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1. WILLIAM RUSSELL4 HICKMAN (WILLIAM HARDIN3, WILLIAM2, WILLIAM1) was born September 6, 1846 in Mount Airy, Surry, County, North Carolina, and died November 11, 1932 in Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma. He married (1) RHODA CORDELL September 9, 1869 in Cedar County, Missouri, daughter of SPENCER CORDELL and REBECCA DRAIN. She was born 1850 in Washington County, Arkansas, and died October 27, 1878 in Charleston, Greenwood County, Kansas. He married (2) MARY ELIZABETH VARNUM July 3, 1879 in Altoona, Wilson County, Kansas, daughter of AMOS VARNUM and SUZANNAH WHITE. She was born January 8, 1857 in Williams County, Ohio, and died October 14, 1937 in Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma.

Notes for WILLIAM RUSSELL HICKMAN:

Pension Records dated May 5th, 1926, state that at enlistment William Russell was 6 feet 1 inch, fair complected, blue eyes, dark hair. On this document he stated that his disabilities were Rheumatism causing numbness of hands and limbs. He stated that at 79 years of age he could not dress or undress himself. Frequently can do no manual labor. Deafness in left ear. Sight of both eyes almost gone. He lists his occupation as farmer.

On December 26, 1882, War Department record states: On rolls from October 3, 1864 to February 28, 1865, present. March and April 1865 absent on detail service since April 29, 1865. May and June 1865 present. He was mustered out with Company August 8, 1865. No rolls on file in this office previous to September and October 1864. Reports show him October 8, 1864 absent sick in hospital. November 23, 1864, returned from General Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. Company returns for October 64 shows him absent sick. Company returns for December 64 shows him sick in General Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee since December 10. Company returns for July 65 absent sick in hospital since July 13, 1865. Nature of illness not stated. Regular Hospital records not on file. signed M. Barber, Assistant Adjutant General

Claimant's testimony. February 22, 1883 states: that at Bull's Gap, Tennessee on or about October 9th, 1864, he was relapsed with measles, and placed in Regimental Hospital at Bull's Gap. Thence taken to Knoxville, Tennessee at General Hospital, U.S., that rheumatism at Knoxville, Tennessee, set in and located itself in the muscle and joints; rather of a general character and has remained so from that time up to now, worse at times than others. That he has not been in the military or naval service of the U.S. Service since this discharge in August 8th, 1865.

Willam Russell Hickman left home, at age 17 years, to travel to Tennessee. He enlisted July 24, 1864 in Elizabethtown, by a story written in 1930 of his travels. He served in the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 23rd Corps, Company A.

GRANDPA HICKMAN'S STORY OF THE CIVIL WAR (as dictated to Muriel Seaman in 1930).

The Civil War as William Russell Hickman saw it - -

"Well, I don't know where to begin unless I begin at the beginning! We had three elections in North Carolina to hold the state in the Union. The Union won every time. Finally, Governor Ellis issued a proclamation declaring the state out of the Union. Virginia, on the north and South Carolina, on the south, had already seceded.

When they started to enlist soldiers, Senator Chesnut from South Carolina came up to Mount Airy, North Carolina to make us a speech. "Come on boys," he said, "one southern man can whip a dozen Yankees, and we don't even need a gun. All we need is a polk stalk, show a bold front and they'll duck tail and run". In an hour he had a hundred enlistments.

I was 14 when he made that speech, but I remember it as plain as yesterday. Seemed to me he was putting it a little strong.

I stayed in Mount Airy three years after that. Force was used to compel those over 18 to enlist. My brother, John enlisted in 1862 in the Union Army. He got away from Mount Airy all right but he didn't get outside North Carolina until he was captured by Witcher's Cavalry, with 6 companions. They were taken to camp, but Union men made a raid and in the retreat, the captured boys made their escape. They crossed the Ohio River and signed up for the Union.

Gabriel had already enlisted in the 12th Kansas Infantry. John was in the 39th Kentucky Mounted. He went in a Private and came out a Lieutenant.

