William married Clara Cynthia McLain on 29 November 1874. C1ara had been born in New Rochelle, Ill., 24 February 1854 when her family was on the way to homestead by ox team. Her mother, Melissa Dean McLean, died when she was quite young. Clara's father, Russell McLain, remarried and subsequently moved to Kalispe1, Montana.

William and Clara Hitchings lived on a farm near Sutherland until their fourth child, Cora, was born. William then moved his family into Sutherland and the rest of the family appeared.

Grandmother Thorne lived with the Hitchings in the later years of her 1ife. The report is that she was a character in that she enjoyed smoking a pipe, her whiskey and used profanity to express herself.

Wi11iam Hitchings apparently had been able to accumulate a number of farms which he rented. Among them were Uncle Joe Cowan‘s farm which he had inherited. He was also president of the State Bank of Sutherland untii he retired.

William passed away on October 6, 1924 following a fall in his home. He was 75. Clara died on 6 October 1937 at the age of 83. Both are buried in the Hitchings family plot in Waterman Cemetery near Sutherland, Iowa.

Mr. Hitchings was one of the earliest settlers in O'Brien County. He was just 21 when in 1870 he came here with his foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cowan. On Thanksgiving day 1874 he was married to Clara McLain, a pioneer girl of Cherokee County. Their home was on a farm in Waterman Township until 1882, when the North Western R.R. was bui1t through this section. Then Mr. Hitchings engaged in the grain business in the new town of Sutherland. He bui1t one of our first grain elevators, was the first mayor of Sutherland and served for many years on the town council and also on the school board. During later years he retired from active business, a1though he retained his interests in the State Bank, of which he had iong been a stock holder and director and of which he was at one time the president.

He was a charter member of Abiff Lodge, A.F,&A.M., and served as its Master during the years 1891 to 1894. He was a Past Worthy Patron of Sutherland Chapter 0.E.S., having been a charter member of both Sutherland and Victory Chapters.

He spent 55 years in bearing his share in the deve1opment of a new country and in unceasing effort for the welfare of his family.

At the home of Mr and Mrs W.S. Hitchings on Wednesday evening,June 22nd, occured the wedding of their daughter Jennie Alice Hitchings, to Chas. Eaker. It was quietly but very prettily solemnized at six o'clock, Rev. Jay P. Baker of Hudson, Iowa, performing the ceremony, Miss Cora Hitchings, sister of the bride, played the wedding march and the bride and groom entered unattended. Those present were relatives and a few friends who after the ceremony partook of a bountiful supper. The bride was he recipient of many handsome and useful wedding presents from her friends.

Those present from a distance were: Mrs J.B. Baker from Vinton Iowa mother of the groom, J.F. Baker of Hudson,Iowa, Dr.and Mrs J.R.Hitchings and daughter of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Mrs Mary Thomason,Tekamah, Nebraska.

The bride is one of Sutherland's best young ladies and is so well known and highly esteemed that anything that might be said here would be superfluous, Suffice it to say that she wi be greatly missed from the social and church circles of our town. The groom is prominent young business man and is a member of the Eaker Nursery Company of Vinton, Iowa. He is Well known in this community, having been here a great deal in the interests of his firm.

The bride and groom left Thursday morning for Minnetonka Lake near Minneapolis, where they will remain for some time. They will be at home at Marshall, Minnesota, after November lst.

Signed Jane J. Hill

Memories of Grandpa and Grandm Hitchings by Jane Hill 1975

When Sidney asked me to write abut my memories of Grandpa and Grandma Hitchings. I realized that I no doubt had more memories of them "stashed“ away than any other of their grandchildren, as we lived so close and my memories grew from day to day living rather then from an occasional visit.

Grandma and Grandpa came from sturdy pioneer stock. Grandma was born in 1854 in Rochelle Illinois. Her parents, the Russell McLains, were enroute via covered Wagon to greener pastures in the west. They settled in Cherokee County a few miles south of the Sutherland area where grandpa and grandma lived following their marriage. Grandma's mother Melissa Dean mcLain died in 1870 and so at 16 years of age grandma took over the responsibility of her younger sisters and brother. Her father Russell McLain soon remarried.

Their house still stands in a grove on the old road to Cherokee. To see that tiny house it is difficult to realize that it is the saame house Grandma used to tell me about. "We had frequent overnight guests because it was the largest house along the road between the towns of Sutherland and Cherokee. People traveled by foot or by horse and wagon so stopped along the road to stay overnight. The house had an upstairs reached by a ladder and going through a hole in the ceiling.

Grandma was married to ”Sid" Hitchings on Thanksgiving Day in 1874. "Sid" a dashing dark eyed black curly—haired 6 footer. had migrated to Iowa in 1870 with his Foster parents, the Joseph Cowans, from New Brunswick, Grandpa and Grandma made their home on a farm in Highland and Waterman Townships and lived there until 1882 when the North Western Railway was built through that section of O'Brien County. They then moved to Sutherland.

