Lofton

Lofton: Journal of an American Woman is based on the writings of a unique and fascinating woman whose life spanned almost the entire twentieth century, Lofton Helen (Kuhn) Fox. Born to Austrian immigrants in 1901, Lofton was a first generation of this new land, America. Lofton called herself a "child of the Old Age," a sort of "change-of-life baby." She was the youngest of six children-two of them born in Austria, the other four in America . . . a "Transitional-Nationality Family!" Her parents, of German descent, emigrated from the old country, Austria, in the late 1800s. They came to America seeking a better way of life and desiring to be free of dictatorial regimes like the ones that ruled their former homeland: to be able to work at whatever profession they wanted, with freedom to attend the church of their choosing and to worship God without reprisal. They wanted the freedom to speak their own minds when they had something to say and to be able to raise their children in the manner and in the customs that they personally saw fit. Like most children of that era, Lofton had little in the way of possessions to call her own; she even slept in the same bed as one of her sisters. Her clothes were homemade or hand-me-downs. With no electricity in their house, schoolwork was done by candlelight or the glow of a lantern. When there was time for recreation, the children did not sit around the house diddling with gadgets; they played outside in the yard or in a nearby field. When Lofton married Melvin Fox, her greatest fear was that he was still in love with his ex-wife. Because Melvin was a partner with his father on his chicken farm, Lofton automatically became a part of the family business. Following a short honeymoon, she donned a pair of overalls and immediately began learning the poultry business and working the farm. The Foxes' first home was a small apartment above a chicken coop next door to her in-laws; life there proved to be quite challenging. A heated disagreement with his pa led Melvin and Lofton to seek and purchase a farm of their own, and after they remodeled the small, primitive-looking house and built several chicken coops, they were prepared to raise chickens. The couple bought 500 baby chicks . . . and with that purchase they were finally about to live their dream-to be in the poultry business once again, but now on their terms. During the depression, Melvin was forced to take on another job, leaving the management of their farm entirely to Lofton. She was responsible for the household duties, the farm chores, maintaining the property, purchasing and hauling feed, raising the chickens, and catering to Melvin when he came home late at night exhausted and hungry. It was a difficult and sometimes painful job, but she did it brilliantly. In her long life, which spanned more than 98 years, Lofton ran her and Melvin's chicken farm, survived the Great Depression, suffered the loss of her only child, Patty Ann, and witnessed all the seismic changes for which the last century stands dramatically apart from all that preceded it: having given birth to everything from airplanes to space flight to personal computers. In truth, her life spanned the dawning and daylight of a new age. Lofton maintained a strong belief in God, loved her country dearly, and adored her husband Melvin. Her life and values embraced nearly all that define Twentieth-Century America; she was a true twentieth-century American woman.