Arthur "Art" Sidney Voorhees

Birth: He was born in 1868 in Kansas.   

Family Information: Married to Ella Voorhees.

Step-father of Viola (Demaree) Gilbert and Riley Demaree.

Description: In 1933 he was described as a "class conscious old worker of many summers." The report went on to say that Art "might be easily balled up as to the proper way to cultivate a blackberry patch; he might sometimes get his wires crossed regarding the whys and wherefore of a Ford car; he was never quite sure about the day of the week or month and there are a great many things he is slow to grasp. But no one can accuse him of being dull when it comes to an understanding of the class struggle; he always has the right answer at the right time for any problem where the workers are concerned. There is not a person in Ink, or the surrounding community, but that wishes him many years health and happiness in his new home."

Pre-Colony History: In 1905 he was living in Topeka, Kansas with his wife, Rosella, and her two children. In 1910 the family was living in Utah, while he worked as a laborer in a wax mine.

In 1920 he was living in California in the home of his niece and her husband, along with her parents, his brother and sister-in-law.  

Home in Colony:    

Job in Colony:  

Other Info: At some point, probably 1922, he joined his wife at Newllano. They remained in the colony until 1924, when they were part of a group who supported the Commonwealth College in their dispute with George Pickett and decided to move with the college to a new site near Mena, Arkansas.  

Post-Colony History: In 1928 he sent a letter to the Mail Bag which was printed in the "Llano Colonist" stating that he'd been glad to hear of their success in court (against a receivership claim) and later that year, renewed his subscription to that publication.

In 1930 he was boarding with his step-daughter, Viola, and her husband in Arkansas while working as a laborer in a garage. In 1933, it was reported in the "Inklings" column of the "Llano Colonist" that he was leaving Arkansas, headed back to California.  

Death: He died in 1940 in California.  

Sources: Kansas State Census: 1905; US Census: 1910, 1920, 1930; "Llano Colonist": April 7, 1928, May 12, 1928, October 21, 1933; California Death Index, 1940-1997; FindAGrave.com