Sunday’s Obituary – Bessie E Hicks, young daughter of Bertha Ann Shackford (Blog 422)

March 27, 2017June 2, 2017 ~ Joanne Shackford Parkes ~ 1 Comment

According to birth records, Bessie E Hicks, the daughter of Joseph E and Bertha Ann (Shackford) Hicks was born on July 6, 1905 and had a male twin who died on the date of her birth. For some reason her death record lists her birth date as Sept 17, 1904 which is most likely incorrect as there was a child born on Oct 12, 1904 who only lived a few minutes. One other possibility is that Bessie is the female Hicks with a birth record of Sept 16, 1903 but if that Bessie were still living, it would be odd for the family to name a second child with the same name…

Sadly Bessie died of leukemia on Sept 28, 1911 at a very young age, somewhere between the age of 7 and 8.

Obituary Bessie E Hicks Hillsborough Messenger (Hillsboro, N. H.), 5 October 1911 Bessie E Hicks

Daughter of Joseph W. and Bertha
M. Hicks, passed away last Thursday
afternoon at the home of her parents on
Butler street, after an illness of several
months, which was borne with great
patience. She was born in Canaan,
coming home with her parents several
months ago, and her age was 8 years
and 11 days.
Prayers were held at the home by the
Rev. Walter F. Whitney at 3 o’clock

Sunday afternoon and George Boyston
sang “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”
The body was taken to Canaan Monday
for internment.
The immediate relatives are the pa-
rents, a brother and two sisters, who
have the sympathy of friends in their
bereavement.
There were many floral tributes as
folows: Pillow “Our Darling,” famil;
closed book, “Bessie” neighbors and
friends, Hillsboro; spray of pinks, Mr.
and Mrs James Melrose; spray of pinks,
Mr. and Mrs Chester Young and son;
cresent, Brotherhood I B. M W. E.,
Concord, spray of pinks, auxillary of I.
B. M. W. E.; spray of pinks, Mr. and
Mrs. Bert Robinson and daughter of
Canaan; spray of pinks, Mr. and Mrs
Herbert Brown, Hillsboro; sray of
pinks, Rev. and Mrs. W> F. Whitney
pink roses MR and Mrs Harry Clough,
bouquet Florencee Colby, arias and cut
flowers, Mr and Mrs Jack Wheeler,
wreath Mr and Mrs E E Wet; cut
flowers Mrs Gould, spray of pinks,
Mr and Mrs R R Hicks, Canaan, spray
of cut flowers Ethewys Gordoe
Canaan.
Card of Thanks
We desire to extend our most heart-
felt thanks to all who so kindly assisted
at the sickness, death and burial of our
darling Bessie Especially would we
thank the singer and those who sent
flowers
Mr and Mrs Joe Hicks and Family

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SOURCES:

1910 United States Federal Census, Grafton County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Canaan, enumeration district (ED) 80, Sheet No 11A, visited 389, family 403, Joseph Hicks; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 March 2017).

“Bessie E Hicks,” Hillsborough Messenger (Hillsboro, N. H.), 5 October 1911; digital images, (http://fuller.advantage-preservation.com : accessed 19 March 2017)

New Hampshire “New Hampshire Birth Certificates, 1901-1915,” digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 25 April 2016), Bessie Hicks

New Hampshire “New Hampshire Birth Certificates, 1901-1915,” digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 February 2017), Hicks, b. 16 Sep 1903.

New Hampshire, New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947, , Hicks, 6 July 1905; index and digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 26 March 2017).

New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Death Records 1654-1947, , Bessie E Hicks d., 28 September 1911; digital images, FamilySearch, New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947 (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 25 January 2015).

Military Monday- Lester Harlow Hicks, the son of Bertha Ann Shackford, was Hillsboro NH’s First WWI Death (Blog 420)

March 20, 2017June 19, 2017 ~ Joanne Shackford Parkes ~ 3 Comments

Today’s blog honors Lester Harlow Hicks (1899-1917), the 18 year old son of Bertha Ann Shackford and Joseph Waldo Hicks who contracted pneumonia aboard the battleship Maine and died a few weeks later on June 23, 1917 at the Brooklyn Naval Hospital in New York.

