Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

On July 10, 2000, I attended the funeral of Mary Hill. She was laid to rest in Maple Grove Cemetery in Bloomington.

I have access to the accounts of her life. Page after page of her handwritten memories. For a number of future issues I will attempt to condense down this file of at least 200 pages into the factual story of Mary (Anderson) Hill's life. This will also be a pictorial history and will run into many columns, as I want you to enjoy the many wonderful pictures this family sent to me. Most of them have been copied on photo paper and enlarged many times. In Covering Mary's life, we will also learn the partial history of at least 15 farms of Franklin County, complete with pictures, as we cover the moves that family made. This story fro another day might be labeled as a small book. Some of these Chapters will be long and some will be short, depending on how the pictures fall into place.

I will begin this part of the family's history with the story of William Anderson, grandfather of Mary Georgia Anderson. Even though information is scarce, a bit of research has revealed he was born in Columbia, Fayette County, Indiana, March 2, 1845, to Smith Anderson. Smith's mother was Mary Christy. Smith's father was Nicholas Anderson. To clarify, Smith Anderson is the great grandfather of Mary Hill and Nicholas was Mary's great great grandfather.

William Anderson married Mary J. Talkington, who was born July 22, 1846. Mary was the daughter of Jesse and Catherine (Chrisman) Talkington. To clarify this, Mary was the grandmother of Mary Anderson Hill and Jesse and Catherine were the great grandparents of Mary.

William and Mary were married on January 3, 1867. Mary's family has been traced to the early 1700s. Two of William and Mary Anderson's children are on the 1870 census records. Alfred Carlos (2) and Noah (9 months). When William Anderson was a young man, he moved his family with two of his brothers to Missouri. This information came from the family's history and has not yet been proven.

The 1880 census has William living in Nodaway County, Missouri, and Mary (32), Alfred C. (12), and George W. (7). Noah, who lived on year and 10 months, was deceased, as well as Barbara, who was born in 11878 and died the next year.

Mary Talkington Anderson, William's first wife and other of Alfred C. died August 3, 1884. It is unknown if she is buried in Nodaway County or Worth County. After Mary's death, William Anderson Remarried, as was the custom, to Sarah Adeline Rickabaugh, who was born December 2, 1863. The new couple had three additional children. Lois, Cora and Ethel.

William Anderson died on January 2, 1907 in Sheridan, Mo.and is buried in the Sheridan Cemetery. Two stones mark his grave. A military stone, showing him to have been in Company C, 146th Indiana infantry and s small private stone showing only the dates. Sarah Rickabaugh died November 19, 1962, at the age of 96 years old.

Alfred Carlos Anderson, the son of William and Mary Anderson, was born November 30, 1868 in Decatur County, Indiana. Alfred was Mary Anderson Hill's father. Next week we will delve more deeply into Alfred's life.

Come; look with me inside this drawer, this box I've often seen. At the pictures, black and white. Faces proud, still and serene. Unknown.

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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