John Wesley Hicks

[Devonmade]

John Wesley Hicks was born somewhere in Canada in 1888. He married Gladys Westcott in Plymouth, Devon, England in 1921. He died in Oregon, USA in 1984.

The name of John Wesley Hicks sound as though it may have had its origins in Cornwall, I was wondering if anyone could help with any information regarding his parents and their origins.

Regards, Sue

[NickM]

It seems odd that someone would have emigrated to Canada, then come back to England to marry, then emigrate through Canada again into America ?

Strangely, there are several John Wesley Hicks who come up on an Ancestry search who could fit the bill. There is a John Wesley Hicks b. 1888 in Campbellford Ontario, shown crossing into the USA, arriving 27 Apr 1923 in Buffalo New York. There is also a record of a "Wife Gladys Hicks" b. 1888 England arriving in New York on 17 Nov 1923, so this could well be his wife.

Now, there is a John Wesley Hicks born 17 May 1888 in Ontario to John Hicks and Martha (nee Lee) in Campbellford Ontario. Assuming that we have the right John Wesley Hicks, you now have the name of his father, but unfortunately the birth record does not record the birth places of the parents (although it does say that John Hicks was a carpenter).

Ontario Marrriage record 18 May 1881 - Samuel John Hicks, b. abt 1846, age 35, Cramahe, Father's name Robert Hicks, Mother's name Anna Hicks married Martha Lee, b. abt 1859, age 22, Cramahe, Father's name Alexander Lee, Mother's name Sarah Lee. Cramahe is about 80 miles east of Toronto. Campbellford is about 20 miles NE of Cramahe.

The 1891 census shows John (Wesley) living with his widowed mother Martha in Campbellford.

[Devonmade]

Thank you NickM, I think you have found him. I wondered if John Wesley Hicks was in the UK owing to the First World War and perhaps he was a Canadian Soldier or Sailor. He had three children, Gordon Wesley who was born in Canada in 1922 and then twin girls Claire M and Martha M born in Ohio in 1926.

Sue

[NickM]

That's possible, but I can't find any military records (which doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't any). I think it's possible that John's mother may have found it hard to make ends meet when his father died, so maybe he was either sent to a relative in England, or made his own way there to make his fortune ? If you could establish what he did for a living, that may throw some light on it. What is also quite interesting is that on the 1891 census there are two female Hicks living as "lodgers" with John's mother, one aged 43 and the other 19, both unmarried and (unlike Martha) they were both born in England. Maybe they were relatives of John's late father who had come over for a memorial service, and maybe John went back to England with them ?

P.S. According to a family tree I found on Ancestry, John's father Samuel John Hicks died 28 Feb 1891 in Warkworth, Ontario, Canada. No supporting documentation, though.

P.P.S. John Hicks b. 17 May 1888, died Sept 1967, Last known address 97223 Portland, Washington, Oregon, United States of America. This doesn't tie in with the death date you have !

[Devonmade]

We don't know much about John Wesley Hicks other than what I have found out via the internet revords available. My husband had always thought he was an American so it was a surprise to find that both he and his son were born in Canada. Everyone thought that when Gladys first went overseas she was going to America. I recently found her first visit to the UK with son Gordon sailing from New York in 1923. I cannot access record for Canada on
Ancestry but see that a Gladys Florence Hicks entered Cananda via st John New Brunswick.

The only other info I have is that John Wesley Hicks was listed as a Sheet Metal Worker at a Boat Works.

Sue

[BeeJay]

I cannot access record for Canada on
Ancestry but see that a Gladys Florence Hicks entered Cananda via st John New Brunswick.
Sue

That record has:
Hicks John Wesley age 27, born in Canada, going to Toronto
Hicks Gladys Florence (wife) age 20, accompanying husband
Empress of France, Liverpool to St. John, N.B., arrived 15 April 1921

:)

[NickM]

That would make him a lot younger than the John Wesley Hicks that I've been looking at. I don't think he's the same chap at all. There is another John Wesley Hicks born about 1893 on Ancestry.

