April showers dilute the Coffee and Tea

[litl rooster]

 

[Russ T Chambers]

At least this one didn't need a note on the back.  I'd know my Mom anywhere!       

[Silver Creek Slim]

Morning y'all.
Coffee and tea are hot.

'Tis 26 and cloudy. High of 58.

Slim

[Johnny McCrae]

My wife is from Racine, Wisconsin. Her grandparents were born in Italy. My Dad was born in Yugoslavia and came to Milwaukee when he was 5 years old. My Grandfather owned a cigar factory in Milwaukee but lost it during the depression. I don't remember the cigar factory but do remember him. He passed away in 1945. My Mother was born in Uniontown, PA. Her parents were born in Czechoslovakia. Her Father was a coal miner.

[litl rooster]

Thanks for the coffee Slim.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Morning y'all.
Coffee and tea are hot.

'Tis 43 and overcast. "Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy this morning followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%."

Slim

[litl rooster]

Thanks for the coffee.... overcast and warm.

[litl rooster]

Rain is moving in. Will be this way next few days

[Delmonico]

Some of the first settlers in Nebraska were my ancestors.  Carman's, Parrish's and Hickey's. 

Great Great Grandparents were strong man and Fat Lady in the circus and toured Europe and made cheese at home.


OK, this was from the May 17th 1997 Tecumseh Chieftain.  I Transcribed the text because the scans were hard to read, this couple was my Great Great Grandparents.
All the living grandchildren have passed on since this was written.

A Wager Brings Hickey Family to Circus Notice

At one time Johnson County claimed the honor of having the largest man (and the largest in weight and height) family in the state and even in the country. These gargantuan of humanity were Mr. and Mrs. Ishmael Hickey and seven children, but the main importances were Mr. and Mrs. Hickey and daughter Letha, all of Spring Creek Precinct.
As the story was told, they were at one time members of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The Circus is coming, the circus is coming could be heard all around the square in Tecumseh. Posters were plastered all over board fences, on store fronts and any other available surface, telling of the arrival of the circus in town.

At that time, in 1881, S. W. Swart was editor of the Tecumseh Chieftain, and upon reading the advertising material on display, a thought came to his mind. He'd wager that the circus fat people couldn%u2019t compete with Johnson County%u2019s own Ishmael Hickey and family.

With this in mind, Swart contacted the circus manager upon his arrival in Tecumseh and made a bet with the man that he knew a family near Tecumseh would not only outweigh the circus fat people, but were also bigger in build.

Then Swart sent a message out to the Hickey farmstead, requesting Ishmael, his wife Elizabeth and daughter Letha, come to town on a matter of great importance.
When the Hickey wagon rumbled into town, Swat was on hand to accompany them to the fair grounds and collect his wager. The circus manager wanted to hire them on the spot, and later they did join the circus.

The Hickey not only outweighed the previous circus folks, they were also taller.

In his prime Ishmael Hickey Weighed in excess of 480 pounds and was 6 foot 7 inches tall, his wife stood 6 foot tall and weighed 420 pounds and their little daughter Letha weighed 320 pounds and was over 6 foot tall.

It was noted on occasion when the three Hickey's went to town, be it Tecumseh or Lincoln, that their names usually appeared in the paper.

The three had a special lumber wagon which they traveled in. It was equipped with three spring seats, on for each and it took a strong team to pull that heavy load.

The Hickey's were also a favorite at the county fair, when the boys, taller and heavier than most, would win the races and wrestling contests and Ishmael was on hand to break up any fights. He was known for his ability. That is he would maneuver his way between the disputers and butt them apart.

Some of the old newspaper reports of the family went as follows:

June 25, 1881-General Hickey was getting ready for hot weather. He was having a pond built around his house.

July 16, 1881-General Hickey was offered a good salary to go with the show that recently visited Tecumseh. He declined, The Grand Circus Royale, W. C. Coupe's Biggest Show in the World, combined with the Great Parish Hippodrome was the title of the show.

September 17, 1881- Ishmael Hickey thinks of starting in the show business as soon as the weather permits.

September 17, 1881-Ishmael Hickey, the largest man in the state was exhibiting his remarkable obesity to the Missourians. Mr. Hickey's weight approximates 500 avoirdupois.

October 1, 1881-Atchison Champion-A trio of heavy weights, consisting of J.C. Haines of Missouri, who weighed 480 pounds and his two daughters, buxom females of 481 and 430 pounds, respectfully arrived in the city yesterday and will be on exhibition at the fair as mountains of flesh. Tecumseh Chieftain-We point with pride to our Spring Creek citizen, Ishmael Hickey Esquire, and challenge successful competition.

November 5, 1881-General Hickey was in Illinois showing his phiz to the suckers.

November 26, 1881-Hickey belongs to us. He has lived here over 20 years. Corn, pork and the salubrious climate of southeast Nebraska have made him the man he is.
April 29, 1882-The cheese factory is going full blast. General Hickey who has been visiting in Illinois is expected to home soon. He could be used to advantage in the press department of the cheese factory.

June 3, 1882-Your Spring Creek correspondent visited the cheese factory of the Hickey brothers, a few days ago and saw the thrift and enterprise on all sides. Cheese will be made from the milk of 35 cows and butter from 200. Their mammoth churn is run by horsepower, but next year they intend to use the waters of Spring Creek for that purpose. It takes money and hard work to run a cheese factory and creamery successfully, and the proprietors have spared no expense for the most improved machinery.

