WICKHAM Genealogy

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Be advised - this page is under constant revision.

Last updated 7-July-2002


Our line of WICKHAM originated in Ireland according to the information we have gathered to-date. They emigrated from Ireland to Canada and then later moved again to the US where they settled in two Michigan cities - Detroit and Flint.  You will notice that a few unusual names appear in the given names of the earliest generations. Specifically “Ormiston” and “Heber”. We are not yet sure where these come from or if they have any significance in relation to predecessor family names.

 

Generation 1 – Immigrants to Canada

The earliest WICKHAM for which we have information is Thomas Wickham. According to the 1871 Census of Ontario, he was born in Ireland about 1825 of Irish parents.  From his headstone in Ball’s Cemetery, Hullett Township, Huron Co., Ontario we learned that he was born in County Wicklow, Ireland during 1819.

The census also indicates that his wife's name was Nancy who was born about 1828.  We have now learned that her maiden name was KIRKBRIDE and her birth date was about 1819.  Further, that she was born in Ireland of Irish parents. We learned these facts from the marriage registration of their son William Robert WICKHAM.  The 1920 US Census confirms that both Thomas and Nancy were born in Ireland and were of Irish decent.  [Other information however is making a strong case that she was really born in England – still working this issue].

Travel to Canada - Estimated Timeline

We know nothing about the actual port of departure, arrival or routes traveled to get to Canada and passenger manifests for ship before 1845 are very rare so we do not expect to uncover many more details about their travels.  The most common route from Ireland to Canada was to land at Quebec, wait a period of time on Grosse Ile (for immigrant processing) and then depending on the time of year (avoiding travel during winter weather) either wait a bit in Quebec or venture onwards to the destination.   Most sailing ships of the day required between 12 and 14 weeks to make the crossing.  After arrival at Quebec the immigrants would face the journey from Quebec to Kincardine is 1,000 km (500 miles) along the river (Kingston, Cornwall, Toronto and then west to Kincardine. This trip on land could take an additional three months.

We now believe that the couple must have lived for a time in Quebec before settling in “Ontario North”. This fact came from the birth and marriage registrations of the children.  We have estimated the marriage date to be about between 1843 and 1848.  It is unclear if Thomas and Nancy were married in Ireland or Canada.  In constructing a time line for the trip from Ireland we have utilized several key data elements.  First, it appears that Robert H[enry] WICKHAM was born in Quebec in 1845.  Not being sure if he was actually born in Quebec or in-transit on the ship (on-board births were recorded in the port city - Quebec) – Pregnancy would have been 1844.  Marriage would have required a courtship of some duration.  Allow say 6 months. That puts us into 1843.  So we have them traveling from Ireland in 1841 – the busiest time, and by all accounts the worst, for immigrant arrivals in Quebec.

Burials

Thomas died on July 22, 1861 at age 41, which establishes his birth year as c 1820.  He is buried in Ball's Methodist Cemetery, Hullett Township, Huron County, Ontario at the northeast corner of the church.  His monument inscription reads – “xxx “.  Click for photo of headstone   We are speculating that he and the family lived in Hullett Township for a while, because his eldest son, William Robert Wickham, married a girl called Ellen THEIG who was from Hullett, Township.

Thomas’ wife, Nancy Kirkbride, died December 13, 1876 in Goderich and is buried in a single plot in the Section A [the original section] of Maitland Cemetery, Goderich town, Huron Co. We were not able to find an obituary for Nancy in the local newspapers. Nancy’s headstone marker in the cemetery reads “In / Memory of / Nancy WICKHAM  / died Dec. 13, 1876 / Aged 57 years // Erected by her children”.  Click for photo of headstone.  This suggests that she was a widow living alone in Goderich.  We also learned from reading the records at the cemetery office that Nancy was buried in single plot owned by Mrs. XXX who was “an important family in the town of Goderich” according to the caretaker.  So there must have been a strong friendship with Mrs. XXX in whose cemetery plot Nancy is buried. We are still exploring these findings.

