52 Ancestors 2020 – 19 – Service – Gideon Hockett

I found Gideon Hockett in the database at Ancestry.com: U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959. Since this included the word “Service” and his birthday was during this week, I decided that he would fit in this category.

His Civil Service took place in Sherman County, Kansas, as postmaster for LaBlanche. This 1897 map found on the Library of Congress website indicates where LaBlanche was located.

Gideon was my great-granduncle, an older brother of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Gideon was the son of Francis and Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett.

His parents moved from Randolph County, Indiana, in 1838 to Salem area in Henry County, Iowa Territory. It was there that Gideon was born on 6 May 1841. So he was a little boy when Iowa attained statehood in 1846, It was a few years later when the family moved to the neighboring county, Lee County, Iowa, and Gideon was included with them in the 1850 census as a 9 year old boy who had attended school within that year. I have searched, but been unable to find their family in the 1860 census, but he is on the 1856 Iowa State census, indexed by Ancestry as Gedicon Hocket, age 15.

It was in 1863 when Gideon moved with his family to Hardin County, Iowa. He and Mary Harris were married  in Hardin County and by the 1870 census the family was living in Liberty Township, Marshall County, Iowa, with their 4 children: Virgil, Mary, Gideon and Francis. Again Ancestry was creative in their indexing as he was listed as Gedeon. But on the 1880 census the family had moved back to Grant Township in Hardin County and by now there are 5 more children: James, Dorah, Tula, Julia and Anna, making a total of 9. The 1880 census included an agricultural schedule and Gideon was listed as owner of 80 acres tilled ground, 14 acres of permanent meadows or pasture and 41 acres unimproved ground. Some of his crops that year included 10 tons of hay, 800 bushels of Indian corn, 400 bushels oats, 275 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of Irish potatoes and 150 gallons of molasses made from sorghum. He had 2 horses, 3 milch cows, 3 calves, 3 swine and 10 poultry plus a 1 acre apple orchard.

“Gidson Hockett” was enumerated on the 1885 Iowa state census, still in Grant Township in Hardin County. There is 1 more child, Charles, so it makes a total of 10 children in their family. Their oldest child and the 3 youngest were born in Hardin County and the others born in Marshall County. This census shows his location as Township 86, Range 21, Section 1, the Southwest ¼.

But the family chose to move again and Gideon and family went to Sherman County Kansas where he settled a homestead claim of 160 acres. His patent was issued on 20 Jul 1892 for the southeast ¼ of section 7, Township 10 South, Range 41 West.  This was about a mile west of his brother-in-law, my great-grandfather, Nathan E. Albertson.

Using the Library of Congress website for historic newspapers, I could read about Gideon in the Goodland Republic. Goodland was the county seat for Sherman County. Most of the items about Gideon were in the LaBlanche section. If you look for LaBlanche on a modern road map, you will be disappointed because it is no longer shown. There was a post office there from 1886 to 1901. It was in this last part of its existence that Gideon had his “civil service.” He was appointed in February of 1901 and the post office was discontinued in September of the same year so he served a little over 6 months. A newspaper article of 15 Mar 1901 gives the following information:

“It is understood that Gideon Hockett will be postmaster at LaBlache. In that case the postoffice will be located about six miles southwest of the present location, the present postmaster, Charles Olson, having sold the building and claim to Jake Horton, who will occupy the same as soon as vacated.”

I was able to find a copy of a 1887 atlas on the David Rumsey Map Collection which showed LaBlanche. It was in the northwest ¼ of the northwest ¼ of Section 35, Township 9 South, Range 41 West. Mapping it against Gideon's homestead you can see that they were about 6 miles apart.

I really enjoyed the notice in the newspaper on 11 Aug 1905 where they reported that Gideon was in Goodland with a wagon load of turnips, onions and other garden produce.

I was sad to read the obituary for Gideon's wife in May 1916. It stated that for 8 years she had been a patient, helpless invalid. But it also said that she had been carefully attended by her faithful husband. This is the kind of service we can admire. Gideon lived another 8 years and died 16 July 1924 at the county farm. Both Mary and Gideon were buried at Kanorado Cemetery in Sherman County.

