Early marriage to Ray Walker
Ray Jonathan Walker was born in 1895 in Butte, Nebraska and was in Class E Canadian Army in 1918. He married Gladys Mary Gunn on feb. 11, 1918 in Hazemore, Sask.
Iris Margaret Gladys Walker was born in Vanguard, Sask. Jan. 31, 1919. Moved with parents to Coriander District NE of Val Marie.
In the spring of 1919 Ray and Gladys went to Jansen, Sask. to put up hay for cattle feed. In January of 1920 they lived in Spokane and Farmington, Wash and Deer Park until June of 1920. Gladys worked in a hotel in Deer Park, WA until June 14. They left for Oregon and she cooked for hay crews in Stanfield Oregon (near Pendleton). They left Oregon for Valentine, Nebraska and moved to St. Francis in South Dakota visiting Ray’s relatives in Winner, S.D.
In 1921 Dorothy Ruth was born June 8, in Rosebud, S.D. but shorty after left for North Dakota to work in the harvest on a farm at Ellendale for Mr. and Mrs. Boeling, hog ranch. Gladys worked a lot and the next baby, a girl Elaine Edith was born in Napoleon, North Dakota on Feb. 1, 1922.
The family moved northward and lived in Woodward. Ray was always unstable, working in garages and they went through hard times. He worked briefly for Delco Lighting Plants. He was very clever with machinery but left to visit his uncle George at Pilot Mount where they rented a house in Sarles, N.D.
In 1923 they left to visit Grandma Walker at Leroy, Sask. and stayed there all summer. Ran and Uncle George bought a lot in Sylvania, Sask. They built a garage and go t their first car. Poor Roads. The family moved back to Coriander to visit Gladys’ parents, Postmaster, J.E. Gunn. Stayed until Christmas and left for Mossbank where Ray worked in a garage. Another Baby girl, Virginia Helen “Betty”.April 15, 1925. They then moved to Watson, Sask. where he worked in another garage, which was later destroyed by fire. They left for Coriander and after much heart in the family, Gladys had a baby boy, Francis Raymond, born July 25, 1926.
It was here that Ray’s affections to Katherine Bakrud. He would later leave with her from Leroy to Montana (World Point).
Gladys left for Washington with Betty and Francis. Elaine stayed with Auntie Edith and Walter Gough and Iris stayed at the post office with grandparents, J.E. Gunn. According to Iris’s account of the story Gladys tried to save the married but failed. They returned the children after parents sent a ticket to the Sterling Hotel near Raymond. Gladys had no support from Ray and with five children had to work. She kept house for Louis Amland and later moved back to keep house for her husband’s brother, Ural.
After the divorce she married Ural, her brother-in-law. The divorce was witnessed by Frank Walker. The children attended school, except for Elaine. Iris passed into grade 12 attending school in Idaho and later went with an aunt to Yakima, WS, and later coming back to Coriander to Gladys who was very ill. succumbed to cancer in May of 1935. Iris stayed with Grandpa Gunn for a time where the children studied at home.
This note was found in notes from Iris Walker Rosser in a letter to her sister Helen (Betty). The note reads, “After deserting his family your father is rumored to have changed his name to Wilson and had five children wi Katherine Barked from Henghes, South Dakota. They lived in Los Angeles, He is suppose to have died three years ago (possible in 1954) He may have married her but this report according to Iris was reported and may not be true and came from the Lethbridge area.
It is interesting to note that I (Kenneth Larson) had my DNA done in 2019 and within the past year I had three separate Wilsons come up as first or second cousins. To my knowledge we have no Wilson relatives and yet these three names are among my closest relatives. I have emailed each of them throughout 2019 and 2020 with no response. But the mention from Iris Rosser, Ray’s eldest daughter, that he changed his name to Wilson would certainly make sense to have his offspring show up in my DNA.