John (Searles) Hickey (1844 - abt. 1919)

Born 18 Feb 1844 in St. George, Charlotte, New Brunswick [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Loue (Hunt) Hickey — married 12 Mar 1871 in Drew, Arkansas, United States

Husband of Sarah Ann (Gilmore) Hickey — married 6 Dec 1891 in Bradley, Arkansas, United States

Descendants

Died about 5 Apr 1919 at about age 75 in Arkansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michael Battey [send private message]

Biography

This individual is very interesting for a genealogist because he was born John Searles (also spelled Surles or Searls) but changed his name to William H. Hickey around 1870, soon after leaving his childhood home around the southern border between Maine and New Brunswick. "Hickey" was his mother's maiden name.

His descendants in Arkansas have passed down stories about him, including that he joined either Quantrill's Raiders or the James Gang, and that he would go away for long stretches. It is also said he married one twin and then, when she died, married her twin sister. Indeed, the Marion, Drew County, Arkansas census of 1850 shows the family of Jessie Hunt, which includes a record of William's first wife, Martha Loue (or Love) Hunt at three years old, as well as a girl of the same age, Nancy T. Hunt:

• Martha L Hunt, Female, 3, White, born 1847 in Arkansas
• Nancy T Hunt, Female, 3, White, born 1847 in Arkansas

However, this genealogist has not been able to find a record of a marriage of William and Nancy, who is recorded as having married a man in Michigan.

According to the 1850 United States Census of Lubec, Maine:, John Searls was born in New Brunswick about 1844. The tiny town of Lubec is the easternmost town in the United States. Today, one can cross a bridge from Lubec to Campobello Island (where Thomas was born) in New Brunswick. In 1850, New Brunswick was still a British territory. In 1867, it was one of the three founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation, along with Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec).

John/William's father was Thomas Searls and his mother was Eleanor (or Ellen) Elizabeth Hickey. The two family names are found together in this census and later ones as well.

• Thomas Searls, Male, 25, White, 1825, New Brunswick
• Eleanor Searls, Female, 23, White, 1827, New Brunswick
• John Searls, Male, 6, White, 1844, New Brunswick
• Jessie Searls, Male, 3, White, 1847, New Brunswick
• James E Searls, 1, Male, 1, White, 1849, Maine
• John Hickey, Male, 20, White, 1830, Maine

The 1861 census of Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick shows that John/William was born in St. Georges, which is a bit inland from the coast on the New Brunswick mainland. It also shows that Thomas's family spent some time on Grand Manan Island, which is off the coast near the border of New Brunswick and Maine. All of the males in the family were fishermen.

Surles

• Thomas, Head, 34, Campobello, Fisherman, Baptist
• Ellen E., Wife, 32, St. Georges, Spinster
• John, Son, 16, St. Georges, Fisherman
• Jessey, Son, 14, St. Georges, Fisherman
• James E., Son, 13, State of Maine, Fisherman
• Grace A., Daughter, 8, State of Maine
• Hannah M., Daughter, 6, St. Georges
• Mary E., Daughter 4, State of Maine
• Jane E., Daughter, 2, Grand Manan

The 1870 United States Census of Eastport, Maine has a lot of Searles and Hickeys on one page, and it shows that John and his parents are back in Maine.

• Thomas Searles, Male, 46, White, 1824, New Brunswick
• Ellen Searles, Female, 42, White, 1828, New Brunswick
• John Searles, Male, 26, White, 1844, New Brunswick

Eastport is a small town on the southern end of Moose Island, in Maine. It is less than a mile due north of Lubec. In this census, the wife's name is Ellen, not Eleanor, as before.

Taken together, the censuses show a family that moved from town to town in the coastal region of Maine and New Brunswick on a regular basis.

John/William enlisted in the U.S. Navy twice, as shown in a small card from the U.S. Veterans Administration from September 1931. The card seemed to declare John/William's death, probably to stop sending disability payments.

It has the following information:
__________
Hickey William H
Surles John
Seaman USN

RFD 3 Warren, Ark

Born 2/18/44 (1844)
Died 4/5/19
Enl(isted) 11/19/63 Dis(missed) 6/25/64
Enl 4/13/66 Dis 5/3/69

Note that both of his names are on the card. A similar card has less information, but it clearly states his name as "Surles, John now known as Hickey, William H."