Marriage – Thomas and Nancy

At this time our “best guess” is that Thomas and Nancy were married about 1842. Whether they were married in Ireland or Canada is not yet clear. The birth of the first child we know about [Robert H. WICKHAM] provides some basis for this “best guess”.  One speculation is that he was born “shortly after” Thomas and Nancy arrived in Canada from Ireland.  Depending on where Thomas and Nancy were married – Ireland, on board the ship while crossing the Atlantic or in Quebec after arrival would place the date of crossing anywhere from say 1830 to 1843. We know that Thomas came from County Wicklow but do not have a birth location for Nancy except that she was born in Ireland.  We are speculating that they met while crossing or after arrival in Quebec.  And since it was usual for the first child to be born in the first year or two of marriage this would put the crossing in 1840 and then a year courtship and marriage and nine month pregnancy so … marriage about 1843 and first child in 1845.

Living in These Places in Ontario

EAST & WEST WAWANOSH

This second area of Crown Land surveyed, in part, before the treaty which created the Queen's Bush, was originally the largest of all the townships of Huron with a total acreage of 85,640 up until 1866 when it was divided.  It is almost square in shape and was bounded on the east by Morris, by Hullett and Colborne on the south, Ashfield on the west and Turnberry and the Township of Kinloss in Bruce on the north. This square block of land has some of the best agricultural land in Huron.  It had few large areas of swamp or other useless land to be found in most of the townships.  It was also fortunate inasmuch as the Maitland River from its northeastern extremity winds pretty well through the entire township in a very tortuous course providing excellent drainage and in the early days a great number of first rate sites for grists and sawmills. This township also has the distinction of being the only place name in Huron County of Indian Origin. As far as can be determine there were no settlers in the township before 1840 and in the 1851 Census it is shown to have a population of only 722.  Ten years later, however, it had a population of 3,151. The first settler in Wawanosh was probably John Jackman who settled on Lot 18, Concession 1, around 1840.  Mr. Jackman called his first son, who was also the first male child to be born in the township, "John Wawanosh".  He remained on the family homestead throughout his entire life. About the same time settling on Lot 19 of Concession 1 was Robert Shannon whose daughter was the first female child to be born in the township. Mr. Charles Girvin, who later took an important and prominent place in the political affairs of the County, also settled in Wawanosh in the early 1840's on lot 13, Concession 2.

 HULLETT TOWNSHIP

 Hullett was named from John Hullett, a member of the firm of Hullett Brothers, one of the leading and first financial supporters of John Galt's scheme for the establishment of the Canada Company.  John Hullett was the only member of the firm to take an active interest in Canada and for several years he lived in the Province of Quebec before returning home to England. The township is triangular in shape, bounded on the northeast by the townships of East Wawanosh and Morris, on the southeast by McKillop, on the southwest by Tuckersmith, and on the west by the Township of Goderich, from which it is separated by the Base Line, an extension of the London Road which runs almost due north. It is intersected by a tributary of the Maitland River, its main source of drainage.  The land is of high quality but it tends to be flatter than other parts of the county.  This flatness has been used as an explanation for the slow development of this particular township in that the settlers coming in from the old country were used to rolling land, as in England, to say nothing of the highlands of Scotland, and hence were suspicious of this sort of country. In spite of the fact that one of the earliest and certainly most successful settlers in Huron County - Anthony Van Egmond - first located in Hullett, by 1844 there were only 195 people in the township, Hullett was originally settled predominantly by immigrants from England, the next group, the Scots were half their number.  There was also a small amount of Irish. Besides the Van Egmonds, the earliest settler was Thomas Walker who took up land near Clinton in 1833.  Most of the early settlement activities in this township were in the area that eventually became the town of Clinton.

 

Generation 2 – First Generation Born in Canada

The there were at least 7 children from the marriage of Thomas and Nancy.  Some of the dates are still in question and several of them we have not been able to locate any further information about.

 

 

Child

Birth Date

Birth Location

 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

1

Robert H. Wickham

b c 1845

Quebec

 

2

Jane V. Wickham

b c 1845

 

 

3

William Robert Wickham

1846

 

 Married Ellen Tighe

4

Ann Wickham

b c 1847

 

 

5

Thomas Wickham

b c Feb 17, 1850

 

 Married Christina Bradford Matheson (sister of Flora)

6

Marzella Wickham

b c Feb 17, 1850

 

 

7

James Wickham

b c 1857

 

 Married Flora Matheson (sister of Christina)

 

The details of these children as we know them now…

1.      Robert H. WICKHAM - born about 1845 in Quebec, Canada according to the 1851 census.  Maybe the same as child number 4 if the names were reversed and the handwritten initial “H” was really a “W”. No more information available. 

