Himes Saga #6 – Jacob It Is!

Last week you read about a Himes marrying a Linn and we have that match again today when in 1853, Jacob Himes (of course son of Daniel and Mary Sarah Wrightsman Himes) married Catherine Linn (10 Oct 1833 who only lived one year after their marriage) daughter of James Washington Linn and Mahala Castle, Mahala passing a few years before her daughter and J.W. the next year after Catherine.

Their one child, Mary Ellen Himes had a short, but interesting life. Her step mother gave her a good young life, but at a young age, she wed. She was 23 years younger than her husband, Benjamin Franklin Dickerson, marrying him at age 18, he age 41, on July 26, 1872 in Montgomery County. They went directly to his farm in Scott Township and began producing little ones, William W; John A; Alice Ann and seven years after, George B. I could not find an obituary or death record, but she is not with the family in the 1900 census and she must have passed in early 1893 as there was an article in the Crawfordsville Weekly Journal chastising the women of Pawnee who would not help their neighbor out of his trouble. “Benjamin Dickerson lives in that locality with his boys and one little girl to help him cook his meals (Alice would have been about 14). The other day when he went to thresh his wheat he had to go elsewhere to get his help.” Luckily a Mrs. Herrel and Mrs. Willet Dickerson helped daughter Alice to get Dad through the threshing season. Alice (also died young of tb in March 1923) married John Chenault and had three children: Ernest, Maurice and a daughter named for mother, Mary E all mainly remaining here. George Beatty Dickerson (born 1885) remained here as well but lived briefly in Spink County, North Dakota, returning here where he worked for quite awhile at Crabbs, Reynolds and passed away Oct 26, 1949 when he was township assessor. In his obituary (closest I’ve gotten yet) it states that his mother died when he was three so Mary Ellen Himes Dickerson died sometime likely in 1888, quite some time before I had it figured. Most of this family are buried in the Masonic Cemetery (Oak Hill South Grant). William Wallace Dickerson was 85 at his death, having been a carpenter in the Crawfordsville area for many years (died Dec 16, 1958). His wife, May was quite a number of years younger and he helped raise her son, Wilber Howard. John Arthur Dickerson did work in auto sales and for the railroad, moved with his wife Alta Mills and children, Clyde, Arthur Eugene, Neal, Dorothea and Alberta to the Lapel, Madison County area where he is buried in Brookside Cemetery.

So, after Catherine Linn Himes passed away, Jacob married Catherine Kessler (11 Jan 1855) daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Elizabeth Graybill Kessler, more Botetourt County, Virginians, Catherine left a widow for over 40 years, Jacob passing 22 May 1876 (buried Brethren Cemetery – see photo by M&K Fine from FindAGrave). He is buried with his 2nd wife; however, on FindAGrave, he had another stone for him alone leaning against the nicer stone for he and Catherine. Bit odd but better to have two vs. one any day!

At least two of Jacob and Catherine K’s children passed away in infancy, Samuel W. and Emma Elizabeth. John F. Himes was the oldest, having been born eleven months after their marriage 16 Nov 1855 died 14 June 1933 of carcinoma of the kidney, sick about six months, married Lizzie Frame (1858-1936), their son Mark not living a long time after their deaths 1892-1945 having married Martha Leonard and their son, Herman Leonard (wife Lucretia Hauk) was an impressive Ladoga HS graduate, having been the director of the MoCo Chamber of Commerce, co-owner of Wolf-Himes, a fertilizer company and having worked at the Veterans Affairs Office, plus in many lodges and a WWII Army Air Corps vet. They had a son, Mark, as well.

Nathaniel Benjamin Himes also married a Lizzie (Thompson) 12 Aug 1883 in MoCo and they farmed in Scott Township. One daughter, Gertie died at age five and Ethel Emmaline married Benjamin Levi Fall having one daughter, Mildred (married Ivan Kenneth Clark from Mace – two daughters). “Ben Himes” passed away 19 Sept 1934, he and Lizzie active in the Ladoga Christian Church, he a deacon for close to 30 years. He was also involved in the K of P.

Meda Himes was the next child, born 2 Aug 1863 died May 1924 (buried Brethren Dunkard Cemetery, Scott Twp) married Alice Luster in MoCo a few days before Christmas in 1891. They were blessed with: Ernest (died age 5), an infant, Lawrence and Ralph. Meda also passed of heart trouble and was a member of the K of P Lodge.

Just as the Civil War wound-down, George M. Himes was born 29 May 1865. On 6 Feb 1890, he married Alice May Graybill (daughter of Samuel and Mary Arnold) and they had two boys, Lester and Chester and perhaps an infant she died with on 8 Nov 1900. Although not twins, I loved the rhyming names as Lester’s wife, Zola who birthed Herman and Herbert (along with three girls Marjorie, Kathryn and Barbara). George next married Clara Oliver in April 1903 and they had Ruth and Merle.

Then to wrap-up this section of the Himes Saga, we have Perry Robert Himes born 19 Oct 1873 (died in Indianapolis 23 Jan 1939) married Mabel Estelle White (passed two months before he) on Halloween in 1900. They produced five daughters until finally Robert Himes came along. A Registered Nurse supervisor, their daughter, Audrey Roberta Himes lived to be 88 years old, having obtained a college degree, never marrying but helping others and leading a good life. Her slightly older sister, Norma L. (born 14 Jan 1904) did not marry until she was 50 to Manford Meek but taught school for many years and passed away at 92. Elizabeth Catherine must have been the adventurer as at age 33 she married George Pearcy in Medford, Oregon, he a farmer and Corporal in the service, she a secretary for several years with the Ben Hur Life Association. Don’t believe they had children. Daughter Amy Lois passed away in Brown County at age 85 on Oct 16, 1996, widow of Joseph J. Leskovec (whom she married at age 39 in Cuyahoga, Ohio, and she was a retired US Government worker in the State Department). Edna Mabel married Gregory Clifford Fry and they were parents of two sons, Daryl and Herb. Robert White Himes was born 12 Nov 1917 in Scott Twp, was married to his wife, Frances for 65 years, was in the Army Air Corps in WWII, had a Mechanical and Agricultural Engineering degree from the University of Tenn and worked at Purdue for the Agricultural Extension. They were parents of Roger, Carolyn Warren and Richard and at his death had 13 grands and 15 greats. Would love to have known this one! In fact, the whole Jacob Himes clan!

Karen Zach is the editor of Montgomery Memories, our monthly magazine all about Montgomery County. Her column, Around the County, appears each Thursday in The Paper of Montgomery County. You can reach her at [email protected].