Before I was 17, I made up my mind that I'd never fight for Jeff. (Jeff Davis) When I decided to enter the Union Army, it was not to free the Negro, I was just fighting for the Union. Just after Harper's Ferry, my dad had to fight a fellow for jumping onto him over the Negro question. Someone had said that he thought the Harper Ferry incident would bring on a war: Dad said maybe it would end with freeing every slave in the U. S. A slave holder jumped onto him for saying that, but Dad gave him two bod looking eyes.

In July 1864, two Union recruiting officers slipped into Mount Airy. We had Union men all through the settlement, and every one of us, knew our neighbor's convictions. The union recruiters had a regular route they traveled once a month or more. This route we called an underground railway. At this time, I decided to enlist for Uncle Sam. Thirty-six of us from the Mount Airy neighborhood, mostly boys, started out with these two officers on the night of July 24, 1864.

We traveled until about 4 o'clock the next evening, then stopped at a spring to rest. I leaned back against a tree and went to sleep.

I remember hearing a gun fire, but I must have run in my sleep; for the first thing I knew I hit my head on the limb of a tree and that woke me up. Leaned down to pick up my hat, when another gun shot cut a tree limb right off. It was a second cousin of mine who had fired. He belonged to the Local Home Guard of the Confederates. I ran on as fast as I could through the heavy woods.

Meantime, some of my companions had joined me - 16 out of the 36 - and we went on together until dark. When crossing an open road, a musket clicked and the flash passed just a few inches in front of me. Other muskets were fired, but they were discharged into the air. Their idea was to frighten us. Most of the Home Guards were old friends, and many were really sympathetic toward the Union. In this fight we lost one of our recruiting officers. We started running again. I fell and struck a pine knot under the ball of my eye. You can still see the scar. (I could, the lower lid was always droopy and inflamed). I sat up and decided I had just as good a chance staying right there as to go on running. My eye hurt terribly.

While I sat there, four of my companions came by. I caught at them and whispered for them to stop. We stayed right there from Saturday night until Monday morning. Then the five of us set out and got to Bob Bryant's place. Bob was one of Jeff Davis' congressmen, but he was home for a while from Richmond. He told us to sit under an apple tree while he and his wife brought us some food. I forgot to tell you that before we got to Bob's all 16 of us had gotten together again.

In a short time Bob, his wife and a slave came with a wash tub full of grub- pie, cake, beans, bacon and coffee and set us a meal right there under the apple tree.

When we started on our way again, Bob wished us good luck. We thanked him and traveled on for a week.

Meantime Jeff Davis had sent out a company of Hoke's Division to head us off. We heard from a Union man that we didn't have a chance to get through. We were then in the northwest corner of North Carolina, close to Crab Orchard, Tennessee. We sat down, on the ground out in the timber, and held a council of war. The recruiting officer started around the ring asking; "What are you going to do"? "Going home," some answered. And so it went. Only five of us said we were going through or die on the way. Then the officer and the five of us took the others, a two week journey, back showing them the way home. We escorted them within 8 miles of Dobson, North Carolina. There we told them "Good bye", turned right about face and started back over the road again.

One day we sat down in a wood's pasture, when we saw a company of Home Guards going by. We flattened ourselves on the ground and they didn't see us. Next day, we came to the home of a friend, Sam Spicer. He was Captain of the Home Guard near Wilkes borough, North Carolina. We went into the yard. Sam's wife was standing in the doorway and said, "You men hurry up; we've been waiting for you all this time. Twenty Rebels were sitting at the table. We played we weren't afraid, but every bite I ate got bigger and bigger. I just couldn't eat, so I said, "I'm awfully dry. Can I have a drink"? She said, "you'll have to go to the spring to get it". The five of us went to the spring. By and by, Sam's wife came out and told us that food would be in the spring house for us that night and as many nights as we needed it. She said she thought the Confederates were completely fooled and would not suspicion a thing. We stayed 3 days until the Home Guards disbanded for a few days. Then we started on again.

A week or so later, we got into a Yankee farmyard, but the farmer warned us to go back because a troop of confederates had been there a few minutes before. So we retreated 11 miles south and found out from a widow woman that we could go 70 miles southwest and cross the Blue Ridge without any danger of interference.

