chapter4_6c
Chap. 4,6 (c)
George W. (Nickerson) Hedley (1867-1942)
m1 Mary Bridwell (1867-1902)
    m2 Cora Mewhinney (1873-1946)
gen. (iv)
Descendancy
Pedigree

George W. Hedley was born George Nickerson in April, 1867, the son of Harriet (Wood) Nickerson.  In 1870 three-year-old George and his mother, although natives of New York State, were living with their Wood relatives in Michigan, in the township in which James Hedley, widower and father of two boys ages one and three, also lived.

The 1870 Census for Eveline Twp., Charlevoix Co., Michigan
Wood, Jared L. (#188) born 1801 in NY, a farmer,
Mary Wood (#189) born 1805 in NY
Ann Wood (#190), child,  born 1851 in NY
Frieze, Charles (#191) born 1862 in NY. Comments: Living with the Jared L.Wood family.
(Nickerson) Harriet (#192) born 1849 in NY. Comments: Living with the Jared L.Wood family.
Nickerson, George (#193), child, born 1867 in NY.

James Hedley and Harriet (Wood) Nickerson were married on Dec. 5, 1870. Two years later, in 1872, they had a daughter, Mary Margaret Hedley, George’s half sister.
Harriet (Wood) Hedley, mother of George and Mary Margaret, died on August 2, 1877, six years after her marriage to James Hedley  (Charlevoix County Records). George was ten years old and Mary Margaret was five.

Michigan Death Records also show  Jared L. Wood, widowed, age 77, born in New York State, died Feb. 4, 1878 in Eveline, Charlevoix Co.;  Occ. “Iron maker.”  Cause of death “old age.”

In April of 1878 James Hedley married Emma Hays, his third wife. Their first child, Frank, was born Aug. 7, 1879. James and Emma also adopted George Nickerson, giving them four sons and a daughter. The  household of James and Emma Hedley two years after their marriage is recorded on  the 1880 census:

1880 U.S. Census for  Eveline Twp., Charlevoix Co., Michigan:

James Headley, married, 43, b. in CAN., occ. farmer; fa. b. in ENG., mo. b. in SCOT.
Hanah Headley (Emma), wife, 30, occ. keeping house, b. in PA;  fa. b. PA, mo. b. PA
John Headley, son, 13, b. in MI, occ. at home; fa. b. in CAN., mo. b. in CAN.              
George Headley, son, 13, b. in NY, occ. at home; fa. b. in CAN., mo. b. in NY
James A. Headley, son, 10, b. in MI, occ. at home; fa. b. in CAN., mo. b. in CAN.
Mary Headley, dau., 8, b. in MI; fa.  b. in CAN., mo. b. in NY
Frank Headley, son, 1 yr., b. in MI; fa. b. in CAN., mo. b. in PA

Sometime between 1880 and 1886 the Hedley family moved from their Michigan farm home to Black Jack, Douglas County, Kansas. Two more children were born there, Ethel in 1886 and Ralph in 1892. By then the older boys, George and John R. were 25 years old. George apparently adopted the middle initial W. (possibly for Wood) in his name.

Stephen Bridwell, a great grandson of Edward Bridwell and Mary Margaret Hedley has provided information about the connection between the Bridwells and the Hedleys:  During their residence in Baldwin County, Kansas, the Hedley family became acquainted with the Bridwell family of Baldwin, Kansas: Methodist minister William Bridwell, his wife Martha, their one daughter and seven sons. (See Chap. 4,6d). This acquaintance may have begun in 1886 when the wagon of James Hedley and his 14-year-old daughter Mary Margaret, met 16-year-old Edward Bridwell looking for farm work to help with expenses after his father’s death. At Mary Margaret’s suggestion James brought their wagon to a stop and James Hedley and Edward Bridwell made a deal. Nearly seven years later, in 1894, Edward Bridwell and Mary Margaret Hedley were married. Three years before that marriage took place, however, George (Nickerson) Hedley had married Edward Bridwell’s sister, Mary.