2.      Jane V. WICKHAM – b c 1845 – may be the same person as “Ann” [Child number 4 below].

“Jane” / Jennie / Annie” WICKHAM.  [To he honest, we are just not sure what name she went by].  From the obituary of Thomas Wickham we learned that he had a sister.  Unfortunately, in his obituary, she was identified only as "Mrs. Samuel Utley" of Lexington.  A review of the 1920 US census identified a Samuel and Jane UTLEY in Worth Township, Sanilac County, MI.  The census further indicated Samuel, age 75 (b c 1845), was born in Canada and we found out that his father was born in Vermont while his mother was born in Pennsylvania. In addition, his wife, listed as Jennie, was shown to be born about 1861 in Canada.  Her father [this would be Thomas] is reported to be from Ireland and her mother [this would be Nancy] was from England. The mother’s maiden name was not identified.  Worth township is near Lexington.  So we have a conflict in the birthplace of Nancy Wickham. Lastly, we found a large number of UTLEY's and were able to splice together a probable tree for the UTLEY's of Sanilac County, MI.  This appeared on the census sheets for Worth Township, Sanilac County, Michigan on Supervisor District 7 Enumerator District 168 Sheet 3B items 55 and 56.

It turns out that Samuel UTLEY was the last living survivor of the Civil war living in the thumb of Michigan when he died.  There were three extensive obituaries written in the local newspapers.  Obituary.

There were three children from this marriage:

·        Daughter Number One [Name unknown]

·        Buella UTLEY

·        Katherine UTLEY

3.      William Robert WICKHAM

Born in Quebec about 1846 per the record of his marriage to Ellen THEIG of Hullett Township, Huron Co. Ontario.  There is little further information about either of these two subsequent to the marriage record.  At the time of the marriage, Thomas the father had already passed away.  It is not clear where the family lived at this time. No more information available.

4.      Ann WICKHAM – b c 1847 – May be the same as child number 2 above.  No more information available.

5.      Thomas WICKHAM.

Born 17-Feb-1850 in Kincardine Village or Kincardine Township of Bruce County [or possibly somewhere in Goderich, Huron County] Ontario, Canada.  He died in Oakland, CA, USA on 9-Oct-1928. From his obituary, published in the Flint Journal, we learned many things. First, that he came to Flint, from Canada, in 1905 and that he moved to Oakland [Alameda County], California in 1925 after the death of his wife Christina (she died in 1920). Christina is buried in Flint, Michigan alongside their son John Thomas and her husband Thomas.  Indications are that while in Oakland he may have been living with, or near his son Thomas Agustive (AKA Gus) for the three and one half years before his death [i.e., from 1925 to 1928].  It is now known that Thomas was a naturalized US citizen and that he was a member of the Canadian Order of Foresters (IOF) as was his son John M.   He is buried in Flint, Michigan at the Grace Lawn Cemetery Section C, Lot 435 Grave 4 with his wife Christina and grandson John Thomas WICKHAM. 

The 1920 Census of US indicates that Thomas was able to speak, read and write English, that he immigrated to USA in 1905 and in 1920 he was working as a steel welder in an automobile factory in Flint, MI.

Thomas married Christine Bradford Matheson. She was born 1857 in Ontario, Canada and died 19-May-1925 in Flint where she is buried in the Grace Lawn Cemetery. Her parents were John Matheson, born June 18, 1813 in Ross Shire Scotland, and Elizabeth McKenzie, also born in Scotland on January 15, 1827.  We have not yet learned if Christine became a naturalized US citizen. Christine was likely a member of the King's Daughters, lady’s auxiliary of the IOF, as was her daughter-in-law Annie [Scott] WICKHAM.

[Following the tradition we may guess her mother's maiden name was somehow tied into a Bradford line and there were stories in my family that we were related to the William Bradford who became the famous governor of Pennsylvania; however, these claims have not been substantiated.] 

Christina is buried in Flint, Michigan at the Grace Lawn Cemetery Section C, Lot 435 Grave 5.

The 1920 Census of US indicates that Christine immigrated to the US in 1909 [four years after her husband Thomas] and could speak, read and write English. Thomas and Christina were married in Goderich, Ontario, Canada during 1874. 