We traveled steadily through drizzling rain for four days and a half with not a bite of food in all that time. Blackest nights I ever saw. We got lost and went in a circle, but at noon on the fourth day we came out nearly on top of the Blue Ridge. A bunch of sheep were in sight. The recruiting officer was going to kill one but two of us grabbed him. He begged to kill just one but we held on. About that time a wind storm came up and a flying limb off a tree frightened the sheep away, so we turned Meshack Jessup loose. About that time, we sighted a Confederate camp not 60 yard away. It had been hidden by the heavy clouds. What would have happened to us if we had shot a sheep? Now, we ran for it again. I began to think what a close call we had had, and the fright made me fall in the mud three times.

About four o'clock that afternoon, we came into a clearing where we saw a farm house. I went to see if we could get something to eat. An old gray headed woman was sitting knitting. She cried when I told her what I wanted and told me we could have food. She had a son hiding out, too. We had a good meal.

Three days later we were met by Colonel E. W. Kirk (I believe this must be Colonel E. W. McCook) about six miles out from Bull's Gap. Here I began my military service in the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 23rd Corps, Company A; with W. T. Sherman, my commanding officer".

"The engagements I fought in were:

Bull's Gap - this was two weeks after I arrived and was a Union Victory.

Morristown, Tennessee - we got licked and the Confederates chased us like the dickens.

Red Banks, Tennessee and Pigeon River, North Carolina - both were victories for us.

Waynesville, North Carolina - also a victory for us but I lost my horse in action there".

""I was cut out of Sherman's march to the sea by being detailed, after the march began, to the duty of helping guard 1,600 prisoners, which were taken in the battle of Salisbury, North Carolina. We marched our prisoners to Nashville, Tennessee and there, we learned that the war was over".

Mustered out with Company on August 8, 1865 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Claimant's Testimony dated March 3rd, 1883.

State of Kansas

County of Greenwood

"In the matter of the application Invalid - Pension #390964 - of William R. Hickman, personally comes the claimant, who being first sworn on oath, says: "That his P.O. address was MT. Airy, Surry County, North Carolina, up to his enlistment all the time, and after discharge, up to about March 1866. From that time to April 1866, was moving. From April 1866 to November 1864, Osawatomie P. O., Miami County, Kansas. Thence Stockton, Cedar County, Missouri, up to 1874, in March. Thence Charleston, Greenwood County, Kansas, up to now. Occupation was and is yet, farming".

"On or about 9th of October 1864, at or near Bull's Gap, Tennessee, I was placed on detail to chop timber. When returned, placed on picket. Heavy rain ensued upon me, taken relapse from measles, which terminated in rheumatism. Used lineament treatment myself, up to time. The time of moving to Miami County, Kansas was treated by Dr. "Collida" in 1866 and he is now dead. In Cedar County Missouri, was treated by Dr. Bolton, now dead".

"In 1874, April, O. P. Smith treated me, now dead (in Greenwood County, Kansas). Since that, by Dr. D. W. Johnson, Elk County, Kansas and Dr. B. F. Pugh, Greenwood County, Kansas. P. O. Address of each: Fall River, Kansas. I have done some manual labor since discharge and prevented about 1/3 of my time from labor by said disease. I don't know the address of any of my commission's officers".

"My Post Office address is Charleston, State of Kansas, County of Greenwood. Signed "Wm. R. Hickman".

As a child, I was told, by my mother that my grandfather was in the Oklahoma land rush. I believe that she was speaking about William Russell, my great grandfather, as this is where he lived until his death in November 11, 1932. I have not been able to confirm this fact, as yet. Wm and Mary Hickman were living in Langston, Logan County, Oklahoma, on February 10, 1898. Later lived in Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma at 614 W. Logan.

William Russell and Mary Elizabeth Hickman are buried in Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Also buried there is Rose Etta Hickman Anderson.

