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.
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