We also noted in the 1920 US census a granddaughter, Georgina Wickham age 17 born in Canada, living with Thomas and Christina at their house at 315 W. Third Ave, Flint.  Further investigation indicated this was the daughter of Gus and his wife Annie STUMP.  We learned that Annie was killed December 13, 1913 in a car crash and the daughter came to live with Thomas and Christina. At her death, Christina designated that the proceeds from the sale of this house would pass to the daughter (Ann or Ethel) who took custody of Georgina in support of Georgina’s education. We found mention of Georgina in the 1919 Flint High School yearbook but there was no picture.  More information about Georgina.

6.      Marzella WICKHAM – b c Feb 17, 1852 – Located in a church registry by Mrs. Louise Cameron.  This item requires further research.  No more information available.

7.      James WICKHAM – b c 1857 – Located in a church registry by Mrs. Louise XXX and requires further research.  James married Flora Matheson, sister of Christina Matheson.  Flora was married three times. James Wickham, James Palmer and XX MacKenzie.  She is buried in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  No more information available.

Generation 3 – Children of Thomas WICKHAM and Christina Bradford MATHESON

There were at least six children from the marriage of Thomas Wickham and Christina Matheson.  What we now know is presented in the following paragraphs.

1.      John Thomas Wickham - born c 1880.

2.      Nancy V. “Anna” Wickham – born c 1874 in Canada.  Only know fact is that she was married to a Mr. Elmer McNelly and was living in, or near, Wyoming, Ontario in 1928 which is near Sarnia in Lambton County, Ontario.  The exact date and place of birth is unknown.  Marriage was in Flint, Michigan Dec. 30, 1935 at parents home the bride was 36 Her sister Ethel played the piano at the wedding. (Marriage write-up).  She died in Lambton County, Ontario and is buried in the McNelly grave at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Chatham, Ont. Block E stones 4, 5 and 6.  According to her obit she worked for a period of time at the post office in Chatham.  Later the couple moved from Chatham to the family farm on the “6th line of Plimpton Twp.  We have searched the newspapers and related documents but could not find evidence of the family farm.  (Obit) 

After Nancy’s death, Elmer married Lillian Elizabeth Burke on Sept. 7 1939.  He died Aug. 7, 1947.  Lillian remarried on Sat, May 14, 1949 to William Edward Bunt. Lillian died on xx-xxx-xxx and is also buried in the McNelly plot at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Chatham.

3.      Heber Ormiston Wickham - born in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada 16-Oct-1882. Originally we believed that he came to the US later than the rest of the Wickham family.  We find now that he also took a different path to arrive in Detroit.  He was married twice that we know about.  First to Alice Maslin and Second to Jessie Deal.

We find that Alice was from xxx, NY which is at the eastern end of Lake Erie near Kingston, Ontario and just across the boarder into the US.  We find Alice, Heber living in Detroit in the 1920 US census.  Further, they have living with them a "grandson" Louis DeShane aged 10. 

It is not clear what happened next because in 1922 or 1923 Heber moves to Flint and then in 1925 to Saginaw where his wife is identified as Jessie Olive Deal in Amsterdam, NY.  

Heber died in Saginaw in 1954 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. 

Jessie died December 6, 1936 in Saginaw and was a patient at the sanatorium in Saginaw at the time of her death. It is unknown what condition she was suffering from that had confined her to a hospital. She is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery.

We have made contact with Connie xx who is related to Louis and remembers "Wick". and that Alice had at least two of the grand children live with her.  [link to Connies e-mail connie01.txt].

It is possible that the first wife Alice died in Detroit 1920-1921.  Heber’s obit said he married Jessie Olive Deal in February 1922.

Heber and Alice lived in Detroit for a period of time, and then he moved to Flint where he stayed a short time before moving to Saginaw, MI.  He died on 30-June-1952.in Saginaw. We learned that he was married twice. 

The first wife’s name is not known.  The second wife was Jessie Olive Deal, born 16-Oct-1882 in Amsterdam, NY.  She died 12-Jun-1936 in Saginaw.  Jessie and Heber are buried in the same plot in Saginaw.

