John Franklin "Frank" WICKHAM ²

  General Notes:

PHOTO: submitted by Gerald Wickham

1910 IA CENSUS, Calhoun Co, Garfield: Lysander P. Irvin, 59(?), 1st marriage, married 28 yrs, b. IA, parents b. OH, retired farmer; wife Nevada R., 55, 1st marriage, married 28 yrs, 3 children, 2 living, b. IA, father b. OH, mother b. PA; son-in-law Frank Wickham, 33, 1st marriage, married 8 yrs, b. IA, parents b. US, farmer, farm; dau. Flora D., 25, 1st marriage, married 8 yrs, b. IA, parents b. IA; grand dau. Hazel B., 7; grand dau. Ester M., 5; grandson Lester K., 2. All children were b. IA and parents b. IA.

1915 IA STATE CENSUS, Henry Co, Marion Twp, Mt. Pleasant P.O.: J. F. Wickham, 38, farming, b. IA, parents b. US; Flora, 30, Christian, b. IA, parents b. IA; Hazel, 12; Esther, 10; Lester, 6; Ralph, 2. All children were b. IA and parents b. IA.

WWI DRAFT REGISTRATION CARDS, 1917-1918: John Franklin Wickham; Rt 2, Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co, IA; 41; b. Dec 18, 1876; farmer, self, Rt 2, Mt. Pleasant; nearest relative: Mrs. Flora Wickham of Rt 2, Mt. Pleasant, IA.

1920 IA CENSUS, Henry Co, Marion Twp: John F. Wickham, 43, b. IA, father b. OH, mother b. US, farmer, gen. farm; wife Flora B., 35, b. IA, parents b. IA; dau. Hazel B., 17; dau. Esther M.; 15; son Lester K., 11; son Ralph W., 7. All children were b. IA and parents b. IA.

1925 IA STATE CENSUS, Henry Co, Marion Twp: J. F. Wickham, 48, 8th grade education, b. IA, father: "Bimmeul"(?) Wickham who was b. IA, mother: Eliza "Milkslagle" who was b. IA and married unknown, engaged in agriculture, no religion listed; wife Flora, 40, 8th grade education, b. IA, father: "Ervin Lisander" who was b. IA, mother Nevada Morford who was b. IA and married Winfield, IA, engaged in personal service, Christian; son Merle, 2; dau. Esther, 20, 2 yrs college, Methodist; son Lester, 16, 12th grade education; son Ralph, 12. All children were b. IA, father: J. F. Wickham, mother: Flora Lisander who married "Litton", IA.

1930 IA CENSUS, Henry Co, Wayne Twp: Frank Wickham, 53, married age 24, b. IA, parents b. OH, farmer, gen. farm; wife Flora, 45, married age 17, b. IA, parents b. US; son Lester K., 22, single, laborer, farm; son Ralph W.,17, single; son Merle I., 9. All children were b. IA and parents b. IA.

OBIT: John Franklin Wickham was born December 18, 1876, near Eagle City, Iowa, Hardin County; died November 13, 1948 at his home near Winfield, Iowa; burial at Winfield Cemetery, Winfield, Iowa, Henry County.
Most of his life was spent on the farm, but he was very talented in many other things. At the age of 15 he worked in a blacksmith shop, a trade that served him well on the farm. He then worked on the farm by the month, and as a young man went to the Dakotas and worked through the harvest seasons, running steam engines and threshing machines.
He also worked in a jewelry store and learned to put a complete set of works in a watch or clock and had the tools to do it with, working on friends and neighbors watches and clocks. He was a depot agent at Lavinia, Iowa for a time and worked at the lumber yard there at the same time.
He was a good mechanic and in the winter months, he overhauled cars and later tractors for himself an his neighbors as well. As his own boys grew, he started custom work with a threshing machine, having regular runs to do each year.
He moved his family to Henry County, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa in 1918 from Lavinia, Iowa and in March, 1913 moved to a farm east of Mt. Pleasant - east of Hickory Grove Cemetery nearly three miles. He moved to a farm by Winfield in 1928.
As the years passed, steam engines and threshing machines gave up to tractors, combines and corn pickers, but he still did custom work as well as doing the farming of 200 acres on a farm near Winfield, Iowa, where he raised hogs, milk cows and horses (until the tractors took over).
In 1902 he was wed to Flora Ann Irwin at Lytton, Iowa. To this union was born two daughters, Hazel Belle and Esther Marie, and three sons, Lester Kenneth, Ralph Waldo and Merle Irwin.

INFO FROM GERALD WICKHAM, 1988: John Franklin "Frank" Wickham and Flora Ann Irwin were married the 10th of July 1902 at Lytton, Calhoun Co., IA. He was the fifth child of Bimuel R. and Eliza Millslagle Wickham. From the age of 12 he was learning the ways of farming, operating steam engines, threshing machines and blacksmithing. He was very mechanical minded and learned to repair his farm machinery, cars and how to assemble and repair clocks.
The first years of their marriage, he worked as a farm laborer and blacksmith, from there to being a station agent and working in a lumber yard. In 1912, he purchased a 100 acre farm in Henry Co, working as a farm hand until the spring of 1913, when he took possession. Later, he purchased a farm which is now know as the "Home Place". Son Merle now owns and lives there. Frank and Flora were known in the community for their participation and support of Church and School, being very active in both. Today they are survived by 50 of their 64 descendants.

John married Flora Ann IRWIN on 10 Jul 1902 in Lytton, Calhoun Co, IA.¹ (Flora Ann IRWIN was born on 29 Jul 1884 in near Winfield, Henry Co, IA,⁵ died on 13 Jul 1966 in Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co, IA ⁶ and was buried on 15 Jul 1966 in Winfield-Scott Twp Cem, , Henry Co, IA ⁵.)