Ancestor Birthday – December 21st – Rebecca D Hartley - 1818-1908

Rebecca Hartley was my 2nd great-grandmother. She is one of my Quaker ancestors who had a number of children, at least 11. She was born in Hamilton County Ohio on 21 Dec 1818 to Thomas Hartley and his wife Barbara. I am not confident about the surname of Rebecca's mother. I checked the 1^st 20 listings on Ancestry public trees for Rebecca and half of them give Barbara's surname as Loar and almost half say Larr. But none of these show their documentation for these names other than other trees. Maybe I should make this one of my projects to work on in 2018.

My records show that Rebecca had 6 older siblings and 3 younger ones. By 1835 the family was attending the Cherry Grove Monthly Meeting in Randolph County Indiana. Just 5 days before her 17^th birthday, Rebecca married 17 year old Francis Hockett on 16 Dec 1835. It was in 1838 they took their first son and moved to Henry County Iowa. It was about 1850 when they moved to neighboring Lee County with 7 of their children. The other 4 children were born there. In 1863 the family moved farther north to Hardin County Iowa. They traveled to Kansas in 1886 and Francis died there on 12 Mar 1886. On the 1900 census Rebecca was living in Marshalltown in Marshall County Iowa. Her son James was living with her. She was found at age 86 on the 1905 Kansas state census in Stevens County in the household of N. Hockett. This was most likely her oldest son Norton as his age is correct. It was 3 years later when she died there in Kansas on 24 Jul 1908 and was buried in Bethel Friends Cemetery.

But I still have an identity problem. I posted this question on 12 Mar 2015 and also on 27 Feb 2017. Which one of these women is Rebecca?

I believe one is Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett and the other is Sabina (Marsh) Albertson. These are the 2 grandmothers of my Grandfather O. J. Albertson. Can someone out there give me an answer?

Ancestor Birthday - Mary Magdalene Hockett - 1855 - 1901

My gt-grandmother, Mary Magdalene Hockett was born 4 Sep 1855 in Lee County, Iowa, the daughter of Francis and Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett. Mary was the 10th child out of 11. It was a Quaker family and her parents were married in Indiana and came with a number of other Quakers, including many family members, to Henry County Iowa in the late 1830's. They moved to neighboring Lee County a few years before she was born. It was 1863 when they moved farther north to Hardin County Iowa and it was there she met Nathan Elias Albertson who was also from a Quaker family.

It was just a little over a month after her 15th birthday, 8 Oct 1870, when she and Nathan were married. I think she looked very young in their wedding photo. I have always wondered why they chose to be married by a justice of the peace rather than the traditional Quaker way. Maybe her parents didn't approve. It was her older brother Thomas who gave testimony about her age.

They apparently made amends with their Quaker congregation because they are listed there with some of their children in 1891 and granted a certificate to the meeting in Sherman County, Kansas.

It was about 1875 when this photo was taken with Mary, Nathan, and their 2 oldest children, Lenah and Calvin. Two more children were born, Arthur and Oran (my grandfather) before they moved to Kansas when Nathan applied for a homestead in Sherman County and moved onto 160 acres in March 1887. It must have been interesting for Mary to live the life of a homesteader.

I expect she missed her daughter when she was married in 1891, a few days after her 20th birthday. Maybe Mary missed her even more when her youngest child, Ernest, was born in 1893.

It has always made me a little sad to realize that Mary died when she was just 45 years old, 10 Jul 1901.