Heber’s names are also a bit of a mystery.  All other given names in the family are very standard / traditional - John, Ethel, Elizabeth, Anna, Thomas, etc.  But "Heber" that seems out of character.  Where did that come from?  And what about the middle name - Ormiston.  This is suspected to be a family name of a prior generation.  Or there is some other explanation.

3.      Ethel Wickham - born c 1885.  A daughter known only to us from Thomas' obituary (1928) as "Mrs. Ethel Miller" of Cleveland, Ohio". Date and place of birth or marriage is unknown.  She died in 1935 and is buried in the Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham, Ontario, Canada in the family plot of her husband Franklin J. Miller (Block B stones 152 and 153).  It is not clear when Mr. and Mrs. returned from Cleveland to Chatham.  Perhaps only upon their death to be buried in the family plot.

4.      Thomas Agustive (Gus) Wickham - born in Ontario, Canada about 1875. It is possible that for a period of time, around 1900, he lived in Chatham, Ontario and for a few years after that in Flint, Michigan before moving to Oakland, California. It is not known if he was married or not. It is unclear exactly where he died, but we believe that he died in Oakland; however, this has not been established.  The California Death Index lists no one with this name. Later information indicates that he may have moved to Phoenix and then passed away there.  This is being researched now.

Gus [Thomas Agustive] Wickham - was married twice.  First to Joanna (Annie) STUMP or STUMPF on 14-Feb-1902.  There was one child from this marriage.

Georgina Wickham, who was born in Canada 14-Jun-1903. In the 1920 Flint City directory there was an entry of  "Georgina - Granddaughter" living with Thomas (Sr.) and Christina.  The granddaughter came from Canada to live with Thomas and Christina during the period of 1919 and 1920 - she may have been living there longer but we can not find an entries in the City Directory to support this.  Additional checking will be done using the school records and other sources.  At the death of Christina in 1925 Georgina was mentioned in the will to provide here with money for an education.  The money came from the sale of a house owned by Christina.  Georgina's name was mentioned in the Flint Central High School yearbook (published in 1920) as a member of the class of 1921, one year behind Mildred Wickham (see below); However, Georgina's name does not appear in either the 1918 or 1921 yearbook. So it is not clear if she continued to live in Flint, moved back to Canada, to Detroit or was just absent on the day they did the class data gathering for the yearbook.   The 1920 US Census indicates that Georgina was born in Canada of Scottish decent.  The father, Gus, was indicated to be born in Canada and of Scottish decent while the mother (Joanna / Annie) was born in Canada and of German decent.

 

Joanna (Annie) STUMP died 13-Dec-1913 when Georgina was 10 years old and this is likely why Georgina was living with Thomas and Christina.  Gus filed a petition for US Citizenship at the County Clerk's Office in Flint, Michigan in 1915 and indicated at that time that he was / recently had been living in Sakasachun, British Columbia Canada.  We do not know if this is where Annie died or where they went after they were married.  Further, we do not know where the child was living between 1913 (Mothers death) and 1919 (shows up in Flint, MI with Thomas and Christina).

 

Gus' second marriage was to Maude E. Reasoner. They were married in Flint, MI and later moved to Oakland California.  It is not known if there were children from this marriage.  During the time they lived in Flint, Maude's brother Harry E. Reasoner lived at the same address.  The Oakland California City Directory indicates that Gus and Ellie lived in Oakland between 1931 and 1936.  In most listings they are at two separate addresses suggesting they were divorced or for some other reason are living apart [health related for example].  According to the directory, during 1931 and 1932 Harry Reasoner was living with his sister.  Then on two occasions Maude E. is listed but not Gus.  In other cases they are not listed at all.  It is unknown why they were not listed. This is being researched.

Ellie's father was Edward H. Reasoner and her mother was Elizabeth Bolton.  Her brother, and apparently only other sibling, Harry E. Reasoner, was both the best man and a witness at the wedding. 

5.      John "Jack" Matheson Wickham born 28-Sep-1876 in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada. According to his obituary he moved to Chatham, Ontario for a period of time around 1895 to 1905 and then moved to Flint, Michigan where he died 5-Jun-1948 and is buried in Sun Set Hills Cemetery.  Click for photo of headstone

Jack and his wife belonged to the First Church of Christian Science in Flint and was a member of the Canadian Order of Foresters (IOF). He worked as a painter and striper at the Fisher Body Company that later became the Buick Division of GM. The city directory shows him living at a series of residences until 1919 when he moved to 2002 Adams Avenue. He and his wife, Annie Matilda Scott lived there until their deaths.