Marriage 1 - Mary Bridwell and George W. Hedley

In 1891, 24-year-old George married Mary Bridwell in Dodd City, Arkansas:
“Groom: G. W. Hedley;  Bride: Mary Bridwell;  Date: Oct. 7, 1891; Officiant: Rev. A.N. O’Brien” (Douglas County Marriages--KSGenWeb Digital Library)

“Marriage: George Nickerson Hedley and Mary Bridwell, Oct. 9, 1891 in Dodd City, Marion Co., Arkansas” (Bridwell/Baldwin Website, ID 1097, RootsWeb.com)

After their marriages George (Nickerson) Hedley and Mary (Bridwell) remained close friends with Edward Bridwell, Mary’s brother and his wife Mary Margaret (Hedley), George’s stepsister. George and Mary lived in Overbrook, Osage County, Kansas ( the second town west of Baldwin City) for a time. About 1895-6 Edward and Mary Margaret moved to Dodd Township, Marion Co., Arkansas where Edward secured a job selling real-estate and speculations in zinc mining land. Some time after the birth of their third child in 1897, George and Mary and their three little girls, Hattie, Lottie and Martha, joined Edward and Mary Margaret in Dodd Township, Arkansas. Perhaps George planned to work in the zinc mines there and also oversee investment acreage that he may have purchased from Edward.

1900 U.S. Census for Arkansas, Marion County, Dodd Township
Dwelling18, Family18:
Bridwell, Edward, head, b. Sept.1870, age 29 marr. 5 yr., b. in Illinois, Real Estate Agent
                Mary M. Wife, b. Apr. 1872, age 28, marr. 5 yr., 3 ch., all living
                Ruth M. Daughter, b. Mar. 1896 age 4, b. in Arkansas
                Bernice H. Daughter, b. Apr. 1897 age 3, b. in Arkansas
                Laura F. Daughter, b. Sept. 1898 age 1, b. in Arkansas
Dwelling 19, Family 19:
Hedley, George W., head, 33, b. Apr. 1867; marr. 9 yr.; b. in NY; mo. b. NY; fa. b. NY
Hedley, Mary B., wife, 33, b. June 1866; married 9 years; b. Ill; mo. b. Ind; fa. b. Mass.
Hedley, Hattie C., daughter, 6, b. July 1893; b. in Kansas; mo. b. in NY; fa. b. in Ill.
Hedley, Lottie M., daughter, 5, b. June 1894; b. in Kansas; mo. b. in NY; fa. b. in Ill.
Hedley, Martha L., daughter, 3, b. June 1897; b. in Kansas; mo. b. in NY; fa. b. in Ill.

Unfortunately the move to Arkansas proved disastrous for Mary. According to Stephen Bridwell’s account, the family was living in tents, and "Mary died there in Dodd Township from complications of childbirth or a bad winter... Soon after Mary’s death everyone packed up and left Dodd City." Edward and Mary Margaret and their family moved to Licking, Missouri, where Edward bought the Licking News and later accepted the call to become minister of the Licking Methodist church. After their mother’s death, Hattie, age 9, Lottie, 8, and Martha, 5, lived at least part of the time with their widowed grandmother Martha Bridwell at her home in Baldwin City, Kansas.

Children of Mary (Bridwell) and George W. Hedley:

(1) Hattie Clarice Hedley born July 1896 in Kansas appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census for Mena, Polk, Arkansas. Hattie was 17 years old, working in the Burt and Jen Jockl household, which included three children ages 2, 6 and 8 and their 68-year-old widowed grandfather. Hattie married Albion A. Lane in 1912 at age 19. Albion Lane, age 23, a native of  Tennesee, was a retail butcher in Muskogee City, Oklahoma. Hattie (Hedley) and Albion Lane had at least 5 children:
             [1] Burton C. Lane b. 1912 in Oklahoma
             [2] Mary Bela Lane b. 1919 in Oklahoma, married V.A. McNabb ; at least one child:
                      {1} V.A. McNabb Jr.
             [3] C. Wallace Lane b. 1921 in Oklahoma
             [4] Almiada Lane b. 1925 in Oklahoma (daughter)
             [5] Clarice Lane b. 1929 in Oklahoma (daughter)
             (from the 1930 U.S.Census for the state of Oklahoma)

(2) Lottie M. Hedley
born June 1896 in Kansas

(3) Martha L. Hedley was born Jan.1897 in Kansas. In 1910, eight years after her mother’s death, Martha was 13 years old, attending school, and living with her 74-year-old widowed paternal grandmother, Martha Bridwell, and Martha’s single, 36-year-old son Arthur Bridwell, who was a professional photographer in Baldwin City, Kansas. (1910 U.S. Census for Baldwin City, Palmyra Twp., Douglas Co., Kansas.)  Martha L. Hedley later married (–?–) Yeager (Bridwell/Baldwin Website, RootsWeb.com)
Mary (Bridwell) Hedley, wife of George W. Hedley, died about 1902. 
Photo of Martha, Hattie and Lottie, the three adult children of Mary and George (Nickerson) Hedley.

Mary (Bridwell) Hedley, wife of George W. Hedley, died about 1902.