1910 U.S. Federal Census. Guthrie City, Logan County, Oklahoma. William R. Hickman, age 64, wife Mary E., age 53, married 32 years. Children listed at home, Hazel, age 16 and Earnst E., age 11. Wm R. lists his occupation as laborer, street work, working on his own, out of work 12 weeks in 1909. Family living in own home with mortgage.[Hickman]

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EUREKA HERALD October 30, 1987 (front page)

Land Office at Independence, Kas

October 24, 1879

Notice is hereby given that the following named settler has filed notice of his intention to make final proof in support of his expiration of thirty days from the date of this notice, viz: William R. Hickman of Section 30 township 27 south, range 13 east, section 25 township 27 range 12 east and names the following as his witnesses. viz: Rezin Bennett, of Greewood County, Kansas, and Samuel L. Hunt, of Greewood County, Kansas; also Rezin Bennett of half southeast quarter section 25 township witnesses William R. Hickman and Samuel L. Hunt, both of Greenwood County, Kansas; also Samuel L. Hunt, of Greenwood County, Kansas for lots 2 and 3 and section 30 township 27 south range 13 east, and northeast quarter of southeast quarter section 25 township 27 south range 12 east. M. J. Salter, Register

Notes for RHODA CORDELL:

I have seen Rhoda's name written as Roda, also.

Notes for MARY ELIZABETH VARNUM:

GRANDMA HICKMAN'S TRIP WEST

Muriel Seaman

One week-end when I was visiting Grandma Hickman, I begged her to let me write down something of her early life. If I had been a good reporter, I could have found out many things that I now want so much to know and never will. However, I thought I'd have plenty of time to get the rest of it later, but I didn't. When she asked me where to begin, I said, "Begin with your trip from Ohio in the wagon train". Here is her story - -

GRANDMA'S TRIP FROM OHIO TO KANSAS AS SHE DICTATED IT

In the spring of 1868, we left Williams County, Ohio - the nearest town was Cleveland, in a caravan of seven covered wagons. As we went through one little town, my brother Wash saw the first Negroes he had ever seen. He stared at them and kept staring so hard that one of them became angry and yelled, "Yo looks just like the debbil before day." (That was a common expression in Grandma Hickman's family).

We were seven weeks and four days on the way from Ohio to Kansas. There was no travel on Sundays. There was a preacher and his family with us - - every Sunday we had Sunday School and church. Logs would be rolled up for us to sit on and then we were ready for the services.

We cooked over a campfire fed by brush we gathered. When we camped at night, the wagons were put in a circle with the horses corralled inside for fear of Indian raids, but in the whole trip we never saw even an Indian.

At the end of the third or fourth week, my father saw that his money was getting low and he didn't dare make any more stops. He decided to leave the group and go on. Two other families wanted to keep moving so that Sunday morning we left our other friends and moved on toward Kansas.

We crossed the Mississippi on a ferry boat. I had never seen a ferry boat before. To me it was the funniest thing. There I was with all my brothers and sisters (How sad I didn't stop Grandma here and get their names), sitting in our big wagon looking at the big river while a boat carried us across. There were four wagons on it and all of us children were sorry when we drove off onto the land.

When we got to Kansas, we went first to my Uncle Willard Varnum's. He had filed on a homestead near Altoona, just a little Indian Village, and lived with him until my father could file for a claim. Then we camped on our claim. We made a tent out of the wagon cover.

Before we could get our house built a flood came - we were camping in creek bottom land. It happened this way. We were all asleep in the tent when our old dog came to Dad's bed and whined and barked. Dad struck the dog and told him to go lie down. He went away. Then a little later he came back whining. My father decided something was wrong and got up. He found himself standing in water and yelled at us to get out. We all waded out and climbed the hill to our unfinished house. We climbed up on the pile of lumber and soaked the rest of the night. The next day we found our dishes a mile and a half down the creek - also our harness. The tent had held its pegs in the ground but I'll never forget how my mother cried when she saw the paste that had been a new sack of flour - my father had hauled it from the railroad station just the day before - a whole day's trip. Also our cured meat was caked in river mud.

We moved the tent to high ground - my mother had wanted it by the creek so we wouldn't have to carry water so far to do our washing. But one flood was enough for her.

After a few days our three room house was finished. Our family of ten moved in an it was nice to stand on a real wood floor again.