Jack, as he was known, married Annie Malinda Scott. 12-Sep-1900. Annie was born 1875 in Mount Forest, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the First Church of Christian Science in Flint as were here parents who had also immigrated to Flint. She died in 1954 and is buried in Sun Set Hills Cemetery, Flint, Michigan along with Jack.

 

The marriage record reads "Annie Matilda Scott, age 21 daughter of Francis L. Scott and Lydia Bradford Whetham, born in Palmerston, Methodist, married 12-Sep-1900 to John Matheson Wickham age 24 Carriage Painter, son of Thomas Wickham and Christina Matheson born Palmerston, Christian Science. Witnesses: F. B. Morgan of Palmerston and Florence Wood of Toronto." So we have a conflict as to the given name and actual birthplace of Annie Malinda (or Matilda) of Mount Forest, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada.

 

Annie remained a housewife for the duration of the marriage.  She was a member of the First Church of Christian Science in Flint.  She was also an active member of the "Kings Daughters", the women’s auxiliary of the IOF.

Annie Scott died in Flint on 1952 and is buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery.  Click for photo of headstone 

 

The missing years

Research of the Polk’s Flint Michigan City directory indicates that while Jack and Annie owned the house at 2002 Adams Ave.  They were not always in residence there.  Specifically there are gaps for the years 1927 to 1930.  In the first two years the house was rented to xxx.  The next two years 1929, 1930 the house remained vacant and was so noted in the city directory.  Then Jack and Annie return the next year.  We know from other data that Jack and Annie went to California, but we are unclear as to where in CA they went.  I remember seeing petrified wood and pictures of the giant redwoods at their house so we know that they visited northern California. We also do not know where, or if, Jack was working during this time.

 

Generation 4 – Children of John Matheson WICKHAM and Annie SCOTT


Jack and Annie had three children:

1.       Mildred Christine Bradford Wickham born 3-Nov-1901 in Palmerston, Ontario died 1948 in Detroit, MI.  Married Ernest Warrington Henderson. She attended Flint High School in Flint and graduated in 1920.  Later, this school was renamed to Flint Central High.  In the 1920 US census data of Flint, MI. she is listed as a steno at an auto factory.  The Flint City Directory has various occupations and positions listed.  She does not appear to have applied for US Citizenship with the other members of the family; however, upon marriage to Ernie she would have become a US Citizen.  (More details of the marriage and children are listed with the Henderson line.).  In 192x she moved to Detroit and the Polk’s Directory lists her as living at xxx in 19xx, at xxx in 1930 and then after her marriage to Ernie they lived at xxx.  Her parents, John “Jack” and Annie also lived in Detroit at this time as did her brother John Thomas.  Orville was married to Cilica and had three children also in Detroit about this time.

2.      Orville Scott Wickham born 1-April-1902 in Palmerston, Ontario.  He died August 15, 1964 in Los Angles, CA.  Orville was married twice.

Orville applied for US Citizenship in Genesee County Clerks Office in 19XX.  The papers indicated that he was married and divorced with three children.  The ex-wife and children were living in Detroit at the time of the Citizenship application. Cecila SULLIVAN, born August 16, 1904 in Amherstburg, Ontario.  The children of this marriage were:

1.      Nancy Ann WICKHAM – born November 25, 1925 in Detroit Michigan – No further information is available at this time.

2.      Orville John WICKHAM – born January 16, 1927 in Los Angles, California - No further information is available at this time.

3.      Joy Cathleen WICKHAM - March 08, 1933 in Los Angles, California – No further information is available.

Orville’s second marriage was to Caroline SMITH. We do not believe that there are any children from this marriage. We learned the wife's name from the "City Directory" of Flint, MI where Orville and Caroline are listed as a “property management company” of the property at 2002 Adams Ave. which was the "Wickham Homestead" for years by his mother and father, Jack and Annie WICKHAM].  This was the house where he was raised.  In fact, I remember when he remodeled the house while my grandmother Annie was alive. The "apartment" consisted of an external staircase into a 5-room apartment on the second floor of the house. It did have a door into the main house at the top of the internal staircase across from my grandma’s bedroom.  I believe the apartment was constructed after the death of Jack Wickham.  Orville and Caroline lived in the “apartment” for a while before she Annie died.

