HomeMy WebLinkAboutToliver Family Laundry
Toliver’s Home Laundry Viola Ford-Toliver (pictured the third from the left) staying true to her heritage of entrepreneurship and being creative in 1945, purchased a ¼ acre of land from
a Mrs. Angie Gavin and built a successful laundry service that employed several of the local women. Viola Ford-Toliver was the fifth child born to George and Victoria Ford in 1904. Viola
married Robert Jack Toliver and had six children: Vanee, Robert Webb, Iris Jean, Majorie, Eleanor, and Mary Nell. Early in Viola and Robert’s marriage they earned money as sharecroppers
on local farms and in 1937 they purchased a ¼ acre of land from Mr. Kapchinski to build their family home. In 1942 viola and her husband moved their family to Vancouver, Washington so
that they could both work for Kaiser Shipyard; they returned to Texas in 1945. Although, Viola only completed school up to the eighth grade she was nevertheless an innovative person.