REGINALD WARREN MAKINSON

My Uncle Warren was born on the 2nd of October 1897 in Palmyra, Nebraska and died in Davenport, Iowa on the 2nd of April 1976.

Warren was a small businessman  who sold shoes  in and around Omaha Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. He likely taught my father this line of work also. Sometime around 1930, he may have moved away from Southwestern Iowa to Mason City Iowa where he operated a shoe business in connection with a local dept. store in that city. He and his wife, the former Fern Miller, a divorcee with  two children, lived in an apartment in downtown Mason City. His wife was a cosmetics saleswoman for a firm called "Luziers". She sold throughout the state and had a number of women working for her. . Fern passed away in September 1972, a and Warren moved to Davenport, Iowa where he had an apartment  and was nearby to Moline, Ill, where his stepdaughter and her husband lived.

Reginald Warren Makinson Photo as he was in his mid  70's.

                        

A letter sent to me in 1971 follows:

Dear Leroy and Family:

We have been going through things that we have had for a long time. You will receive a box by parcel post with items that go back to 1895. My grandmother Makinson died before I was born. There is an announcement of my fathers and mothers wedding in 1896. The Shunick farm was 6 miles west of Shenandoah and 2 miles north.

Also some letters written from England by a cousin telling your grandfather he was sorry to have missed when in England. I think he went to England soon  after he graduated from Highland Park College. 

 The family  farm in Missouri was between 10 and 12 miles from Nevada Mo. Walker, Mo. was about 4-5 miles away, My grandfather came to Iowa in 1877. Farmed between Shenandoah and Essex, prospered, retired and moved to Shenandoah in 1886 at the age of 46. He died the summer of 1912. I was helping him to hitch up his driving team to a rubber tired buggy when he had a stroke as he was snapping the reins to the bridle.

Yours truly

Warren

.

HAROLD JOHN  (Fox) MAKINSON

My uncle Harold was born on 27 August 1899 in Palmyra, Otoe County, Nebraska on a farm and died in North Platte, Nebraska on Aug 7,1950. He married Leta Mary Derrickson on Nov. 5,1919. She was from Farragut Iowa, daughter of Frank Derrickson and Mary Burrows. They married in the Methodist .Episcopal. Church in Clarinda, Iowa. She was 21 and he 22 years of age. He gave his occupation as mechanic and parents as Al Makinson and Anna Shunick. 

 Leta Derrickson is buried in Fremont County Iowa. On her tombstone says born 20 Mar. 1899 and died 25 Jan 1920. She died of a kidney ailment less than two months after her marriage.

Five years later Harold married Mildred Irene Vittum on Sept 7, 1925 at Hastings, Nebraska in the Presbyterian parsonage. She was born August 17,1900 at Lexington, Nebraska.. Mildred died in North Platte Nebraska in March 1982.

Harold's sister-in-law, recalling  things about him said, " Mac had sold shoes for years but when they came here he started what they called The Sunshine Dairy. Later they had a night club east of town. They seemed to prosper. Mac was active in the activities of North Platte. Mac had  many midget baseball clubs, which he organized and did so much for the canteen during WW-II; and did a lot to help the unfortunate".

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