........ or maybe he was just lying about his age ? Definitely found him on the US 1930 census.......

John W Hicks (transcribed as John Y on Ancestry) living in Columbiana, Salem, Ohio
Born 1889
Age at last marriage 32
Value of house $3800
Place of birth Canada
Occupation: Sheet metal worker at boat works
Gladys Hicks
Born 1901
Age at last marriage 20
Place of birth England
Gordon W Hicks born 1922 Canada
Claire M Hicks born 1927 Ohio USA
Martha M Hicks born 1927 Ohio USA

[BeeJay]

John Wesley Hicks was born somewhere in Canada in 1888. He married Gladys Westcott in Plymouth, Devon, England in 1921.

Sue, do you have the marriage certificate, which should give his father's name?

:)

[NickM]

Here's an interesting entry.....

Border Crossings from Canada to the US, 1923.....

Gordon W Hicks, age 1y 3m.
Race: English.
Border Crossing: Mt. Dennis, Buffalo, USA.
Name and address of nearest relative or friend, and country from whence alien came: Aunt, Mrs May McCullough, 232 Bloom Street (Apt. H), Toronto.
Final destination: Salem, Ohio.

Here's his WW2 registration papers....
John Wesley Hicks, born 17 May 1888 Campbellford, Ontario, Canada
Age 53
Address: 72 E. Fifth St., Salem, Ohio.
Next of kin: Mrs. Gladys Hicks, 72 E. Fifth St., Salem, Ohio.
Employers name & address: Mullins Mfg. Co., Salem, Columbiana, Ohio.
Height 5' 6"
Weight 131 lbs
Eyes Brown
Hair Brown
Complexion Light
Tattoo on left arm
Dated 26 Aug 1942

I think we had the right man all along :)

[Devonmade]

Hi

I do not have the marriage certificate for John and Gladys but they are certainly the family from the US 1930 Census. They ended up in Portland Oregon. Gladys did have the middle name of Florence and they were married on the 28 Mar 1921 in Plymouth, Devon, so the sailing from Liverpool to St John, NB also looks correct even though John's age is wrong. I think we should go on 1888/9 as this is the date on the 1930 census and also on his death registration which is Sep 1967 as NickM pointed out (1984 was when Gladys died).

Many thanks for all your help.

Sue

[NickM]

Oh I wish this was my relative - so much information.....

John Wesley's father's death......

John Hicks
Died: 28 Feb 1891
Age: 45
Occupation: Carpenter
Born: Colborne
Cause of death: Pleuresy
Informant: Martha Hicks, Campbellford
Registered 28 April 1891
Religion: Methodist

Everything bar his inside leg measurement ! :)

[Devonmade]

All this information is most interesting. I looked at the family trees on Ancestry and if they are correct, with info included in this thread then John Wesley Hicks family originated in Cornwall and in particular St Tudy.
Robert Hicks married Hannah Southcott in 1839 by the 1841 census they had a daughter Phillipa. During the 1840's they seem to have gone to Canada where Samuel John was born in 1846.

My husband now recalls that John Wesley Hicks may have been a seaman of some sort in the First World War and he thought he may have been on a minesweeper. This would tie in with the Plymouth connection being a Naval Port. It appears that he met Gladys Westcott who would have been in her teens during the war but was told that if he really wanted to marry her then he should come back after the war if he still felt the same, which he obviously did. There was an age difference of about 12 years between them so if he was going out with her when she was 17 he would have been nearly 30.

Sue

[BeeJay]

A really interesting family story, Sue, and a great job, NickM, find all this info!

The WW2 registration papers were a real bonus for the birth date/place. Do they by chance mention or ask about previous military experience?

:)

[Devonmade]

Do you know why someone of 53 would of had WW2 registration papers, was this normal?

Sue

[NickM]

A really interesting family story, Sue, and a great job, NickM, find all this info!

The WW2 registration papers were a real bonus for the birth date/place. Do they by chance mention or ask about previous military experience?

:)

You can view them for yourself.....