A sad ending to the story of 2002 Adams Ave. is that after Annie died the house was deeded to the “Wickham Trust” of whom Orville and Caroline where the Trustees.  It is not know when or if the “Wickham Trust” sold the house.  At some point the neighborhood changed and eventually the house stood abandoned.  Then in August 1986 a Sheriff’s Deed claimed the property and it was sold to the Michigan National Bank.  In the spring of 1986 the City sited the house for code violations and after a 6-month delay on 11/6/1986 it was demolished by City of Flint.  It was sold in 1995.  The land still stands vacant.

Orville is buried in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego, CA. According to the cemetery records, Orville was a TEC 3 in the US Army.

He had a lot of "neat things" to let me play with when I was young including a miniature bible only slightly larger then a king size cigarette pack. He claimed that he knew someone who had the bible in the shirt pocket was shot by a German.  The bible stopped a bullet and saved he life.  So he said he always carried the bible in his shirt pocket.  Orville had a very bad cough when last I saw him in 1952. I suspect we would now refer to this as emphysema.

 

It turns out that Caroline (born Sept. 13, 1915 location not known – died January 15, 2000 in Torrence, CA) was also in the military and is buried in an adjacent plot in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego, CA.  According to the cemetery records she was a Corporal in the US Marine Corps.

6.      John Thomas Wickham born 25-Aug-1903 in Mt. Forest, Ontario. John Thomas died in Flint, MI in Jan. 15, 1945.

We learned from a wedding notice in the Flint Journal that apparently he was married at least twice.  The first wife's name is not known. The second wife, and who is referred to in the wedding announcement we found, was xxx. She was born 1900 in xxx. John Thomas and XXX were married in Pontiac, MI xxx-22-xxxx according to the news clipping from the Flint Journal. We have no clue yet regarding children of John Thomas or the whereabouts of either of the two wives.

He had been living in Los Angles, CA for 14 years prior to his death according to his obit in the Flint Journal.  My brother, Jack Henderson, told me that John Tomas was injured in a fight in Detroit around Christmas time 1944 and someone called Ernie who was sent somewhere in Detroit to bring him back to our house on Pingree Ave.  Later that day my brother said that Jack and Annie Wickham came from Flint and took him home. When they arrived at our house they were quite distraught.  He died at home in Flint a few weeks later. We reviewed the Detroit News and Free Press, but could not find a story confirming how or where he was injured. His obit only said he had died of “Complications”.

 

Special Thanks –

Much of the details of the Wickham line were researched by Linda Dent of Fenton, Michigan who answered a query of mine on the alt.genealogy / soc.genealogy newsgroup. Many, many thanks to her. Also special thanks to Ralph  

In addition we want to thank, Arlene - arline@rogerswave.ca for the information regarding Georgina. She was even able to furnish a picture of Annie and Gus.

Further thanks go to Louise Cameron, of Ontario, who was working a connection between her and our WICKHAM line.  She has persevered and brought too light two previously unknown children of Thomas and Nancy along with a generous amount of humor and tenacity.

Craig Wickham, grandson of Orville, has supplied much information and has original documents from his collection.

Research Questions - all dates are approximate

  1. 1871 Census of Ontario - Lists a William Wickham - age 56 - born in Ireland, of Irish origin living in Kincardine Village, a laborer - brother / uncle / any relation to Thomas who was born in 1825?
  2. 1904 - 1905 - Thomas and Christine Wickham - Border crossing data at Detroit / Windsor or Port Huron / Sarnia.
  3. 1940 - ???? – Thomas Gustave [Gus] Wickham - Death details are needed since it is not likely that he is still alive - look in Oakland, California death index. In 1940 he would have been about 70.
  4. 1920 - Records from the Flint chapter of the Canadian Order of Foresters.
  5. 1928 - Thomas Wickham Sister -- Known as Mrs. Ethel Miller of Cleveland, Ohio. Would like to find out more about her and the care given to Georgina Wickham who lived with her.
  6. 1964 - Orville Scott Wickham - Details of death and family in Oakland and then California death index and local newspapers.