Hattie (Cheney) Fox

  Noted events in her life were:

• Death of mother, 18 Aug 1861. My mother died when I was just eleven years old. My older sisters kept house for our father. My father left us in Illinois and went to Kansas to look for work as a laborer and farmer.

• Military, 16 Jan 1864. ² My father volunteered for the Civil War enlisting on January 16, 1864 at age 43. He was mustered in at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on March 7, 1864. On March 29, 1864, he was given a 15-day furlough, so he returned to Guilford near Rockford where my sisters and I were living. While he was on furlough, he established an Illinois residency for himself through the Superior of Guilford offices, so that my sisters and I could receive benefits from the county fund appropriated to the families of volunteers in Winnebego County. My father left me some money for board for one year with the instructions that I was to stay with one of my sisters. I didn't care for my sister's husband, so I left their home and went to live with a family named Avery.

• Occupation: midwife. ² I learned the skills of a midwife. I enjoyed tending to the sick and downtrodden.

• Family Event. I loved children and always enjoyed it when our house was full of their energy and exuberance. I made sure each child had a chore to do, so that ideleness wouldn't breed trouble. One of my favorite tasks to assign was picking berries. I never wanted the men to come into the house from their chores without a pie on the table.

• Family Death, 1875. In 1875, Hiram's father died of dropsy. Burial took place at Haigler, Nebraska.

• Marriages. I married twice after Zig died, outliving both of them. Following the death of my last husband, I moved to Humphreys, Missouri to live with my daughter Eve and her husband.

• death, 17 Dec 1938. Hattie died from pneumonia while living in Humphreys, Missouri

Hattie married Hiram W. Cheney on 21 Mar 1867 in Illinois.² (Hiram W. Cheney was born about 1846 and died on 16 Sep 1871 in Blue Springs, Gage County, Nebraska ².)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• marriage, 21 Mar 1867. I married Hiram Cheney in Winnebego County, Illinois at Cherry Valley near Rockford. He was the son of William and Susan Cheney. Hiram's father, William Cheney was born in 1816 in Goshen, Champaign County, Ohio. William was first married to Lydia Arbogast. Following Lydia's death, he married Susan. Hiram had two brothers: Franklin who was born in 1853 and James Dexter Cheney born May 5, 1873. James worked as a clown in the Barnum Circus. Hiram also had a sister named Tammy who was born about 1855.

The members of Hiram's family spelled their surname in various forms such as Cheeney, Cheny and Cheiney. The family was of English origin and among the earliest immigrants to this country. The ancestor of the family is understood to have settled in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, from whence the descendants migrated westwardly, with the drift of colonization. The name occurs in the history of Watertown, Massachusetts as early as 1650.

Hiram taught at a school and was especially kind toward the Indians.

In about 1869, Hiram and his parents were interested in the governments offer through the Homestead Act and made plans to head west to the Nebraska Territory. We were just getting ready to head out, when the horses became frightened knocking Hiram to the ground. The loaded wagon ran across his chest severely injuring him. We had to postpone our trip west for about four months while Hiram was bedfast. Hiram's brother Franklin and his parents went on without us. Hiram insisted on continueing with our plans, so rather than traveling by wagon, I made arrangements for us to travel by train to Omaha. When we arrived in Omaha, Nebraska, we made preparations to board a boat that would take us to Brownville, Nebraska. In Brownville, we purchased a horse and wagon to take us overland to Blue Springs, Nebraska where we settled on a homestead.

Hiram's family had settled in Haigler, Nebraska. We later learned that Hiram's mother Susan had died from a chronic case of Nephritis and influenza. Burial took place in Haigler, Nebraska.

On September 16, 1871, my husband Hiram died from tuberculosis on September 16, 1871. I couldn't depend on the help from my father-in-law since he had developed a bad heart condition. I sold the rights to our homestead for $400. In addition to the $400 dollars, all I had to my name was a horse, wagon and a good harness. I cared for the sick and used my skills as a midwife to keep Corey and me going.

Hattie next married Ziegler Barkey, son of Enos (Enoch) Barkey and Eve Ziegler, on 8 Jun 1872 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.² (Ziegler Barkey was born on 30 Jul 1844 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, died on 3 Feb 1914 in Highland Township, Cortland, Gage County, Nebraska ² and was buried on 5 Feb 1914 in Highland Center Cemetery, Cortland, Gage County, Nebraska ³.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• marriage, 8 Jun 1872. Hattie lost her first husband after a mishap with their wagon. She bravely continued on to Nebraska with her daughter, Cora Chenney. Hattie was a gifted mid-wife and it was during one of her visits to deliver a baby that I first met her. I was actually working up on a ladder on my home when Hattie came by. She stopped and we talked for a bit.