We Begin to Realize

A feeling of gloom was cast over the
town this week when the body of Hills-
boro’s first contribution to the terrible
conflict we are now engaged in, came
home, Lester Harlow Hicks, son of
Joseph W. and Bertha A. Hicks.
Young Hicks was born in Westford,
Vt., March 28, 1899, and came to town
six years ago with his parents.
He enlisted April 7, in the Navy and
was sent to Newport, R. I. and from
there put on the battleship Maine
where he contracted pneumonia, and
was sent to the Brooklyn naval hospt-
al and Bright’s disease developed. He
was sick ten of the twelve weeks he
was away and died Saturday.
The body arrived here by express
Monday night in a heavy mahogany
metallic casket provided by the Naval
department, and was taken to the
home of his parents on Water street.
The funeral was held Tuesday at 2:30
from the Methodist church, both Rev.
Mr. Buckler and Rev Mr. Beal officiat-
ing. Members of the local guards
acted as escort with the boys who
have enlisted, but as yet have not been
called into service.
The bearers were Dennis Bowie of
Hillsboro, Co. H, National Guards,
Arthur Gruenler of Hillsboro, Co. M.
Harry Sanborn and Fred Merrill of
Newport, both of Co. M. George
Boynton sang two selections, “No
Night in Heaven” and Lead Kindly
Light,” The G. A. R., W. R. C. S.,
of V, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and
a delegation from the Deborah club
attended the service and the church
was crowded with sympathizing
friends.
There was a profusion of beautiful
flowers from relatives and friends.
The services were impressive and
brought tears to many eyes.
In the casket with the body was a
handsom silk flag sent by Harold Ab-
bott, now of the the battleship, Illi-
nois Abbott and Hicks left town
the same day for enlistment and ex-
pected to be assigned to the same ship,
but were separated when their assign-
ments were given out.
Young Hicks, though not a rugged
looking boy, got by and was accepted
where many of his acquaintances failed
to pass. He offered himself willingly
and entered the service full of enthus-
iasm and expected to be in the service
with young Abbott
While the grim horrors of a naval
battle are not associated with the end-
ing of this young manhood, neverthe-
less he has given his life to the service
and has done all that any man can do.
The sincere sympathy of the entire
community goes out to the father,
mother, sisters, and grandmother in
this hour of their sad affliction. The
body was taken to Canaan Wednesday
for burial.

SOURCES:

1900 United States Federal Census, Grafton County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Canaan Town, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 53, Sheet No 14 (A79), Elma Shackford; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 8 February 2014).

1910 United States Federal Census, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Plainfield, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 319, Sheet No 10A, Rollo Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 March 2014).

New Hampshire “New Hampshire Deaths and Burials, 1784-1949,,” index, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 19 March 2017), Lester H Hicks

“We Begin to Realize,” Hillsborough Messenger (Hillsboro, N. H.), 28 June 1917; digital images, (http://fuller.advantage-preservation.com : accessed 19 March 2017).

Sunday’s Obituary – Bertha Ann (Shackford) Hicks (1882-1943), Gold Star Mother (Blog 419)

March 20, 2017March 27, 2017 ~ Joanne Shackford Parkes ~ 2 Comments

Bertha Ann Shackford, the daughter of Norman H and Emma Elmira (Hodgman) Shackford was born June 27, 1882 or June 27, 1882 in Danbury, New Hampshire – her birth record states the year 1882 but her death record and obituary list the years as 1883. Although the birth record would normally be our primary source, she has a sibling with a birth date of Nov 3, 1881 which would make it difficult to believe the 1882 year as they would have been six months apart.

Although Bertha’s marriage record states she was 18 when he married Joseph Waldo Hicks on December 10, 1897, in Milton, Vermont we believe she was only 16 or possibly 15 based on her birth record. The marriage record states Joseph was 21 but he was still 20.

Sometime after their marriage, the young couple moved into Bertha’s mother’s home in Canaan, NH where we find them in 1900 with son Lester H Hicks. In 1910 they were still living in Canaan with two new children – Venessa and Bessie – son Lester is living with Bertha’s sister Esther W Chambers. The 1911 census lists four children living but we can only account for these three.

Bertha’s son Lester joined the Navy and sadly died of influenza in Brooklyn, New York at the age of 18 on June 23, 1917. He was a seaman, second class. It must have been horrible to have received the news of her son’s death at such a young age.

