HOUGH
History
The name Hough is derived from the Old English word "hoh" which meant "spur of a hill" or "heel". It was a common Anglo-Saxon name, given to people who lived near a steep hill. Our own Hough history is a confusing and interesting tale that takes us from Pottawattamie County, Iowa to Lawton, Oklahoma, where some of our family still resides today.
Joel Hough
1773 -1843
Pretty well nothing is known about Joel or his wife, Sarah Stillson. We only know their names because they are mentioned in books about Pottawattamie County as the parents of Samuel Hough. Joel was said to have been born in 1773 and died in 1843, but few sources have been found to confirm this.
Joel and Sarah's children:
Sources:
Joel and Sarah's children:
- Samuel Milton Hough, b. 1818, d. 1881
Sources:
- History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa
- U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
Samuel Hough
1818 - 1881
Samuel was born in 1818 in Oswego County, New York. He was said to be a blacksmith by trade, but is also documented as a farmer and veterinarian. It is unclear when or why he moved to Iowa, but he and Eliza Jane Allen wed there in 1840, and raised seven children. In 1866, the family moved to Pottawattamie County, with at least one of his adult children joining them as well. Samuel passed away in 1881.
Samuel and Eliza's children:
Sources:
Samuel and Eliza's children:
- Mortimer Delbert Hough, b. 1841, d. 1874
- Esther Hough, b. 1844, d. 1914
- Russell Morgan Hough, b. 1847, d. 1930
- Warren Milton Hough, b. 1849, d. 1937
- Marcellus Hough, b. 1853, d. 1938
- Herbert Alonzo Hough, b. 1855, d. 1945
- Denver Deloit Hough, b. 1859, d. 1929
Sources:
- History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa
- 1860 Census
- Iowa Marriage Records, 1880-1937
- Gravestone
Mortimer Hough
1841 - 1874
The first child of Samuel and Eliza, Mortimer was born in 1841 in Montrose, Iowa. In the early 1860s, he married Naomi Barritt, and the two had five sons, all born and raised in Iowa. Mortimer was a farmer, and passed away at just 33 years of age.
With Mortimer's children, this line starts to get a bit complicated - anyone researching Milton, Oliver, or Calvin's children is likely to become immediately confused and frustrated. Around 1896, Oliver adopted a son thought to be his brother's child. Calvin was apparently widowed and imprisoned early in life, and family rumour has it that Oliver's adopted son Earl was actually Calvin's. Thirteen years later, Oliver adopted a second son, Clarence, who was actually Milton's grandson from his daughter Ella. More on that below.
Mortimer and Naomi's children:
Sources:
With Mortimer's children, this line starts to get a bit complicated - anyone researching Milton, Oliver, or Calvin's children is likely to become immediately confused and frustrated. Around 1896, Oliver adopted a son thought to be his brother's child. Calvin was apparently widowed and imprisoned early in life, and family rumour has it that Oliver's adopted son Earl was actually Calvin's. Thirteen years later, Oliver adopted a second son, Clarence, who was actually Milton's grandson from his daughter Ella. More on that below.
Mortimer and Naomi's children:
- Milton Clement Hough, b. 1863, d. 1927
- Oliver Clifford Hough, b. 1864, d. 1935
- Clay Dean Hough, b. 1869, d. 1938
- Clarence Hough, b. 1870, d. 1918
- Calvin Marcellus Hough, b. 1873
Sources:
- History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa
- 1860 & 1870 Census
Milton Hough
1863 - 1927
Milton was born in Crawford County, Iowa, in 1863, the first child of Mortimer and Naomi. He married Leona Pratt on Christmas Day, 1884, and the couple went on to raise six children. Milton is recorded as both a farmer and carpenter, but what interests me most are the many references to him being a "fine penman" and musician, as many of his descendants became writers, musicians, and dancers. Milton passed away in 1927.
Milton and Leona's children:
Sources:
Milton and Leona's children:
- Harry Clair Hough, b. 1886, d. 1966
- Clara Bell Hough, b. 1888, d. 1968
- Ella May Hough, b. 1889, d. 1954
- Fay Winnifred Hough, b. 1891, d. 1977
- Mortimer Clay Hough, b. 1893, d. 1954
- Ross Hough, b. 1901, d. 1973
Sources:
- History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa
- 1870 & 1900 Census
- Gravestone
Ella Hough
1889 - 1954
Ella was born in Iowa in 1889, the third child and second daughter of Milton and Leona. In 1909, she gave birth to a son, Clarence; the father of this child is unknown, but family rumours indicate Ella and the father may have been related, which would explain why Clarence was adopted but kept in the family. Ella's uncle Oliver adopted Clarence, and he was raised as Oliver's son, at least temporarily. By 1920, Ella was living with Oliver - the census lists her as his niece, but Clarence as his son, and by the time Clarence became a parent, he was well aware that Ella was his mother.
Ella did not marry until much later in life. In December of 1933, when she was 44, she married 41 year old James Hulett; it was a first marriage for both of them. The two did not have children, and were only married just over 13 years, as James passed away in 1947. Interestingly, in her brother Mortimer's obituary, she is named as Ella Williams, implying she may have remarried, though no record of that marriage has been found. Ella passed away in 1954.
Ella and Unknown's children:
Sources:
Ella did not marry until much later in life. In December of 1933, when she was 44, she married 41 year old James Hulett; it was a first marriage for both of them. The two did not have children, and were only married just over 13 years, as James passed away in 1947. Interestingly, in her brother Mortimer's obituary, she is named as Ella Williams, implying she may have remarried, though no record of that marriage has been found. Ella passed away in 1954.
Ella and Unknown's children:
- Clarence Oliver Hough, b. 1909, d. 1992
Sources:
- 1900 & 1920 Census
- Marriage License
- Obituary of Mortimer Hough
Clarence Hough
1909 - 1992
Clarence was born in Oklahoma in 1909, and quickly adopted by his uncle Oliver. Around 1930, he married Josephine Hooker, and they raised two daughters in Lawton, Oklahoma. Clarence worked as a mechanic for many years, and later as a civil engineer. My family remembers him as an avid fisherman, boater, hunter, and airplane and car enthusiast. His grandchildren remember him having a slot car track in his garage, which he greatly enjoyed. Affectionately known as "granddaddy", both his son in-law and grandkids recall him being exceptionally kind and taking them hunting and fishing. By the time I met granddad, he was mostly deaf and spent most of his time watching television in his bedroom, but he still made a point of driving down to the local truckstop every day for coffee. He couldn't see well, and drove half on the road and half in the ditch - fortunately, everyone in town knew him, and simply moved out of the way when they saw him coming! He passed away the next year, in 1992.
Clarence and Josephine's children:
Sources:
Clarence and Josephine's children:
- Clara Jolene Hough, b. 1933, d. 1994
- Sarah Katherine Hough, b. 1936, d. 2011
Sources:
- 1910-1940 Census Records
- U.S. City Directories
- U.S. Social Security Death Index
- Gravestone
- Family Information
Clara Hough
1933 - 1994
Clara, known to most as "Jo" (and "grandma" to me), was born in 1933 in Oklahoma, the first of two daughters born to Clarence and Josephine. In the late 40s, she married Robert Christie (by then named Harloff), and the two had three children before divorcing in the mid 50s. She later married Ray Williams, and they had one daughter. Clara had several jobs over the years, most of them clerical in nature, but is mostly remembered as an artist. She had a passion for painting, and produced a fairly large body of work over the course of her life. Clara passed away in 1994.
Sources:
Sources:
- Family Information