Prosperity seemed to be with the Hickeys for the first 20 years after they came from Illinois, but two consecutive floods destroyed their cheese factory.

June 23, 1883-The night of June 16th it commenced raining about 8 o%u2019clock and rained all night. The streams in this section of the country were overflowing, which spread from bluff to bluff. Bridges, fences, stock and everything movable was swept away. Only one bridge was left on Spring Creek. And that was situated on the Johnson County line between Otoe and Johnson County. Hickey Brothers loss was about a $1000 in grain and fences.

Water was reported about three feet deep in the depot in Talmage. At Brock the houses were moved off their foundations; water in the stores was six foot deep.

June 30, 1883-The evening of Friday June 22, another rain began about 9'clock. Five inches was recorded. We are informed by the commissioners that out of 160 bridges in the county over 12 feet long, only 10 withstood the high waters.

At the Hickey homestead about six miles north and two and a half miles east of Tecumseh; on the Brownville road buildings were moved off their foundations or completely destroyed. The family had taken refuge in the top of the barn, and had seen many cattle and hogs swept down Spring Creek.

Plowed ground had been smoothed and the top soil completely gone. Trees were uprooted and clogging the creek, causing even worse flooding.

The cheese factory was a complete loss and was never reopened. But the family continued to farm there until Ishmael's death in 1885. Later the farm was sold to the late Charles Feurer.
Mr. and Mrs. Hickey and Letha traveled for a few years with the circus, visiting many states, England, and countries on the European continent.

Six of Hickey's grandchildren are still living. These include Mrs. Opal Parrish of Tecumseh, Mrs. Edna Parrish of Sterling, Mrs. Charles (Edus) Parrish and Chester Hickey of Elk Creek, and Cloyd Hickey of Union and Water Hickey of Bowling Green Missouri.

[Major 2]

that was very interesting Del, thanks for sharing & the transcribe   

Another day at home, not really bored but I am missing the job   
I figure to load some 30'06 brass ...Chile dogs for lunch 

[Silver Creek Slim]

Morning y'all.
Coffee and tea are hot.

'Tis 36 and fog. "Areas of dense morning fog. Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. High 62F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%."

Slim

[litl rooster]

Thank you for the coffee Slim-

More rain today

[pony express]

No rain here, a beautiful sunny morning. Off for the second of three "comp" days("X" days in rural carrier talk). Worked my tail off around the place yesterday, more of the same today. Cleaned the carburetor on the tiller yesterday, had some kind of clear jellied glop in it, I blame it on alcohol gas. Maybe as cheap as gas is right now, I may start using 91 octane in it to avoid the alcohol.

Built a new door for the chicken house/junk shed. 

Had to drive to Lebanon to pick up one of my Blazers after a tranny repair, and pick up some more steel fence posts , some of which I installed after I got home.

Will try and make some time for shooting today, along with more fencing and perhaps being a "substitute teacher" some more if needed. Garden time also planned. Don't miss my work a bit.

[litl rooster]

I have been thinking of adding a automatic chicken door on the hen house. Not sure I really want to spend the money. Yet on those wet or cold mornings or nights it might be worth it.

[Major 2]

Gut the 30'06 loaded and shot some off hand in the M1917 ...discovered a flaw in my home bullet stop galley..

I face east as I shoot into the pole barn (see photo ) the targets would normally be clipped on front.
However at 10AM the sun was facing me and put the targets in shadow,  effectively blacking them out.
Wasn't an issue back in Dec. as the sun was well South now that it is marching back North ....Morning shooting is too bright
or should I say not to bright 

Otherwise, when the sun is high overhead or behind as in the afternoon BOB's my Uncle.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Morning y'all.
Coffee and tea are hot.

'Tis 29 and sunny. High of 44.

Slim

[litl rooster]

Morning - thank you for the coffee. It's wet outside from a storm about a hour ago. Sky is clearing at the time.

[pony express]

Mornin, all! Another sunny day in the Ozarks, but cooler than yesterday, high supposed to be upper 50s.

Got some more projects worked on yesterday, and did manage a little shooting time. Have a deer camp on the other end of the property, and one of the group that hunts here was working on some construction in the area, so he and one of his co-workers were staying there at the camp, and the co- worker is a young single guy with a taste for Sig pistols. Got to shoot S P-365 and a P365XL, as well as a couple magazines each from my Shield and LCP. Nice guns. The XL had a red dot sight on it, and although I shot a pretty good group with it, it takes some getting used to. That little dot seems to dance all over the whole target! Didn't know I was that wobbly... . Almost liked the smaller P365 better, but it had a different trigger that tended to bite my trigger finger with each shot. He had a flat trigger installed on the XL, but the smaller one has the original curved trigger, but he was planning on changing both to the flat style. But, overall, I shot just as well with my Shield as the 2 Sigs.

[Major 2]

I'm fond of my 365 ...I don't have big fingers and don't get the bite you mention

[pony express]

Other than the "bite" I mentioned, I liked the gun. There's replacement triggers that would fix that. Mage release worked easier than the shield, And inserting a mag was easier also-just inset and it locked in, while with the Shield, if the mag is fully loaded and the slide closed, needs a bit of a "smack" to lock it in. Also, with the Shield, you really need some sort of magazine loader to get the last couple of rounds in, he was loading the Sig mags by hand.