Marriage 2

George W. Hedley's
second marriage was in 1904 to Cora Mary (Mewhinney) Manley b. in Kansas about 1873. Cora was the daughter of Samantha Ann Reynolds and Benjamin F. Mewhinney.
(Please see Addendum for more about the family of Samantha Reynolds and Benjamin F. Mewhinney)

Cora Mewhinney had married D.H. Manley, a preacher, about 1898 when she was 25. By 1900 they had been married two years, and D.H Manley’s sister was living in the household:

1900 Census for Kansas, Allen County, Elm Township:
Manley, D.H., head, age 30, b.Oct.1869, m. 2 yr.; preacher; b. Mich; fa. b. Mich; mo. b. Mich.
             Cora M., wife, 27, b. June 1872, m. 2 yr; b. in Kansas; fa. b. Indiana; mo. b. Indiana
             Minnie, sister, 32, b. June 1867, b. in Mich; fa. b. in Mich; mo. b. in Mich.

Apparently Cora’s marriage to Rev. D.H. Manley ended in the early 1900s, and Cora’s second marriage was to George W. Hedley.  Cora brought into the marriage her one-year-old daughter, Naomi. George and Cora had two additional children. They remained in Arkansas until after the birth of their younger child, Paul, then moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma where George worked as a carpenter:

1910 U.S. Census for Muskogee, Oklahoma
Hedley,  George W; head; 42; m2; pres. marr. 6 yr.; carpenter; b. N.Y; fa. U.S; mo. U.S.
Hedley, Cora M.; wife; 38; m ; 3 children (3 living); b. Kansas; fa.b. Ind; mo.b. Ind.
Manley, Naomi; step-dau; 7; b. Arkansas; fa. b. Missouri; mo. b. Kansas
Hedley,  Frank E; son; 4; b. Arkansas; fa. b. N.Y; mo. b. Kansas
Hedley, Paul E; son, 2; b. Arkansas; fa. b. N.Y; mo. b. Kansas

 George and Cora Hedley had two children in addition to Naomi:

Children of Cora (Mewhinney) (Manley) Hedley and George W. Hedley (m 2)

(4) Naomi G. Manley b. abt. 1903 (step-daughter)

(5) Frank E. Hedley was b. Oct. 2, 1905 in Arkansas. In the 1930 Census for Willow Ranch, Modoc,  California, 25-year-old Frank E., single, was listed as a “boarder,” working as a carpenter. Frank Hedley married Susie F. (–?–). Susie F. Hedley, wife of  Frank E. Hedley, died in Lake County, Oregon in Dec.
1946 (Oregon Death Index). Frank E. Hedley  died 34 years later, at age 75, on Nov. 2, 1980 in Lake County, Oregon. 

(6) Paul Edward Hedley b. abt. 1908 in Arkanses; d. March 31, 1978 in Washington Co., Oregon (Oregon Death Index)
             m1 - Doris (–?–)
             m2 - Leona Min b. May 20, 1908; d. June 27, 1981 in Cornelius, Washington, Oregon

In 1920 George and Cora Hedley and their family were living in Denver, Colorado. Cora’s father had died in 1910, and Cora’s mother Samantha Mewhinney, now a widow,  was living in the household as well as at least one boarder. George was working as a carpenter for the railroad.

1920 U.S. Census for Denver Township, Denver County, Colorado
Hedley,  George W; head; 50; m; carpenter for railroad; b. N.Y;  fa. b. U.S; mo. U.S.
Hedley, Cora M.; wife; 45; m; b. Kansas; fa. b. Ind; mo. b. Ind.
Manley, Naomi; daughter; 17; b. Arkansas; fa. b. Kansas; mo. b. Kansas
Hedley,  Frank E; son; 14; b. Arkansas; fa. b. N.Y; mo. b. Kansas
Hedley, Paul E; son, 12; b. Arkansas; fa. b. N.Y; mo. b. Kansas
Mewhinney, Samantha, mo-in-law; 71, widow; b. Indiana; fa. b. Indiana; mo. b. Ky.
Rogers, Catherine, lodger, 50, b. Minn., fa. b. France; mo. b. France

By 1930 the children were in their 20s and no longer living in the household. George, Cora and Samantha were residing in Grants Pass, Oregon, where George was working as a general carpenter:

1930 U.S. Census for Grants Pass Township, Josephine County, Oregon
Hedley,  George W; 62 (36 at 1st marr.); carpenter (gen.); b. Penn;  fa. Norway; mo. U.S.
Hedley, Cora M.; wife; 57 (28 at 1st marr); b. Kansas; fa. b. Ind; mo. b. Ind.
Mewhinney, Samantha, mo-in-law; wid; 82 (19 at 1st marr); b. Ind; fa. b. Ind; mo. b. Ky.