By this time there were also four children in the Hitchinge family. John born in 1875, Mary Eucia in 1877, Jennie in 1879 and Cora in 1882. They lived in a house next door to Grandpa's Foster parents. Mother alqays spoke fondly of “Auntie" and Uncle Joe Cowan. The children played over at “Aunties” often and heres another story of what happened there.

Lucia was about five so Jennie would have been about 3 1/2. They had their new china—head dolls and were playing at “Aunties” while the carpenters were working to close up a North door leading to a porch. By nailing the lathe up on each side or the door it left an open space between the walls which, to Lucia, looked like a dolls bed, so she fixed a blanket in there and laid her doll down on the blanket. When the girls were called home to dinner the doll was left in the bed. When Lucia returned in the afternoon the carpenters had finished closing the door and the doll Was in the wall. Many tears were shed - but that was that, and the doll was gone. But wait, that is not the end of my story. Almost 50 years later that door was opened again and the doll was found. The elderly lady who then lived there knew grandma and called her to tell her about it. Grandma said,"Why that's Lucia's doll.“ By that time Lucia was a grandmother but she was happy to see her doll again. To make a long story short Lucia presented the doll to her eldest grandchild, who is now Mrs John (Barbara Poole of Clarendon Hills, Ill. Barbara has had the doll restored and dressed in the style of that day and it is a treasured possession.

Grandpa Was Sutherland's first Mayor, was in the grain business and built the first grain elevator building in Sutherland. He served for many years on the town council and the school board and later on stock holder and director of the Sutherland State Bank, and at one time was president of the bank. He was a very far—seeing man, that is, when his family were growing up, many young people never even finished high school. He could foresee the need of a good education and managed to send all of his family away to school, when they were old ehough to go to college. Lucia was the second child and the eldest girl in this family of ten. At this time there were only ten grades in the Sutherland school so Lucia was probably about 17 when she was sent to Buena Vista College in Storm Lake,Ia. She only managed to stay about the first semester when she was called home because Grandma needed help. Clara was born that year, Florence was 2, Ray was 4, Charlie was 6, Vinnie 8, Will 11, Cora 13 and Jennie 16. Little Ray was very ill and they 'decided that he should be taken to a specialist in the Twin Cities. John the eldest was attending college in or near the Twin Cities at that time. Since Grandma Was very busy at home, Lucia Was chosen to go along with Ray and take care or him. I do not know how long they were there but I do know that they stayed in a rooming house and that Lucia wheeled Ray back and forth each day in a carriage. This was quite a responsibility for a young girl. Little Ray was never very strong and died at the age of eight years in 1899.

Grandpa Hitchinge never forgot what Lucie was asked to give up when she was called home from college and after she was married for almost 20 years, Grandpa bought her a Knabe Princess Grand Piano to take the place or her college education she was asked to give up. Grandpa and Grandma moved into a much bigger house when they outgrew the small one next to Auntie and Uncle Joe's. It was a tremendous sized house with a tower off the parlor, which had sliding doors to shut it off when suitors came to call, or when Florence gave Piano lessons years later. On the ground floor was also a sitting room, down stairs bed room, large dining room, pantry, kitchen. back porch, front porch and both back and front stairways. The upstairs had many bedrooms. a stairway to the big “attic” and even had a bathroom which held a very large bathtub. The other “conveniences" were outside and down a sidewalk to a "three-holer" out toward the barn. There was a fireplace which took up one whole wall in the sitting room and a very high mantle that held a chime clock. We epent many happy hours there sitting on the floor playing with Grandma‘s shell and stone collection. Grandma alwaye-kept a well filled brown sttoneware cookie Jar inside the middle door of the pantry-cupboard and it was always available to any hungry grandchildren. Some time during the years the cover of that cookie Jar must have been broken because there was always a little plate on the jar when I used to help myself.

Every fall, my mother said, Grandpa would buy several barrels of apples which were stored in the "cellar". Also on the back of the kitchen range wes always a big bowl of sliced onions and sugar, which when kept warm would make-onion syrup. This was Grandma's home remedy against colds. Each child had a generous spoonful daily. That along with plenty of apples to eat must have been successful as they were seldom ill or even had colds.

For two weeks every spring and fall a seamstress would come and live there and ear, making new dresses, shirts, and whatever was needed for the family. While there the old pedal style sewing machine kept up a steady hum from morning till night.

