History of William Hutchinson and Julia Ann Harman
and Jacob Amick and Martha Harmon
from        "Hutchinson's" <praxis@alltel.net>
 
My great-grandparents were married in Tarkio on Sept. 15, 1886: James
William HUTCHINSON b. March 27, 1859 Wisconsin, d. Aug. 29, 1935 Nebraska &
Julia Ann HARMON b. May 03, 1861 Indiana, d. Jan. 18, 1961 Nebraska
 
Jacob AMICK & Martha HARMON (half-sister to Julia Ann HARMON above)
 

"Obituary of Jacob Amick:  Jacob Amick was born in Clark County, Indiana,
June 8, 1848.  At the age of five he moved with his parents to Fremont
County, Iowa, and from there to Atchison County, Missouri, where he grew to
manhood, and where he spent most of his life.
 When seventeen years of age he enlisted in Co. A. Missouri Volunteers where
he served six months and received an honorable discharge.
 In the year 1879 at the age of thirty one, he was united in marriage to
Miss Martha Harmon, of Clark County, Indiana.  They came to Missouri and
made their home near Westboro for a period of four years, when his wife was
injured in the cyclone of 1883 and died, October 26 of the same year.
 In the year 1884 he was married again.  This time to Mrs. Rachael E.
Woolsey, of Tarkio, Missouri.  To this union was born one child, a daughter,
Nancy Belle.
 Mrs. Amick dying in 1904 he moved the following year to Menlo, Kansas at
which place he made his home for ten years.  His health failing he gave up
farming and spent the last two years of his life in traveling for his
health, but to no avail and departed this life at Hunter, Missouri, November
30, 1916, being 68 years, 5 months and 22 days old.  Burial in the Center
Grove Cemetery."

"Death of Jacob Amick: Captain Steck recites the story of the death and
burial of Jacob Amick.  It was winter, and friends and acquaintances were
widely separated.  Mrs. Amick [Jacob's daughter-in-law?] desired that her
friends, the Walbaum' who lived near the present site of the Cox church in
Buchanan township, should be notified.  There was but one saddle horse to be
had, and with this captain Steck and his brother set out across the
trackless prairie at nightfall, riding and walking in turn, untill after
midnight before they arrived at the Walburm house.  Other members of the
family had to be notified and in the early hours of the morning the friends
started on the twenty mile journey with an ox team and sled to attend the
burial which occurred as the winter sun went down.
 Mrs. Amick still lives in this county, and the story of how she supported
her family and raised them to manhood and womanhood would read more like
romance than history.  But in all these privations she but shared the common
lot.  The best that any of these people had was none too good for those who
had less, and we are told that it was no uncommon occurrence for a neighbor
to borrow a bacon rind to grease the oven in which to bake corn-bread.  Each
person felt his dependence on all and all depended on each and all were
happy in the degree in which they could be helpful to each other."
   --from Descendants of William Harmon by Chester L. Fleetwood

 

A letter from Earl L. Mumford:

(half-nephew to Julia Ann HARMON above; son of Theodore MUMFORD & Mary Elizabeth HARMON)

 "Maryville, Missouri  December 24, 1964

 Dear Cousins, the Harmons of Indiana & Ohio.

