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The
Newton Family
1934
San Antonio, Texas
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This picture, of the Newton family, was taken November 1934 at the family home on Mission St. in
San Antonio, TX. The occasion was the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Alfonso Newton Sr. and Felise
Franco. If you would like to know more about the Newton Family there is a copy of their family history entitled The Newtons of Bexar by Jim Earl in the SAGHS Library.
The following is A brief story of each family member pictured:
1. Lucille Marie Gonzales (1919-) Lucille graduated from Brackenridge HS and married Ottman
Piltz. The marriage did not last long but they had a son David who lives in Oregon. Lucille moved
with her mother to California in the 40s. She became a nurse and married a John Scott. She is still
living in Downey, CA.
2. Helen Edith (Sister) Gonzales Earl (1911-1992) Helen met and married Albert Earl Jr. in 1929 after
her graduation from Brackenridge HS. She was a devoted wife and mother. She was alway happy
and loved to visit with her family. She had two boys and spent her life loving and helping them.
3. James Albert (Bub) Earl Jr. (1903-1974) Chief Earl was an outstanding athlete as a young man.
He pitched baseball in the Texas League and was a boxer and a horseman. Born in Louisiana, his
family moved to Victoria, TX and then to San Antonio in the late 1920s. It was there he met and married Helen Gonzales. They had two boys. He was trained by his father to be a watch maker but when
things got bad in 1929 he took a job as a county deputy sheriff. He subsequently took employment
in Alamo Heights as a patrolman and quickly became Chief of Police, a position he held until his
retirement due to illness, in 1964.
4. James Albert (Jimmie) Earl III (1931-) Maj. Earl was born in San Antonio, TX and graduated in
1949 from Alamo Heights HS. He then attended Texas A&M and graduated in 1953. During his senior year while on a singing trip with the Aggie Singing Cadets he met a pretty Amarillo girl, Bettye
Chilcote. After graduation he entered the Air Force and before entering flight school, he and Bettye
were married. They had three children. Jim flew jets in the Air Force and he and his family traveled
all over the world. He retired from the Air Force in 1973. Jim lost his beloved wife Bettye to cancer
in 1989. He was rescued by a lovely and very active Iowa girl, Priscilla Marie Stockwell. They married
and he had a second career as a service engineer at Fairchild Aircraft.
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5. Nancy Harton (1923-) Nancy graduated from Hendix Collage in 1944 and became a high school
science teacher. She met Dr. Henry Wilber Kamp and they were married that same year. They had
four children. Nancy has a great interest in genealogy. They now live in Denton, TX.
6. William M. Harton Jr. (1921-1953) Capt. Horton died in an aircraft accident in Oxnard, CA while
serving in the Air Force. He was only 32 years old. This cut short a sterling career. A West Point graduate, he was a dedicated pilot and family man. He married Victoria Diane Bianhini in 1946 and they
had four children.
7. Albert R.(Sonny) Gonzales Newton (1912-1986) Albert grew up at a turbulent time. Money was
short and after his father was murdered, he had to become the man in the family. He started work
at an early age and when war seem emanate, he joined the Army Air Corp. He was a member of the
“Flying Sergeants” who flew numerous mission from India hauling supplies to China. At the end of
the war he met a lovely Alamo Heights girl while home on leave visiting his sister. It was love at first
sight and on October 11, 1945 he married Evelyn Josephine Pape. After the war he used his military
training and became an aircraft mechanic for Tom Slick. He moved his small family to California and
later returned to San Antonio working on C46s. He was offered a job at Kelly AFB and he stayed
there till his retirement. Sonny, as he was called by the family, was the always the person you called
on if you needed help. All of the family depended on him and he never let them down. Sonny and
Evelyn had three children who all graduated from Alamo Heights HS.
8. Felicta (Felice) Newton Harton (1891-1969) Felice was born in San Antonio and after HS worked
at the Bexar Co. Court House. She was a Designated Deputy Sheriff. During WW I the young ladies
would attend dances at Fort Sam. There she met and subsequently married a young Lt. William
Horton. After the war they moved to Conway, AR where their two children were born. Felice was a
loving mother and like all the Newton girls, had a strong sense of family.
9. William (Bill) Harton Sr. (1883-1980) Dr. Bill Harton was from a large family in Conway, AR. He
served in the Army during WW I and stayed in where he advanced to the rank of Col. Bill graduated
from Hendrix Collage and obtained his Doctor of Optometry degree from Colombia University. He
was a well respected member of his community and loved by all.
10. Ceanlle (Cecile) Newton Kilday (1902-1989) Cecile was a beautiful woman. The family always
said she was the real politician in the family. During election time she was always in the news with
her daughters and unlike Paul, her congressman husband, she enjoyed stumping for votes. Cecile
is buried with her husband at the Arlington National Cemetery.
11. Mary Catherine Kilday Molzone (1933-1999) Mary Catherine was born in San Antonio but grew
up in Washington DC. She graduated with a degree in communications and returned to San Antonio
as a radio broadcaster in the 50s. She married George Molzone and though they had no children, it
was a very happy marriage. She was a beautiful talented woman with great charm.