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j141/martin_uk/jwh1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j141/martin_uk/jwh2.jpg

I think men still had to register, even though they were probably too old to go to the front. They could do home guard duties, or replace men who were sent away to war.

[Devonmade]

Hi NickM

Thank you for posting the original, I've found this story very interesting I think I know more about this family than I do about some closer family members. I wish I had been taught social history whilst at school I find it far more interesting then Kings, Queens and Romans.

Sue

[Sbrown]

Hi,
I hope I am not too late to join this discussion.

I am not related to the Hicks or Westcotts. I live in Portland, OR USA and have come into the possession (by accident - long story) of the original marriage certificate of John Wesley Hicks and Gladys Florence Westcott, married March 28, 1921 in Plymouth. I would be happy to share the information on the certificate, if any of you are interested. I also have birth date and death date info on Gladys' parents.

Also, do you know where I might find the descendants of John and Gladys? I would like to return this certificate to them. (It is very fragile, taped together many times).

Thank you,
Shannon

[Devonmade]

Hi Shannon

Thank you for getting in touch. I would be very pleased to recieve all the details on the marriage of John Wesley Hicks and Gladys Westcott also the details you have of the parents of Gladys.

I met Gladys and her son Gordon when they paid their last visit to the UK sometime in the late 1960's early 1970's. John and Gladys had three children, Gordon who married Mary and then there were twin daughters Claire and Martha.

The only other knowledge I have of the family is that Gordon died on 11 May 1986, death was registerd in Multnomah County, Oregon. I think his wife Mary had a double barrelled name e.g. Mary Claire., I have no more knowledge and do not know who the two girls married or if Gordon had any children, I have a few photos of Auntie Glad with John Hicks and son Gordon in. But I am not aware that the two girls ever came to the UK.

I look forward to hearing from you. What a small world.

Regards

Sue

[Sbrown]

Hi Sue,
Thanks for the note! I work for a non-profit/charitable org. which receives donations of books and other items. Sometimes, there are family documents hidden in the pages of the books, and I always try to return them. Oftentimes we get donations of books, when someone has died, and the family members are cleaning out the house.

We recently received a donation of a Postage Stamp Album. Inside the cover was written the name "Martha Mae Hicks". This must be one of the twin daughters of Gordon.

Within the pages of the album were:
1.) Piece of paper with names/birthdates/deathdates
2.) Marriage Certificate
3.) Letter

Piece of Paper - the following info was on the piece of paper -
"Mother and Father of Gladys F. Hicks (Born May 11, 1900)
*George B. Westcott
Dec. 21, 1868
March 10, 1947
*Clara M. Westcott
April 4, 1874
Dec. 2, 1950"

Marriage Certificate of John Hicks and Gladys Westcott - as mentioned in my prior post, this is a very fragile document, that has been taped together many times -
"Marriage solemnized at S. Johns Church in the Parish of Sutton on Plym in the County of Plymouth"
"No. 177, March 28, 1921"
"John Wesley Hicks; Age 27; Bachelor; Laborer; 232B Loor (?) St., East Toronto; Father's Name and Surname -John Samuel Hicks (deceased); Profession of Father - Mechanic"
"Gladys Florence Westcott; Age 21; Spinster; 38 Latehale(?) Avenue; Father's Name - George Benjamin Westcott; Father's profession - Fisherman"
"The marriage was solemnized in the Presence of us, George Westcott and Clara Westcott"
The document was signed by "W. Geoffrey Munk/Mank (?), Vicar"
Some of the writing is not too legible to me, and I've put question marks after those parts.

Letter - the letter is not dated, but it is a letter to "Mrs. G. Hicks" and the salutation reads "Dear Aunty Glad". It is from Mrs. V. M. Westcott of Plymouth Devon England, and is signed "Love, Vicki, Alan, Rachel and Lee"

I will see if I can track down any of the descendants. If I am not successful, I'll let you know - then, maybe I can send them to you? I too am researching my family, and I know how precious and valuable some of these old documents can be!