Samantha Mewhinney, Cora’s mother, b.1848 in Indiana, died in Marion Co., Oregon on Dec. 28, 1941 at age 93.
George W. Hedley, b. April 1868 in N.Y. State, died a few days later, on Jan. 6, 1942 in Marion Co. Oregon at age 74.
(Years of birth and death of Samantha and George from Blue Lake Cemetery Records, Blue Lake, Humbolt Co.,Cal.)
Cora Hedley (b. 1873 in Kansas) died four years later, on Jan.1, 1946 in Marion Co., Oregon at age 72.
(All three dates of death from Oregon Death Index).

Addendum

Benjamin and Samantha (Reynolds) Mewhinney, parents of Cora (Mewhinney) Hedley

Cora was the daughter of Samantha Ann Reynolds, b. abt. 1848 in Indiana and Benjamin F.  Mewhinney, b. Aug 5, 1846 in Brooklin, Indiana. Samantha Reynolds and Benjamin Mewhinney,  were married Oct. 3, 1867 in Decatur Co., Indiana.

Benjamin was the son of Frances  (Herndon) and Benjamin Franklin Mewhinney.
Samantha Reynolds was the daughter of Rebecca and John W. Reynolds, Indiana:

1860 U.S. Census for Columbia Twp., Jennings Co., Indiana

John W. Reynolds, 34, b. in Indiana
Rebecca  Reynolds, 33, b. in Kentucky
Samantha Ann Reynolds, 12, b. in Indiana
Susan E. Reynolds, 8, b. in Indiana
Elkany I Reynolds, 4, b. in Indiana
Robert J. Reynolds, 2, b. in Indiana
 
Eight years after their marriage, in 1867, the Mewhinneys, with their three children, were living in Agency Twp., Osage, Kansas. The Mewhinney family is recorded on the census of 1875:

1875 Kansas State Census (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
Mewhinney B.F., age 29, b. in Indiana
Mewhinney, Cymantha, 27, b. in Indiana
Mewhinney, Maggio, 6, b. in Kansas
Mewhinney, Edwin, 4, b. in Kansas
Mewhinney, Cora, 2, b. in Kansas

The 1880 Census shows the Mewhinneys and their two children, Edwin, 9, and Cora, 8, still farming in Agency Township, Osage, Kansas.
By 1900 Benjamin and Samantha had moved to a farm in Arkansas. Their children, now in their twenties, were no longer in their parents’ household, but Edwin and his wife Lucy and their three children were living on the farm adjoining that of Edwin’s parents, Samantha and Benjamin Mewhinney.

1900 U.S. Census for Big Creek Twp., Fulton County, Arkansas
Mewhinney, Eddie L., head, 29, b. Sept.1870, m.7 yr.; farmer; b. Kansas; fa. Ind; mo. Ind.
Mewhinney, Lucy, wife, 25, b. Feb.1875, m.7 yr; mo.of 3 (3 liv.); b. Ark; fa. Miss; mo. Ark.
Mewhinney, Mabel C. dau., 6, b. Aug. 1895; b. in Arkansas; fa. b. Kansas; mo. b. Arkansas
Mewhinney, Callis E. dau., 4, b. Mar. 1894; b. in Arkansas; fa. b. Kansas; mo. b. Arkansas
Mewhinney, Frank M., 1, b. Dec.1899; b. in Arkansas; fa. b. Kansas; mo. b. Arkansas
Taylor,  George W, bro-in-law, 21, b. Dec.1878; fm. laborer; b. in Ark; fa. Miss; mo. Ark.

Mewhinney, B.F., head, 54, b. Aug.1845; m. 32 yr; farmer; b. Indiana; fa. b. Ind; mo. b. Ind.
Mewhinney, Samantha, wife, 52, b.Feb.1848; m.32 yr; mo.of 3 (1 liv.); b. Ind; fa. Ind; mo. Ky

 Benjamin F. Mewhinney, Samantha’s husband and Cora’s father, died Nov. 10, 1904. Samantha is shown in the household of their daughter Cora and her husband George Hedley on the 1920 and 1930 censuses for Colorado and Oregon respectively. Cora died Jan. 1, 1946 in Marion County, Oregon (Oregon Death Index).     

      
page updated on Sept. 11, 2007

go to chapter 4_6 to see parentage

go to  Hedley Genealogy  Index Page


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