 Once in a lifetime the unexpected happens and today in the mail was one of
them, that Cecil is a gerat boy.
 When I was in Indiana in 1904, Uncle Geo. Harmon and your grandfather were
enemies over a fence line.  Uncle Geo. told me I must not go to the Adams'
[if I] didn't want to get shot?  One day while there Uncle Geo., Aunt Sally,
Maude, I don't remember if there were any more, and myself, went to your
Dad's farm.  Its been so long.  He had one field, seems to me it was on a
creek bottom, said it was "the finest land out doors."  To me, after being
raised on soil as black as your hat, it looked as white as this paper to me.
 I go quite often to Center Grove cemetery (4 miles south of Westboro,
Missouri) where my parents, and Dad's parents are, and also Uncles and
Aunts.  Also, your Dad's sister, Aunt Matt Amick who died after being out in
the cyclone of 1883 (blew the buildings away).  She got hold of a little
tree, but the hail just beat her black & blue; this was in July and she
lived till Nov., if my memory is correct.  Uncle Jake put up a marble shaft
about as tall as I (5ft. 8in.) and it is just as true as it was the day he
had it put there.  He married again and when he died his wife brought him
back there by Aunt Mat.  The stone needs sanding or polishing as time has
roughened it quite a bit.
 Aunt Sara was the eldest of the first bunch of Harmons.  We were to see
them in 1896.  They lived at that time in Emporia, Kansas where their
children were going to College.  I remember Lena and two boys.  (Mahin)
Uncle Matt was a broom maker by trade he made my mother a small whisk broom
and we had it for years.  I have lost all knowledge of them.  I have a
picture of the flowers that were on Aunt Sara's coffin.
 I married a girl that must have been out of her mind just a little; her Dad
told her after she finished high school if she would go on to college he
would foot the cost.  No, she married me.  (I still think her Dad was right)
and gave me 5 girls and 2 boys to feed and school.  (She did most of it.)  6
have degrees from this college here in Maryville; eldest boy Theodore went
to Lincoln, Neb. to a welding school.  Merle oldest [daughter] has been in
San Mateo, Calif. since 1947 at the same district.  She has a Masters
degree.  She teaches in Hillsboro where only millionairs live.  Mrs. B.
Crosby enrolled her two oldest children last spring; one in 1st grade, one
in kindergarden.  Merle teaches 6th.  Then Theodore married a Texas girl.  I
expect that letters I send Cecil talk of their loss.  He is an electrician.
Ruth next, teaches in Waterloo, Iowa.
 Martha is next.  She married an ag teacher, then he had to go to
war--luckily came back--taught 3 years and got a U.S. mail route.  Martha
has 3 boys and 2 girls.  Eldest is in college in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
taking voice--rest are at home in school.  They leased a home in town all
the time so the girls sold them 40 acres off the north side of this place if
they would build on it.  So Art got a GI loan and I built a barn for him.
Just to get the children out of town an it has paid off inevery way.  They
have a small dairy now.  They milk 6 cow, get out at 5:30 a.m., milk eat and
be ready for school bus by 7:30 a.m.  Then comes Elmer who was forced by
military conscription into servic--went to airservice.  [He was] in
Greenland 8 months, then to India.  [He] made 37 trips over the hump into
China--then for some cause his plane went down, and burned he and his crew
beyond recognition.  So, some where in Burma he sleeps.
 Then comes the baby Irene.  She is married, has two girls, each is tall as
I.  Irene teaches commerce & typing.  Her man is caretaker for a veternarian
who raises feeder hogs, a full time job.  So there you have it.  My wifes
father was in the southern army and my grandfather was in union army.  Both
were at our wedding.  Grandfather M. gave us $5.00, we bought a rocking
chair, I think its in the attic now.  Thanks for the advice. (Doc)  I will
be here June 22 next, out here one must know one is going to need a Dr. 3 or
4 days ahead of time.  By that time one can be dead if not the Dr. will see
you.  I had a bout with arthritis in 1961.  You name what didn't hurt and
you can have it.  I had to go every 24 or 36 hours for a shot.  I was
personally acquainted with the office nurse.  I told her she used the
dullest needle she had and could ram it in same place each time.  We fooled
along for quite some time.  I told Doc on morning we were not getting any
where.  He said I am going to put you in "horse-petal."  They took x-ray and
that thing that tell about your engine, etc.
 I lost 20 lbs while there.  The x-ray showed scars on my lungs.  I have had
heavy chest cold several times.  Then Dr. began working on that.  3 days he
never showed up.  I said on 10th day I am going home, it was costing $14.00
per day for a bed and those women to bath me.  He said O.K. but you won't
feed any more cattle.  Well, come April we brought in 25 calves from the
pasture.  I fed 20 of them to $28.00 per hundred, then we brought in 6 I
think it was and I fed them.  I forget the price--they brought top $.
 Is Ethel Harmon Blades and May Harmon and Aunt Cora Harmon still liveing?
I had a card from Maude Harmon, Warren, Starkey last Xmas.  She is nearly
blind.  This year I didn't get a card.
 In 1937 every thing we had, the farm and $21,000.00 was swept away.  But in
the meantime we had put, I mean Mom had put all the children through
college, [except] Irene, she was just out of high school.  4 of the girls
were teaching.  (1938) Mom & I stayed home.  Girls all did light house
keeping, came home each Fri. for supplies for the following week .  In 10
years we had this 200 acres paid for.  Martha married, [the] other 3 bought
out her share, so the 3 girls own this farm.  House is all modern.  I've
seen some times I didn't know where next sack of flour was coming [from],
but it did.  The children are good to me.  I want for nothing, don't need
much any how.  Women now buy bread.  And farmers don't kill own meat nor
plant potatoes, just a sweetcorn patch or strawberry bed.  No the living
come home in a sack.  Then people have unemployment.  I allways had work for
my bunch on Sat. and this vacation.  I have never owned a car nor tractor,
in fact, my last horse died last Oct.  I expect you are tired of such gab,
so I had better try to stop.

 Best wishes to all.  Your Cousin in Missouri.  Earl Mumford
  --from Descendants of William Harmon, by Chester L. Fleetwood
Hutchinson Family
praxis@alltel.net