James Coates WICKHAM ²

  General Notes:

1860 MO CENSUS, Gentry Co, Township 61:
James Wickham, 27, farmer, $900 real estate, $238 personal property, b. OH; Eliza, 20, b. IA;
Henry Warner, 23, farmer, $160 personal property, b. KY;
Amanda Warner, 17, b. IA;
Mary Warner, 4/12, b. MO.
(Listed on same census page were Nathan R, & Margaret Wickham.)

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS:
Name: James Wickham
Side Served: Union
State Served: Missouri
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private.
Enlisted in Company G, 18th Infantry Regiment Missouri.

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR REGIMENTS:
18th Infantry Regiment Missouri
Date of Organization: 14 Nov 1861
Muster Date: 18 Jul 1865
Regiment State: Missouri
Regiment Type: Infantry
Regiment Number: 18th
Enlisted Died of Disease or Accident: 6
Officers Died of Disease or Accident: 0
Enlisted Killed or Mortally Wounded: 75
Enlisted Died of Disease or Accident: 164
Regimental Soldiers and History: List of Soldiers

Regimental History Eighteenth Infantry
MISSOURI (3-YEARS)

Eighteenth Infantry. -- Cols., Madison Miller,. Charles S. Sheldon; Lieut.- Cols., I. V. Pratt, C. S. Sheldon, W. H. Minter, W. M. Edgar.

In his report for 1863 the adjutant-general of Missouri says: "This regiment was formed in Aug., 1861, and has taken part in many of the most important engagements of the war in the West. The want of regimental reports prevents this office from giving that complete statement of its doings that is desired. It has lost largely in officers and men, especially at the battle of Shiloh, but has been steadily recruited, and now has a good aggregate for a regiment that has been so depleted."

During the first two months of 1864 it was mounted and employed in scouting the country about Florence, Ala. It then joined the army of Gen. Sherman, where it was assigned to the 17th corps, and began the advance upon Atlanta, taking part in the engagements at Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, Kingston, Dallas, Big Shanty, Kennesaw Mountain, along the Chattahoochee River in front of Atlanta and at Jonesboro.

When Gen. Hood evacuated Atlanta and started north this regiment was one of those in pursuit, drove the rear-guard of the enemy through Snake Creek gap and skirmished with him at various other points. It then rejoined the main body of the army and was in the famous march to the sea, participating in all the engagements in which the 17th corps was brought into action.

In the early part of 1865 the regiment marched with Sherman across the Carolinas. It was the 18th Mo. that forced the crossing of Whippy's swamp and the Pedee River at Cheraw; was present at the capture of Columbia and Fayetteville, S. C.; fought with its customary valor in the battle of Bentonville, N. C., and was present when Gen. Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Goldsboro.

It then moved to Washington, D. C. where it took part in the grand review in May, after which it went by rail and river via Louisville, Ky., to St. Louis, where it was mustered out on July 18, 1865.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 4, p. 263

Battles Fought:
Fought on 14 Nov 1861.
Fought on 28 Feb 1862.
Fought on 6 Apr 1862 at Shiloh, TN.
Fought on 7 Apr 1862 at Shiloh, TN.
Fought on 30 Apr 1862.
Fought on 22 Jul 1864 at Atlanta, GA.
Fought on 7 Aug 1864 at Atlanta, GA.
Fought on 11 Aug 1864 at Atlanta, GA.

HISTORY OF RICHARDSON CO, NE - 1917, p. 1368/9: "He spent his earlier years in the Buckeye state, coming to Richardson Co, NE in 1867, settling in Salem, where he engaged in the fruit business until his death. He was a soldier in the Civil War and took part in many important engagements and with the army that marched under General Sherman from Atlanta to the sea." " He died in 1905." (Note: different death date than listed elsewhere.)

1870 NE CENSUS, Richardson Co, Salem P.O.:
James Wickham, 37, farmer, $5,000 real estate, $1000 personal property, b. OH;
Eliza, 27, b. IA;
Clara, 10, b. MO;
Blanche, 7, b. MO;
Edgar, 5, b. MO;
Ernest, 2, b. NE;
Olive, 6/12, b. NE in Feb.

HISTORY OF RICHARDSON CO, NE, 1917, p. 181:
Jas. Wickham served as a county commissioner in 1878, 1879 and 1880.

1880 NE CENSUS, Richardson Co, Salem:
James Wickham, 47, farmer, b. OH, father b. NY, mother b. OH;
wife Eliza J., 40, b. IA, parents b. OH;
dau. Clara A., 20, b. MO, single;
dau. Blanch L., 18, single, b. MO;
son Edgar J., 15, b. MO;
son Ernest, 12, b. NE;
dau. Olive, 9, b. NE;
dau. Bertha 4, b. NE.
Father of all children was b. OH and mother b. NY.

1885 NE STATE CENSUS, Richardson Co, Salem:
James Wickham, 52, b. OH;
"Elizie", 45, b. IA;
Ernest, 17, b. NE;
Oliver, 15, b. NE;
Bertha, 9, b. NE;
Una, 2/12, b. NE.
(Listed near N. R. Wickham, N. A. Wickham & Frank Wickham on census.)

1890 VETERANS SCHEDULE, NE, Richardson Co, Salem:
James Wickham, Private Comp. 6, 18th MO Infantry; enlisted Dec 13, 1864, discharged July 12, 1865; length of service 7 mo.: disability incurred: chronic diarrhea, about 25 yrs.

1900 NE CENSUS, Richardson Co, Salem Twp:
James Wickham, Dec 18, 1833, 66, married 37 yrs, b. OH, father b. NY, mother b. OH, farmer;
wife Eliza J., Feb 15, 1844, 56, married 37 yrs, 7 children, 7 living, b. IA, parents b. OH;
dau. Olive, Feb 12, 1870, 30, single, b. MO, father b. OH, mother b. IA;
dau. Bertie, Nov 24, 1876, 24, single, b. NE, father b. OH, mother b. IA;
dau. Una, Apr 8, 1855, 15, b. NE, father b. OH, mother b. IA, at school.
(Listed next to Ernest & Belle Wickham and George & Clara "Bohner" on census.)

CIVIL WAR PENSION INDEX: GENERAL INDEX TO PESION FILES, 1861-1934:
James Wickham, 18th MO Inf., Com G. - Eliza J. Wickham filed for a widow's pension on Oct. 30, 1903 from NE.

INFO FROM FRANK LESLIE: James was in the war for five years and was in many campaigns, he was with General Sherman on his famous march from Atlanta to the sea. After the war he came to Salem, NE. In 1866 he purchased land on the north edge of Salem and in 1867 he build the house that still stands there, now owned by Bob Harlow, great-grandson of James.
James established what became known as the Wickham Berry Farm. Later his son Earnest joined him in this business. I still have an original price list(1918) on fruit plants, ranging from 200 plants to 10,000. I read in some of the writing of this family where they shipped 127 carloads of fruit in one growing season. This had to be a big operation.

James married Elizabeth J. BARROWS in 1860.¹ (Elizabeth J. BARROWS was born on 15 Feb 1844 in Linn Co., IA ⁴ and died on 20 Dec 1931 in St. Petersburg, Pinellas Co, FL ⁵.)