Marriage Notes for WILLIAM HICKMAN and MARY VARNUM:

William Russell Hickman and Mary Elizabeth Varnum were married one mile north of Altoona, Kansas in Wilson County at Mary's father's home, by Parson Thomas Miller of Altoona. Marriage may have been recorded in Fredonia, Kansas.[Hickman.FTW]

Children of WILLIAM HICKMAN and RHODA CORDELL are:

2. i. JOHN MORGAN5 HICKMAN, b. June 26, 1870, Cedar County, Missouri; d. November 28, 1946.

3. ii. MINNIE REBECCA HICKMAN, b. November 22, 1872, Springfield, Green County, Missouri; d. April 24, 1935, Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas.

4. iii. LAURA ALICE HICKMAN, b. November 30, 1874, Altoona, Kansas; d. December 24, 1957, Parker, Linn County, Kansas.

Children of WILLIAM HICKMAN and MARY VARNUM are:

5. iv. DORA MAY5 HICKMAN, b. August 14, 1880, Altoona, Wilson County, Kansas; d. April 9, 1945, Edmond, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.

v. LUCINDA HICKMAN, b. 1881; d. 1881.

6. vi. ROSE ETTA HICKMAN, b. November 10, 1882, Charleston, Greenwood County, Kansas; d. March 18, 1965, Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma.

7. vii. THOMAS RUSSELL HICKMAN, b. December 25, 1885; d. March 21, 1920, Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma.

viii. MOSES HICKMAN, b. February 28, 1891; d. December 7, 1910.

8. ix. HAZEL HICKMAN, b. May 8, 1893, Oklahoma; d. July 1976, Oakland, Alameda County, California.

x. MCKINLEY RAY HICKMAN, b. October 28, 1895; d. January 13, 1909, Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma.

9. xi. ERNEST E. HICKMAN, b. November 8, 1898, Langston, Oklahoma; d. September 13, 1943, Orange County, California.

Generation No. 2

2. JOHN MORGAN5 HICKMAN (WILLIAM RUSSELL4, WILLIAM HARDIN3, WILLIAM2, WILLIAM1) was born June 26, 1870 in Cedar County, Missouri, and died November 28, 1946. He married ANNIE L. SMITH November 1891. She was born 1868, and died 1960.

Notes for JOHN MORGAN HICKMAN:

Oct th 8th 1893

Dear Son and family. I now take my pen to write you a few lines to let you know we are all tolerably well at present hoping this may find you all well I am done Sowing wheat and mowing hay I and Willard are going to start to Tery Willard has not filed on his claim yet I went to the race the day of the opening there was four men and a woman killed just over east of us some man shot a gun and a Winchester and rode about 30 miles on Grandpa Varnums gray mare I saw Several Deer tracks but nary Deer I heard a good many big guns I think it was the nearest thing to a forced march and a Cavalry charge and a Small skirmish. There is a good many things I would like to tell you it would take a hole quire of foolscap to describe what I saw in the opening of the strip John, if you had been here you could have got a good claim and you probably could one now but you would have to buy hay all winter the Strip was burnt off clean and it was the windiest day that I ever Saw and there was no rain in three weeks and the grass was fired the day before the opening by Sooners there was an old man went in a couple of days before the opening to see if any body was in there he came back and reported four hundred men in sight looking for (several illegible words at the crease in the original letter).... most of them was on bear creek ther was Several made the race from this side of Blackbear but found evry valuible claim covered by Sooners after they had run twelve to 14 miles I am glad you was not here among all of the other bad figters there was an organized band of cut throats tried to play the confidence game on me last winter wel they hung a lot (another line of illegible words)... the worst thing that I saw was scarcety of water I did not get a drink from 8 o clock morning til six in the eaving I had some dinner in my pocket but could no eat it on account of the dirt evry thing looked black with ashes wel if the man has paid for that drill pay Tenny six dollars and get my not it was $16, I paid $10 last spring and the balance pay to F. W. Paulen on sowing machine note and take a receipt and send note and receipt to me so I can Settle with Paulen by the receipt so I will close write soon and often yours, W R Hickman

W. R. Hickman was living in Langston, Ok and this letter was written to his son, John M. Hickman, who was living in Kansas.