Quaker Cousins - Lydia Caroline (Hartley) Mendenhall

Another one of the 1st cousins of my gt-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson, was Lydia Caroline Hartley, the daughter of Rebecca's brother, Norton Daniel Hartley. I find it interesting that Rebecca named her oldest son Norton and her daughter who was just 2 years older than Mary Magdalene she named Lydia Caroline. So my gt-grandmother had a 1st cousin named Lydia as well as a sister named Lydia. Lydia Hartley was my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

Cousin Lydia was born 15 Jan 1846 in Preble County Ohio to Norton Daniel and Deborah Ann (Jones) Hartley. Lydia was the 6th of 12 children. They family had moved to Indiana by 1852 and then to Iowa by 1855. The family was listed in Cedar Township, Lee County, Iowa on the 1856 Iowa state census and the 1860 and 1870 US census. Lydia was listed as Lydia in 1856 and 1860 and as Caroline in 1870. Also in the 1870 household was E. Mendenhall, a 20 year old farm laborer. Mendenhall was a well known Quaker name.

It was the next year, 8 Jan 1871, when Lydia Caroline Hartley married Evin Mendenhall. They soon moved to Kansas as their oldest daughter was born there in December of 1872. They were listed on the 1880 census in Crawford Township, Cherokee County Kansas and she was back to Lydia again. The family was found on the 1900 census in Harrison Township, Franklin County Kansas, with their 7 living children, 5 girls and 2 boys. Franklin County is almost to the eastern edge of Kansas and my gt-grandmother lived in Sherman County Kansas which is at the western edge. The Mendenhalls were still in Franklin County on the 1910 census. Lydia Caroline was listed as Line or Lina. Two unmarried daughters were still living with them. Lydia died there 15 Apr 1916 and was buried in Highland Cemetery, Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas. Her husband Evin died in 1922 and was buried in the same Cemetery and they have a double gravestone.

Quaker Cousins - Phebe Hockett

Day before yesterday I wrote about Phebe Hinshaw, a 1st cousin of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Today is another one of their 1st cousins, Phebe J. Hockett. Both Phebes were born in Henry County Iowa and both were born in 1845. Phebe Hinshaw was born in June and Phebe Hockett was born two months earlier, 23 Apr 1845. I wonder what it was like for these 2 cousins with the same name growing up in the same area and being almost the same age.

Phebe Hockett was the daughter of Stephen and Ruth (Pidgeon) Hockett. She was the 3rd of their 3 children. By 1850 their family was living in Lee County Iowa, which is just south of Henry County. My ancestor, Francis Hockett, Stephen's older brother, had also moved into Lee County. In the 1860 census Phebe and her older sister Sarah were still living in Lee County, but with the Benjamin Knight family.

It was 19 Mar 1866 in Henry County, when Phebe married a Civil War veteran, Albert J. Williams who was just 5 months younger than her. Their first 2 children, John and Frank were born in Iowa. Then before the 1870 census the family moved westerly to Seward County Nebraska. There Albert filed for a 160 acre homestead. It was located a couple of miles north of where Interstate 80 now goes through the county. About 1885 they sold the farm and Albert entered the banking and mercantile business at the town of Tamora. The 1885 Nebraska State Census showed Albert as a banker, Phebe keeping house and 6 children in the household: John, Frank, Fannie, Roy and the 2 year old twin boys, Ray and Ralph.

Around 1890 they moved again farther west to the town of Hastings in Adams County Nebraska. Albert was listed in the 1891 Hastings city directory with his occupation as real estate and insurance and residence at 110 W 7th. The 1893 directory changed the address to 104 W 7th and his occupation was insurance agent. By 1895 their address remained the same, but now his occupation was watch repairer and second hand goods. Their residence was still the same in 1898 and in 1903 directories. In 1898 Albert was the Manager for F.M. Williams. It was probably the business of their son Frank (which may have been a grocery and a pawn broker) and sons John, Ralph and Roy all worked there. Their daughter Fannie was a teacher. The 1900 census called Albert a furniture dealer. Fannie, Roy, Ray and Ralph were all still in the household. Since Phebe was the one keeping house, I can imagine she was busy with her family all working outside the home.

Phebe died 20 May 1902 in Hastings at age 57 and was buried in Parkview Cemetery. Albert remarried in 1904 and moved to Kansas City and then to California where he spent some time in the Old Soldiers Home, then died in 1936 and was buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.