The Hitchings family were a very close knitted group for they gathered at the home place for holidays and summer reunions until there was quite a flock of grandchildren along. One Christmas I remember vividly as the group gathered next to the tower room after dinner. The large tree stood in the tower and I'm sure it was decorated with popcorn and cranberry strings. I probably was 3 1/2 which would make the year 1908, with brother Roger the new baby born on December 8th. I was very anxious to see what those packages held, especially the one for me, and I expressed my anxiety and everyone laughed at me. I suddenly was very hot and embarassed and Uncle Cec picked me up and let me hide my face against his shoulder.

As the family all came home the house Was filled with extra beds on the floor and the overflow always came to our house.(the Clay Jordan home). Grandma Hitchinge was a very good cook and knew how to stretch the food budget. Mother often spoke about the bread pudding grandma made and which the children werent so fond of. Grandpa would eay,"Eet it up, it will stick to your ribs and make you fat."

Thanksgiving dinner is one I will always remember. Some years Uncle Charlie would send a turkey from Wyoming. Grandma was a “master" at cooking pot roast & I can still remember that round iron kettle with the three legs, simmering away at the back of the kitchen range. In fact after they moved to the little house next to Lucia and Clays. and had an electric range it was almost impossible to get Grandma to realize that a three legged pot was not made to cook on an electric stove.

Being a stamp collector. I Was given the opportunity a few years ago, to go through some old letters of early residents in Sutherland. I remember reading the line about, "the whole Hitchings tribe“, being at their place for dinner I wonder how one could manage with father, mother and ten children coming to eat dinner when, no doubt, they also had a large family of their own.

In addition to their own big family most households took care of an aging relative. In the Hitchinge home Was Grandma Hitchinge grandmother, whose name was Sophia Thorns. She had the downstairs bedroom and I’ve heard stories about how she would hide "willie" under her long flowing skirts as she eat in her little rocker. “Willie”(Uncle Will who became Dr. Hitohings) frequently ran to great-grendma to escape a spanking.

I do not know when Grandpa and Grandma started going to Lake Okoboji for the summer. I do know that my parents (Lucia and Clay Jordan) went there on their honeymoon, which Was in the fall of 1898,and they spent part of every summer thereafter until I was 15 which would be 1920. Our cottages,"The Hitching Post” And "Over Jordan” were about 2 blocks apart. Those summers were very happy times Many of the Hitchings family came with their children to visit for a week or two We picniced [sic] often and one time we went across the lake to a soda pop plant. We were passing around the soda pop and Grandpa said to me,"Give one to Clara: And that was when I found out that Grandma Hitchings had a name beside "Grandma" . Another favorite picnic spot was on the north shore of Spirit Lake when we would meet the Will Hitchings family who drove down from their home in Lakefield, Minn

One summer, about 1914 or 15 when Aunt Clara was attending the National Kindergarten School in Chicago, she brought Frances Westbrook home with her to spend the summer. Frances and I were playing outside the Hitchinge cottage and Grandpa was having a nap on their screened porch He was a very large man and had a lot of volume when he snored, which he did often. Frances and I did what every youngster would do under the circumstances. Each time Grandpa snored we both would answer with a large imitation snore of our own and ended up with gale of laughter. Then Grandpa would come back with a louder one each time. What we didnt know Has that he heard us and thought we were making fun of him and was very hurt, so told Aunt Clara. We really got a good "dressing down" for that one.

When their children were all gone. either in their own homes or away to college Grandma and Grandpa started spending their winters in California. Grandma continued for a few years after Grandpa passed away in 1924.

Grandma had a wonderful sense of humor and could laugh and enjoy a joke even it it was "on her". Grandpa was a great Joker and loved to try and bother her. I remember one instance when he told about Grandma heing caught up on a mountain in California overnight and had to stay at a tourist camp. She had gone back up to check on Florence and Clara who had stayed on after a picnic dinner. Grandma had then missed the last bus down and was forced to stay all night. Incidentally the two girls had come down and Grandma had missed them.' Grandpa dearly loved to tell this story an nd would laugh so hard.that the old leather Morris chair he eat in, Would rock baok and forth.

Grandma also had a fine artistic sense and an eye for color. As her family were growing up and attending grade school she made their clothes and I've been told that they always had that extra touch of something different and attractive about them. Many of her children, grandchildren and down into the great grand children have inherited their artistic ability from Grandma Hitchings.

Grandma was a wonderful Scotch lady and I am very proud to have inherited some of her Scotch ways. One of our families favorite jokes used to be, "Give it to Jane, she'll make a dress cut of it."

Grandma passed aWay on October 6 1937 at the age of 63. Both Grandma and Grandpa are buried in the Hitchinge family plot in Waterman Cemetery about a mile east of Sutherland Iowa. Also buried in the Hitchings lot are Great Grandmother Sophia Thorne, Ray Albert Hitchings and Florence Hitchings Schalekamp.

Contributed by Kristy Crowe