Photos: Bill Hickman

Fred married the last known child of William "Bill" Adams Hickman, Mary Ella Hickman. Ella's mother, Minerva Wade Hickman, left Bill and moved to Ogden, Utah, to live near her family shortly after Ella was born, so Ella never really knew her father. She heard tales from her brothers and mother, read letters of his, but did not have the personal relationship that other of her siblings had with her father.

The LDS Christian Church's historical archives have some great photos of Bill, of a quality I haven't seen anywhere else. Both were taken by Charles Williams Carter. Carter was a British immigrant who learned photography while serving as a soldier in the British Army. He converted to Mormonism and relocated to Salt Lake City in 1859, thereafter joining the studio of Charles Roscoe Savage. He opened Carter's View Emporium, and took photos of Mormons in the community. The Church Archives' photo has a pencil notation of the photo having been taken in 1874; this is incorrect for a couple reasons: (a) Bill would have been 59 years old; this is not the photo of a man of that age. He looks at least a decade younger. (b) Bill wasn't living near Salt Lake City at that time to have a photo taken of him.

The second is from Carter's glass negative collection, and contains incredible detail in how Bill looked. A much lower quality version of this photograph was used for the cover of Hope Hilton's Wild Bill Hickman and the Mormon Frontier. It shows how light Bill eyes must have been against his frontier leathered skin and dark hair. There is no claim of a date with this photo, although I suspect it was fairly close in time with the prior photo. The text on the right states "Bill Hickman," with some number below it.

In another post, I'll write about how when goings were tough for the Kohlhepp's, Ella offered to give some lectures on her father Bill Hickman to set the record straight while also gunning for some financial compensation.

Minerva Wade Letters to Ella - Part 1

I have various letters and documents from Ella's mother, Minerva Wade, which flesh out not only her life, but the lives of Fred and Ella. I'll need to do research to uncover who is being referenced in the letters and some of the other matters, and will take notes for myself as they are figured out. The letters that I have only transcribed copies (so I will not be posting original images) start in 1905, while Fred was away on his mission, and proceed thereafter through 1915. Minerva Wade passed away in 1918. I'll post these letters letter by letter.

North Ogden Oct. 21th 1905

Deare Ella

Saturday morning is heare and Scot will soon be here for the fruit.  I see now I might of put in a few more apples but I did not know how they would be till I got them Sowed up but they will help you some   For the first time the peares has ben a failure .  Thier is quite  a few fairmane apples on one tree, the one neare the peare tree. Susanah Wad said she would let Orlando come and help me pick them to day if Eddy could let him have the little buggy to come up and get some of them.  I can give them to moste any boddy for the picking of them.  I would of ben so pleased to of had some of the children come and got them.  Vive, I wanted him to have some fruit.  Warren will be in later on.  I got a letter from him yesterday  with a 20 twenty dollare check in it to helpe me (for to go to the temple)  and get cole (coal) with.  He has just finished 10 miles fensing so he can begin to geather some of the stock and weane the calves.  He is working his self to death to get things fixed up to live there,  he thinks.  Wall Deare Ella do the beste you can and try to keepe warm and keepe the children warm and (a bill will be put  in this letter) will the way bill will be put in this letter (to help grpa. Kohlhepp on the mission)  by by and love to all and kisses for the children xxxxxxxxxxxx

As ever youre Deare Mother 

M W Hickman

Questions and Observations from letter:

(a) Who are the people mentioned?

Scot = ? I can't find an obvious relative this would refer to. Regardless, it appears that Scot was to bring fruit up for Fred's family from Ogden.

Susanah Wad = Makes me think this is a Wade, of course, but cannot identify this one amongst Edward Wade's children.

Orlando = ? No luck figuring out this one either.

Eddy = Too many possibilities here to make a determination.

Vive = I expect this to be Survivor Hickman (1860-1950), Minerva's son and Ella's brother; Fred and Ella also had a Survivor (Viva), but I do not believe him to be referenced in this case. Survivor was a common name in the Hickman family line. I've heard a bit of folklore around its origin. Some claim it's issued when a boy finally survives after many other children before them have perished. This is true of both Minerva Wade's and Ella's sons. However, I personally reject this explanation, because how would you know that the newborn child would survive when you named them? Yes, you could hope so, but then I'd expect more deceased instances of the name Survivor. Another story I've heard is what someone captured for Survivor Hickman on Family Search:

"Christmas Day 1859 Bill Hickman was shot by Lot Huntington.   Two Mormon doctors attended to the wound but reported him mortally wounded and left.   Three weeks later Dr. Hobbs of the U.S. Army, Bernetta's cousin, visited from Camp Floyd.   Hobbs and his associates reopened the dangerously infected  wound  and removed a dirty green piece of cotton, saturated with something, which the first doctors had failed to remove. While he was recuperating several attempts were made on his life. Hickman's wife Minerva gave birth to a son on May 22 1860 and named him Survivor in memory of the traumatic event.   The name was passed on for three generations among Minerva's descendents."

This sounds more plausible; I'd need to investigate it more fully.

Warren = Warren Wade Hickman (1862-1920), Minerva's son and Ella's brother.

(b) Fred is referred to as "grpa. [grandpa] Kohlhepp." Fred at this time was 43 years old. While Marie Elizabeth, his eldest daughter, had married a Bertoch, she did not give birth to a child until the following January (Elva), after this letter was written. However, given the pending birth, perhaps he was prematurely called "grandpa."

(c) Fruit. Bringing up produce from North Ogden up to the Kohlhepps in Idaho is noted here. This was not an uncommon thing from another document I have, a eulogy for Minerva Teichert written by my grandmother, Agnes Laurie Teichert. Another thing I'll need to share in another post! Apparently, when crops didn't go well, or the right produce couldn't be found in their region, Ella would often go down to get food from North Ogden (and her mother), where apples and pears were available.

I am not sure what a Fairmane apple is? It's no variety I've heard of or been able to discover.

(d) Notes of coal for keeping warm, and the concern with winter setting in for keeping the Kohlhepp family warm.

(e) Warren looks to have taken good care of his mother.

(f) I'm not sure of the way bill note. I think of way bills as a description of shipped goods or passengers, but in the context of this letter, it helping Frederick on his mission, I can only assume that this is some sort of financial aid?