12. Paul J. Kilday (1900-1968) Paul Joseph Kilday was a Representative from Texas; born in Sabinal,
Uvalde County, Tex., March 29, 1900, his father Patrick, was an Irish immigrant. He moved with his
parents to San Antonio, TX in 1904; attended the public and parochial schools and St. Mary’s College, San Antonio, TX.; employed as a clerk, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1918-1921
and as a law clerk, United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation, in 1921 and 1922;
was graduated from the law department of Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., in 1922; was
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admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in San Antonio, Tex.; served as first assistant district attorney of Bexar County, Tex., 1935-1938. He married Cecile Newton 9 Aug 1932 and
they had two daughters. Elected to the United States Congress as a Democrat to the Seventy-sixth
and to the eleven succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1939, until his resignation
September 24, 1961, having been appointed a judge of the Court of Military Appeals and served in
this capacity until his death in Washington, D.C., October 12, 1968; interment in Arlington National
Cemetery, Fort Myer, Va.
13. Ignacia (Agnes) Newton Gordon (1894-1976) Agnes met another WW I Officer from Fort Sam,
Harry R. Gordon. They were married in 1922. They had one child, Mary Louise, who still lives in San
Antonio with her family. Harry came from a prominent shoe manufacturing family in New York but
he moved to San Antonio after his service. Agnes worked from many years at Fort Sam. She had a
wonderful singing voice and loved to travel.
14. Harry Gordon (1895-1956) Lt. Gordon served in the 340 Aero Sq. from 1917 to 1919. After the
war he came to San Antonio to marry Agnes. He became the company sales representative for his
family shoe manufacturing plant in New York. Harry was a salesman and was always tell funny stories
and he enjoyed family life.
15. Mary Louise Gordon (1930-) Mary Louise is the daughter of Agnes and Harry. She met a WW II
veteran in 1945 and she fell in love with this tall man. She had just turned 16 but like most of the girls
in the Newton family, once she made up her mind, there was no stopping her. Her husband Leslie
Thomlinson was born in 1925. After his release from the the navy, he attended A&M and obtained
a degree in engeering. Leslie worked for the Sam Antonio City Public Service till his reatrment. They
had two children and live in Castle Hills.
16. Mable Faith Stewart Newton (1893-1936) Mable was a beautiful woman with great charm. She
love politics and loved to entertain. She played the piano beautifully. Her death at so young an age
was a great blow to he husband, Alfonso Newton Jr.
17. Angelita (Angie) Newton Luthy (1897-1989) Angie loved to bowl and won many trophies at the
old Turner Hall on Bonham St. She hosted most of the family parties after her mother died. She and
Frank loved to play cards with friends and family and they had a lovely summer place on Medina Lake.
Angie started driving before drivers licenses were issued by the state and refused to get one even
though she continued to drive well after her doctor told her to stop. She never had an accident.
18. Thomas Orian Foster Jr. (1900-1995) Orian was an Aggie from the class of 1922. He loved to
tell stories and practical jokes. The family loved him. Orian met his life companion, Flossie Newton,
while they both worked in the Bexar County Court House. After their marriage, Orian went to work
as a civil engineer for the State of Texas. He and his family moved all over the state. Among his many
accomplishments was that he designed and supervised the construction of the high bridge going
into Corpus Christi. Orian and Flossie had two children.
19. Frank Lewis Edward Luthy (1892-1960) Frank came from a well to do Swiss family in Casterville.
At the start of WW I, Frank was in Switzerland visiting family. When the war broke out he was drafted
into the Swiss Army and forced to stay until the war was over. He was prominent in the lumber business and had extensive timber holdings in Washington State. 12 Jun 1949 he married Angie Newton
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after an extended courtship. Frank had one daughter by a previous marriage. Frank is buried at San
Fernando Cemetery with his beloved Angie.
20. Vicenta (Bessie) Newton Gonzales (1890-1959) Bessie was a very strong woman. She married
Albert Gonzales when she was quite young and they had three children. Albert was a painter and
work was scarce so Bessie used her sisters HS diploma to get into nursing school. She set up a clinic
on the west side and was the nurse at the Fink Cigar Co. for a number of years. She spoke English,
German and Spanish fluently. Albert was murdered in 1932 and a few year later Bessie took her
youngest daughter and moved to California. She became head nurse at a large hospital that specialized in the treatment of polio victims. She married Joe Smith but the marriage only lasted about
ten years. She returned to San Antonio shortly before her death.
21. Alfonso Newton Sr. (1861-1950) He lived all his life in San Antonio. He married Felicita “Felice”
FRANCO, 24 Nov 1884 and they had nine children. Alfonso sold news papers as a boy in Alamo Plaza
and in later life served as a Deputy Sheriff for Bexar Co. He was a business man with extensive holdings and at one time owed and operated a bar. He was a kindly man, much loved by his family.
22. Felicita (Felice) Franco Newton (1866-1956) Felice was a very small lady in statue but the guiding
force in the family. She attended Ersaline Academy in San Antonio as a girl and worked at the Bexar
Co. Court House for many years. She and Alfonso were married November 24, 1884 in San Antonio.
Family gatherings at her home were always grand affairs with great food and much laughter
23. Alfonso Newton Jr. (1887-1971) Alfonso as the only boy child was doted over by his sisters. He
was a true gentleman. He served in the army during WW I. Later in life he served as Chief Deputy
and was elected Sheriff of Bexar Co. He retired as the Senior Civil Service Director at Kelly AFB. He
was married twice. His first wife Mable Faith Stewart who died in 1936 at only 43. His second wife
was Effie Schulz who he married in 1944.
24. Florence (Flossie) Newton Foster (1905-) Flossie after graduating from Brackenridge HS she
worked at the Bexar Co., Court House. It was there she met a young Aggie engineer, Orian Foster,
who later became her husband. They had two children. Flossie now lives in Houston TX and is bright
and full of life. As of this writing will be 100 next year 2005.
Donated by Jim Earl
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