My Great-Uncle, an Iowa Farm Boy, Made History as an Award-Winning Aircraft Designer
My great-uncle, Clayton Folkerts, was born in Wellsburg, Iowa, in 1897 and moved to the Bristow, Iowa area around 1900.
Clayton became interested in aviation by the time he was about 14 years old, when his father had attended the World’s Fair and came home with a story that inspired Clayton to begin designing and building his own airplanes.
He designed several home-built airplanes in the early 1900s, working on his plans in the evenings — there were chores that had to be done during the day. One of the first planes he built was a bi-plane, and looking at the old pictures of him standing beside it on the farm always brings a deep sense of family pride.
Clayton Folkerts with one of his planes
Clayton was especially known for inventing the Monocoupe, where the pilot and passenger sit side-by-side instead of front-to-back. Through his dedication, he became a self-taught engineer, even designing a plane for Charles Lindbergh. Later, in the 1930s, he designed racers and won the prestigious Thompson Trophy in 1937 for a plane he designed.
Our family has several pictures and newspaper clippings that help to tell his story, but the best story I have is one written by my grandpa Harold, Clayton’s younger brother. Harold followed Clayton around the farm, watching his every move as he designed several planes. A gifted engineer himself, Harold recalled every detail of Clayton’s airplanes — those that flew, and how plans were adjusted with those that did not.
I took my grandpa’s story, pictures, and newspaper clippings and put them in a book to share with the family to enjoy for years to come.
Clayton passed away in 1964 at the age of 67, but his legacy is preserved for the world to see. One of his Monocoupes is in a hangar at the Oshkosh Aviation Museum in Wisconsin. Additionally, a five-foot scale model of one of his planes is hanging in the home of a family friend, to be donated to the Iowa Aviation Museum in the future.
To this day, one of my favorite details of his life is that all mail going through the Bristow post office in the 1920s was stamped with a stamp that said “Our hometown hero” in reference to Clayton. He left behind quite a legacy in our family history, and we are incredibly proud of his accomplishments.
Many thanks to Judy Kjellsen for sharing the remarkable story of her great-uncle. Explore more American Family Stories and discover how ordinary families experienced extraordinary moments in U.S. history on MyHeritage’s America 250 hub.
