hitch horses. The trailer and a team became their means of going to and from town (about 5 or 6 miles.)

Again, events overcame Wade and Elletta. Ira had sold some cows to make the place payment. But he was a week late. The man he was buying the place from took the payment, then foreclosed. Wade and Elletta were evicted. They rented a place in Dolores and Wade again worked at any odd jobs he could find, including janitorial work at the school.

At that time, school bus routes were contracted. Wade managed to make a down payment on a bus and about 40 acres of land in the Summit Ridge area. About the same time, he was offered a shoe repair business in Dolores. He would drive the children to school in the morning, repair shoes during the day, then drive the children home in the afternoon. Occasionally, Elletta would go with him when the shop was busy to shine shoes and help in any way she could.

The Summit Ridge home is the one the grandchildren remember best. All Wade and Elletta's children came to visit frequently and brought their children along. They played in the canyon where a creek ran year around, slept on pallets on the floor - awakening to Wade coming in from tending the stock singing a hymn and Elletta preparing breakfast.

When Wade retired, they bought a house in Mancos, CO, across from the school house. Here they lived out their remaining days enjoying their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren whenever they could come to visit. Wade died 4 May 1960. Elletta died 10 Oct 1974.

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