Let me know if there are any questions.
Thanks again,
Shannon in Portland, Oregon

[Devonmade]

Hi Shannon

Thank you for all the details you have provided, it's so good to know that there are people around like you who care so much. I hope you have success in tracking down the descendants of Gladys and John. My husband is the link to Gladys and John and he remebers Alan who was referred to in the letter, they were both great nephews of Aunty Glad. I was interested to see that Martha had the second name of Mae, her twin sister also had a second name that started with an M. May was the surname of Clara who was the mother of Gladys and I wonder if this was a way of keeping the surname going which was quite traditional in Devon and Cornwall. If you want me to look up anything family history related on this side of the pond let me know and I will try to help.

Many thanks once again, Sue

[Jannys]

My name is Jan, and I am John and Gladys' grandaughter. My mother was Martha Mae Hicks. I would be very interested in sharing more information with you.

[Jannys]

I am John and Glad's grandaughter, Jan. My mother was Martha Mae Hicks. Are you still looking for more information?

[Devonmade]

Hello Jan, I am still interested in your family. Thank you for making contact. We have been on a cruise to the Caribbean and are only Just getting back to normality, hence the slowness in replying. My husband Brian is the grandson to Lydia Beatrice Westcott. Lydia was the older sister of Gladys your grandmother. I met Gladys and Gordon on one of their visits to the UK late 1960's I would think.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards Sue Stoneman

[Jannys]

Hi Sue - not really sure what kind of information you're interested in - so please let me know if there's is more you'd like to know. Gordon was married to Mary-Jane and had an adopted daughter, Kim. I have lost touch with her, but I believe she still lives in Portland, OR. Claire was married to Earl Theilaide for a long period of time. They did divorce. Excerpt from Earl's obituary: On February 6, 1948 he married Claire Mae Hicks who predeceased him in 2004. He is survived by their four children: Jackie (Kerry) Schmidt of Olympia, WA; John Jr. (Marie) Theilade of Santa Rosa, CA; Julie (Tom) Wilkie of Federal Way, WA; and Jill (Mark) Sibbald of Eugene, OR; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Aunt Claire lived in Tacoma, Washington.

My mother, Martha, married Glenn Kerwood - they had two children - Cory Kerwood and Jan Kerwood Sands (me). They divorced in about '62 or so, and Martha remarried David Jones several years later - They lived in Hillsboro, Oregon. Mom passed away in about 1996.

Jan Sands

[Geoffwestcott]

Hi Sue

My Great Gandfather was George B Westcott and was indeed married to Clara May they are both interred at Drake Memorial Park, Plymouth Devon

My Grandfather was George Westcott born in Plymouth Devon and was a fishmonger in his later years, earlier he and my Grandmother Florence B A Westcott travelled to America and wed their. At the time I believe he worked for the GPO. George and Florence had 4 children. Again both interred at Drake Memorial Park.

1. George Charles Westcott born 27 5 1927 (My Father) Salem Ohio died 02 03 1980 Plymouth Devon. 3 children
Amanda B. 17 01 1958 Chatham Kent.
Geoffrey Robert (self) B. 06 03 1960 Chatham Kent
George Jnr born 07 03 1970 Plymouth Devon (now living in Perth Australia)

2. Betty Ann(e) Westcott Born Salem Ohio 2 years my Farthers Junior. 1 Daughter Linda

3. Dennis Westcott born I think in Plymouth. I son Clinton

4. Alan Westcott born Plymouth Devon 18 years my fathers junior. He is married to Vicky and have 2 children Rachael and Lee.

My father married my mother Laura Verena (POCOCK) in Oudtshoorn South Africa on March 17th 195?(6)

My father and Mother are both deceased again myth father is interred at Drake Memorial park

To clarify Gordon was my fathers cousin and his adopted daughter Kim was a Native American from the Blackfoot tribe.

If it can be of further assistance kindly email [email protected]

I have one son Guido Ruben Dennis O’Callaghan Westcott B 10 07 2006 Salisbury UK