Hiram W. Cheney

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: a schoolteacher. ² Hiram has been described as being kind to the indians.

• Family Origin: name spelling. The name was spelled 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 married Hattie (Cheney) Fox, daughter of Michael James Fox and Almira Truax, on 21 Mar 1867 in Illinois.² (Hattie (Cheney) Fox was born on 1 Jun 1850 in Kendall County, Illinois ¹⁶ and died on 17 Dec 1938 in Humphreys, Sullivan, Missouri, USA.)

  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.