Henry Noble Sherman (1861 - 1944)

Born 1861 in Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Albina (Fisk) Sherman — married about 1886 (to 1 Sep 1894) in Michigan, United States

Descendants

Died 23 May 1944 at about age 83 in Swift, Minnesota, United States

Biography

Henry Noble Sherman was born in 1861 in Michigan, the son of William and Diana Sherman.

In 1870, the Sherman family lived in Hancock, Wisconsin. The household included William Sherman, 55, born in New York, a farmer with $600 in real estate and $500 in personal estate; his wife, Diana, 44, b. NY; their six children, all b. Michigan, Charles, 17; Eunice, 15; Jenny, 12, in school; Noble, 10, in school; Fred, 7, in school; and Julia, 5. ^[1]

Noble married three times. His first wife Albina and all four of their children perished in the Great Hinckley, Minnesota Fire of 1894. Their bodies are buried in a mass grave, a memorial to the victims, in a Hinckley cemetary. Nobel’s second wife was the widow of a man who also died in that fire (Nobel identified his body). Nobel died 23 May 1944 in Swift County, Minnesota, and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Murdock, Swift, Minnesota. ^[2]

In the fire, Nobel also lost his brother Fred, Fred’s wife, and their five children, aged 1 to 7 years of age. Fred and his family lived one mile north of Hinckley. Fred, 31, was found “80 rods from the house” and was identified by a knife. His wife Eva, 24, was found in a root house. The children were found with their parents.

Nobel helped identify many of the Hinckley victims, including his own wife, Albina, identified by a breastpin and other jewelry, and their four children, aged 1 to 7 years of age. The children were found near their mother; Albert and Cora Abbey and their two children; Louis Chambers, 24, identified by personal appearance and his knife and buttons; and Thomas J. Lovell, his wife and their two children. ^[3]

The Great Hinckley Fire of September 1,1894, devasted at least 200,000 acres in and around Hinckley, Minnesota. Drought, extreme temperatures and poor logging practices led to scattered wildfires which grew, and merged into one huge conflagration, which culminated in a devastating firestorm, with fire tornadoes, caused by a temperature inversion, destroying the town of Hinckley and five other smaller towns. Temperatures reached at least 2000F, causing train wheels to fuse to the tracks in the Eastern Minnesota Railyard. The last train out of the area, full of evacuees, crossed a bridge minutes before the bridge burned and collapsed.

Many residents fled to the river, and to a swamp. 127 people perished in the swamp from asphyxiation. Other victims were found dead inside wells. Victims were identified by personal belongings, such a pocket knives, jewelry, buttons, etc. A boy was found with some carpentry nails in his pocket. A woman was found with a purse with $3700 she’d been saving to send her two sons to college. She was found dead, with of her sons, dead. Adult victims were identified, and children found nearby were assumed to be theirs. Mothers were found with children in their arms. The youngest victim in Hinckley was a baby, just five days old. Some survived the fire by fleeing to a quarry pool.

The official coroners report stated that 413 were killed, but the death toll was many more, as it did not count unknown numbers of Native Americans and backcountry residents. Victims’ bodies continued to be found years later. ^{[4] [5]}

In addition to Stanley and Bina, Ruth and Noble had another child, a daughter (she may have died young). She was not named at birth. She was born 19 February 1909 in Marshall, South Dakota. ^[6]

Noble died, aged 82-83, on 23 May 1944 in Swift County, Minnesota. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Murdock, Swift, Minnesota. ^{[7] [8]}

Sources

1. ↑ 1870 US Census, Hancock, Waushara, Wisconsin (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNSX-8TB)
2. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #90397371
3. ↑ (http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?962,617091)
4. ↑ (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hinckley_Fire)
5. ↑ (http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?962,617091)
6. ↑ South Dakota, Dept of Health, Index to Births 1843-1914 and Marriages, 1950-2016 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKD8-FSKG)
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #90397371
8. ↑ Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V44X-655)