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When Roy's family set roots in Arizona, his Grandfather William Folsom was thirty-two years old His new bride Rebecca was just past her eighteenth birthday and pregnant with their first and only surviving child, Thaddeus Slightly ive birth to her second child, Rebecca, and her stillborn fetus died in the middle of childbirth Unfortunately, baby Clara arrived breech, with her feet escaping the womb first

The situation ell beyond the skills of the htened, she hastened the delivery process and was aghast when she saw the uhtly around the baby's neck and a deathly blue face Her desperate atte the placenta, causing Rebecca to bleed internally As Rebecca's life slowly trickled out, the horrified midwife helplessly watched as the bed clothes soaked to dark red Realizing her ht midwife summoned Williahly tossing the midwife out of the room

"What in God's creation have you done you stupid wo Leave now and never let ht out of you! You'vethe ed her to the front door and threw her off the porch Then, dashing to his wife's side, Williaony of death but eventually whispered, "love Thaddeus," with her last breath After watching his young wife slip away, the grieving grief-stricken Willia son, Thaddeus, despite the circumstances that bonded their tenuous relationship

When he arrived in the Arizona Territory, he was in high spirits for a bright future Unfortunately, the death of his young wife seehts and actions concentrated on work, with little tihter or play Resolutely burying his grief, William worked tirelessly to establish roots in his hoer or sleep and push his body to unspeakable limits for the laborious tasks he felt parae the man well beyond his years Heartbroken; his stooped shoulders leaned forward Deep set lines wrinkled his face, and his hair turned a steely gray The frown on William's face revealed the unspeakable e Thaddeus felt lost and spent far too many hours alone William made sure his son was fed and cared for, but beyond the basic necessities, William could not find the emotional resources for his son Thaddeus fended for hih curious eyes The solitude pushed Thaddeus to establish emotional relationships with folks fro Thaddeus offering to keep the boy, but William would have none of their nonsense William insisted that Thaddeus was fine and he was capable of handling his own son Nonetheless, folks in town constantly gossiped about the dire situation with the Folsom family