Wickham, Jake

WICKHAM, MITCHELL, PARKER, GERARD, PALMER

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 7/30/2010 at 07:08:37

Montezuma Republican (Montezuma, Iowa)

JAKE WICKHAM HAS LONG BEEN READER

Lived in This County Almost 79 Years.

Farmed at Sugar Creek for Many Years; Married For 56 Years.

One of the genuine old timers of this and Sugar Creek township is good old Jake Wickham, since 1920 a substantial citizen of this city. Mrs. Wickham is also included, for she has lived here that length of time and the Wickhams have been married for 56 years, but never have celebrated the event.

Jake, as everybody calls him, was born in Sugar Creek township June 5, 1858, and has always lived in this county, farming up until 1920, when he retired because of the health of his wife. His father came to this county in about 1855, from Ohio, being born in Baltimore, Md. Jake owned his farm, but sold it when he retired. He has been a reader of the Republican since early boyhood and has taken it for the past 56 years. Claims he likes it, and he must after all those years, practically 75 of them.

For over 40 years he played his fiddle at the dances and all the young people of those days, now grown older, recall the lilting music of the dances, and especially that of the violin. Music for dances in those days was music, and the lilting airs still haunt the old dance halls.

Three daughters and one son were born to this family, the son passing away in infancy. Mrs. Ruby Parker, now of St. Paul, Minn., Mrs. Viva Gerard of Hollandale, Minn., and Pearl Palmer of Newburg will be recalled by their many friends here. Mrs. Parker has two children, while Mrs. Palmer has eight.