John/William must have left Maine shortly after the census workers took his name for the 1870 census because he was in Arkansas by early 1871, with the name William H. (Harvey?) Hickey, when he married Martha (Hunt) Hickey.

--Marriage Record--
William H Hicky (sic) to Martha L. Hunt,
State of Arkansas
County of Drew
I Henry H Crook a regular ordained minister of the M.E. Church South do hereby certify that on the 12 day of March 1871 I did join in marriage William H Hicky age 28 and Martha L Hunt age 23 and then and there declared them to be husband and wife.
Given under my hand the 16 March 1871,
HH, Crook M.G.
Filed March 16/71

William and Martha's family is listed in the Veasey, Drew County, Arkansas Census of 1880:

• William Hickey, Male, 40, Married, White, Works At Saw Mill, Self, 1840, Me (Maine) , NewB (new Brunswick), NewB
• Martha L Hickey, Female, 33, Married, White, Keeps House, Wife, 1847, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
• Thomas J Hickey, Male, 8, Single, White, Son, 1872, Arkansas, Maine, Arkansas
• S Mattie Hickey, Female, 7, Single, White, Daughter, 1873, Arkansas, Maine, Arkansas
• William E Hickey, Male, 5, Single, White, Son, 1875, Arkansas, Maine, Arkansas
• Nancey Z Hickey, Female, 3, Single, White, Daughter, 1877, Arkansas, Maine, Arkansas
• Captolia Hickey, Female, 1, Single, White, Daughter, 1879, Arkansas, Maine, Arkansas
  

Eleven years after the 1880 census, Martha Loue Hunt had died or otherwise parted ways with William.

On December 6, 1891, he married Sarah Ann "Sallie" Gilmore, widow of B. F. Kinard.

The 1900 census shows that they had three children.
1900 CENSUS, Bradley County, Washington Township, Enumeration District 1 9, Sheet 9 (Series: T623, Roll 51, Page 293)

• Hickey, William H., Head, White, Male, born Feb 1844, 56 years old, Married for 9 years, foreman sawmill, born in Maine, father born Maine, mother born New Brunswick, months not employed = 2, can read, write, and speak English, Rents a house.
• Sarah A., wife, born 1858, born in Arkansas, both parents born in North Carolina
• Arthur, son, born Sep 1893, Arkansas
• Earl S., son, born Feb 1895, Arkansas
• Hester, born Jun 1896, Arkansas

Another family legend says that William H. Hickey "went out to check the cows one day and didn't come back..." until he was old and sick. If true, this must relate to his marriage with Sallie Gilmore. The 1910 census has him living with his son William. Sallie is listed separately, with their kids, as the head of household.

1910 CENSUS, Arkansas, Pike County, Antoine Township, Enumeration District 19, Sheet 11 (Series T624, Roll: 60, Page 252)

• William E. Hickey, head of household, farmer, age 35, born Arkansas, father born Maine, mother born Arkansas
• Carrie Hickey, wife, age 35, born in Alabama, mother and father born in Alabama
• William H. Hickey, father, age 66, born Maine, father born Ire English, mother born Ire English

The designation "Ire English" must refer to John/William's parents being of Irish descent and living in the English Territory of New Brunswick.

It's possible that he returned to Sallie when William Eugene died of tuberculosis in 1916.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DTB3-JFC?cc=1438024&wc=92KM-T32%3A518654601%2C518654602%2C518735401 : 12 June 2019), Maine > Washington > Eastport > image 89 of 94; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• 1900 United States Federal Census;
• 1910 United States Federal Census
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 18 September 2019), memorial page for William H. Hickey (1845–5 Apr 1919), Find A Grave Memorial no. 118166560, citing Parker Prospect Cemetery, Hermitage, Bradley County, Arkansas, USA ; Maintained by henry osborne (contributor 47228310) .
• Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957, in FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMP5-SXH
• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-65B7-HB?cc=1401638&wc=95RC-GPY%3A1031308201%2C1031304802%2C1032642301 : 9 April 2016), Maine > Washington > Lubec > image 54 of 71; citing NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).