Bertha shows up in the 1920, 1930, 1940 census records in Hillsboro, New Hampshire with her husband Joseph who was working as a carpenter for the railroad, a construction foreman , and an assistant supervisor of the steam railroad.

Bertha died on August 13, 1943 in Hillsboro due to cardiac failure and was buried in the Wells Cemetery in Canaan, New Hampshire. We learn more about her from her obituary. Also if you have access to Ancestry, many pictures of Bertha and her family are posted there.

Funeral Service

For Mrs. Bessie

M. Hicks

Mrs. Bertha M. Hicks passed away
in her sleep at her home in Lower
Village Aug. 13 after a long period
of ill health. A good neighbor, kind
friend and wonderful homemaker
she will be greatly missed.
Mrs. Hicks was born in Danbury,
Jan. 27, 1883, daughter of Norman
and Emma (Hodgdon) Shackford.
She was a Gold Star Mother and
member of the American Legion
Auxiliary of Plymouth.
Survivors are her husband, Jos-
eph Hicks, two daughters, Mrs Earl
Beard and Mrs. Clarence Davis of
Hillsboro; two sisters, Mrs. Esther
Chambers of Springfield, Vt., and
Mrs. Stella Whaley of Richford,
Vt., also three grandchildren, one
great grandchild and several
nephews and nieces.
Funeral services were held at the
home Sunday afternoon with Rev.
Frank A. M. Coad officiating cler-
gyman; Bernice Coad sang “Some
Day We’ll Understand.” A delega-
tion from the Gleason Young Post,
American Legion, attended.
Bearers were Earl Beard, Elton
Kemp, Walter Carter, Morris White,
Francis Beard and Leon Kemp.
Burial was in Wells cemetery
Canaan, under the direction of
Fred H. Matthews, funeral director,
with committal prayers by Rev.
Coad.
Attending from out of town were
Mr. and Mrs. Harlon Hicks, Mrs
Archie Spaulding, Essex Junction,
Vt’ Mr. and Mrs Lester Gardner,
Springfield, Vt.’ Mrs Alfred Walk-
er, Ludlow, Vt., and Mr. and Mrs.
Brce Chapman, Henniker.

CHILDREN:

Lester Harlow Hicks (1899-1917) – Seaman, second class, died of pneumonia in Brooklyn, NY

Vanessa Estella Hicks (1900-1991) – married Cedric Earl Beard, lived in Hillsboro, NH

Bertha Ardella Hicks (1902-????) – married Clarence Harvey Davis,

Bessie E Hicks (1904-1911) – died of Leucemia [sic]

SOURCES:

1920 United States Federal Census, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Hillsborough, enumeration district (ED) 76, Sheet No 12, Dwelling 300, family 327, Joseph W Hicks; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 19 March 2017).

1930 United States Federal Census, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Hillsborough, enumeration district (ED) 6-56, Sheet No 12, 143 Calef Road, dwelling 235, family 248, Joseph W Hicks; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 19 March 2017).

1940 United States Federal Census, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Hillsborough, enumeration district (ED) 6-20, Sheet No 4A, home visited – 79, value 2500, Joseph Hicks; digital images, FamilySearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 19 March 2017).

“Funeral Service For Mrs. Bessie M. Hicks,” Hillsborough Messenger (Hillsboro, N. H.), 19 August 1943; digital images, (http://fuller.advantage-preservation.com : accessed 24 February 2017).

New Hampshire, New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900, , Bertha Shackford, 27 June 1882; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 8 February 2014).

New Hampshire, Death and Disinterment Records, 1754-1947, , Bertha Ann Hicks, 13 August 1943; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 March 2017); New England Historical Genealogical Society. Citing New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire.

Vermont, Vermont Vital Records, 1760-2008, Image 2473, page 181, Shackford, Bertha m. Joseph W Hicks, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XFH1-KM2, 10 December 1887; digital images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 29 April 2013).

SHACKFORD Family History

Sharing Our Discoveries of the Descendants of William Shackford (abt 1640-1720)

Bertha Ann Shackford

Sunday’s Obituary – Bessie E Hicks, young daughter of Bertha Ann Shackford (Blog 422)

Military Monday- Lester Harlow Hicks, the son of Bertha Ann Shackford, was Hillsboro NH’s First WWI Death (Blog 420)

Sunday’s Obituary – Bertha Ann (Shackford) Hicks (1882-1943), Gold Star Mother (Blog 419)