Forde and Grace Beeten and their four children - Arthur, Louis, Herbert and Eleanor, moved to Johnstown from Fort Lupton, Colorado in 1915. Forde was transferred from the Colorado Condensed Milk Company there to the Johnstown factory as manager.
In June 1916, Forde suffered severe burns while troubleshooting the cause of a power outage at the condensery. He was replacing a fuse when he came into contact with a live wire. The current was strong enough to cause him to jerk backward. In doing so, he bumped his head against a line carrying 22,000 volts, and the current burned a hole in his skull.
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