Mary Alice Steventon Wickham
a very creative person

1855 - 1937
 

Does anyone have any of Mary Alice's poetry or other work?

CONTENTS

FAMILY HISTORY
Parents
Siblings
Grandparents

LATER YEARS
Camp Fire Girls Visit Nature Studio
Evolution of a Wasp's Next
Tragic Death of Branchville Woman
Observations of Mary Alice

PHOTOS
With family
On a picnic
With daughter, Edna, and granddaughter

LETTER
To daughter, Vieva

FAMILY HISTORY

Note of Fred and Eleanore Wickham Bowman:
Found gravestone of Phebe M Steventon in Boonton Village cemetery.
 

Grave in Old Boonton Cemetery
"Our father, Joseph Steventon,
born in Staffordshire, England, March 19th 1810,
died at Boonton N.J. June 14th 1865
The evening cloud, the morning dew
The withering grass, the fading flower
of earthly hopes are emblems (?)
The glory of the passing hour."
Children Joseph, Albert, Laura and Clarra are buried in Boonton also.  Joseph and Albert were both in the Civil War in Company B, First N.J. Artillery.
A John Steventon born in Wellington, England (1819-1889) and wife Ellen Nichols are also buried at Boonton.  Possibly a brother?

Joseph (b. 1803) and Mary (b. 1803) Mills
U.S. Census, 1860, Boonton, NJ
Family #773
1) Wm. A Steventon, age 25, "nalor," b. Morris Co. NJ; Real - $1,000, personal; $400
2) Phebe Steventon, age 24, b. England
3) Mary E. age 5, b. Morris Co, NJ
4) Willis E., age 1, b. Morris Co., NJ
5) Joseph Mills, age 57 (Phebe's father), laborer; Real $1000, personal $100
6) Mary, Joseph's wife, age 57, b. England
7) Caroline Mills, age 13, b. England

Note: Thanks to Jon Roe for all of the above research.

I found Phebe Mills born in 1836, christened at Baptist Chapel, Dudley, Worcester England.  I tried to find other children of Joseph and Mary and I got a Benjamin and a Samuel Mills christened in the same place.  Samuel's mother was listed as Mary Halesowen.  I could not find anyone by that name anywhere in the IGI.  Then looking up Steventons born in England, thinking maybe some of William's siblings had been born there, I found a John Stephenton - parents Joseph and Ann - born in Halesowen, Worcester, England.  I just thought it was an interesting coincidence. 
--Laurie 1/28/01

Wendy's note: I have some very old pictures, one is of "Aunt Louise, Uncle Ben's wife" and one is of a "William Owen."

I have come acquired copies of William A. Steventon's (1917) and William E. Steventon (1913) obituaries.  It seems William (elder) had a second wife.  His surviving widow is Sarah E. Steventon.   It, too says he was a musician in the civil war.  I'm still waiting for information from Washington on his service record. It's supposed to take 8-10 weeks (until April).  William E's obituary listed his siblings as Mrs.Cora Voss, Mrs. R. M. Wickham, Harry, and Mrs. F. G. Haskell. He was in the produce business.  The family had moved to Terre Haute about 1872 - the same time Phebe died and Boonton was in decline. 
--Laurie 3/18/01

I just received William A. Steventon's Civil War pension records.  It is about an inch thick with hand written letters by him. 
--Laurie 12/19/01

LATER YEARS: Ross, her husband, died in 1916

May 5,1921
CAMP FIRE GIRLS
Visit Nature Craft Studio of
Mrs. Mary A. Wickham

 On Saturday, the Aktaci Camp Fire Girls of Newton, with their Guardian, Miss Iva Atwood, who were scheduled to start from Newton at 9 o'clock, Newton time, arriving here at 8:30, Branchville time, promptly put in appearance on time. In the party were Mrs. J. W. Bryant, General Secretary of the Newton Young Woman's Christian Association, and Mrs. C. S. Robeson.   The first place visited by the interested group was the nature craft studio of Mrs. Mary A. Wickham on Main street. By special invitation from Mrs. Wickham, the writer had the pleasure of being present, and a real pleasure it was.  If it were possible to visit the studio every day, we could learn at each visit something new in the wonderful collection of beautiful articles designed and made from the most common products of nature by the artistic hand of Mrs. Wickham. The visitors were permitted to visit the drying room, which in itself gives a wonderful idea of the work and the time taken to gather and arrange material for making. Next came the work room and the hall way where one feels they would just like to sit for hours, expecting every moment to see real life among the branches of trees with their hanging nests etc. And last, but not least, came the room where the products of dear old nature had taken the form of the most unique and seemingly costly articles. Too many to even mention, but we wish to speak of just one, the parsnip vase, which, after going through the drying and manipulating process and receiving the artists touch, by the way, no two are the same shape. We have in mind one around which a spiral root resembled a snake, and seeing the common parsnip in the drying process, it was impossible to guess what the vase was made of by looking at it.  The group were profuse in their admiration of all the beautiful things and the kindness of Mrs. Wickham in allowing them to visit her studio.

Upcoming event:
     Mary A. Wickham will give a nature talk in the "Y" room on ladies' afternoon, March 4, and will give a practical illustration of how to make vases out of hornet's nests.  Mrs. Wickham has a genius for turning the most commonplace things into things of beauty, as those who have had the pleasure of visiting her studio can testify.  If is expected her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Ross Wickham, who is a flutist of skill, will render several selections.
____________

EVOLUTION OF A WASP'S NEST
______________
Nature Love and True Artist Demonstrates Its Possibilities

From our Branchville Correspondent
     Mrs. Mary A. Wickham gave a very interesting and instructive talk on "The Evolution of a Wasp's Nest" Friday afternoon in the Y.M.C.A. room.   Mrs. Wickham illustrated her talk with several sections of the nest found by a nature student in the late winter, beginning when the queen was dormant and her.....
     Some months ago Mrs. Wickham donated a pair of these vases to the Y.M.C.A. rooms, filled with artistically arranged bouquets of grasses, cattails, etc., painted in oil in the natural colors.  Did time and space permit, a long article might be written descriptive of the many beautiful articles made by the skillful fingers of Mrs. Wickham from materials, in themselves so insignificant and worthless that their possibilities could only be conceived of by an enthusiastic nature lover and a true artist.  
     The music was furnished by Mrs. Ross E. Wickham, daughter-in-law of Mrs. Wickham who rendered delightful flute solos accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Alice __uckley.  About sixty ladies were present, all of whom expressed themselves as greatly delighted with the entertainment.

NOTES BY JON ROE
     Mary Alice was an artist and writer.  She wrote an unpublished book on nature and traveled around the world painting.  She walked many miles from her home in Branchville collecting flowers with which she made beautiful dried flower arrangement.  She was a very pleasant lad who hated to go to bed because there were so many interesting things she had to do.  She was short, 5 foot, 2 and chubby.  During the summer her husband came up from the city by train and she often anticipated his arrival telepathically.
     Mary Alice died as a result of a fire she accidentally started while living in a flat in the "American House" in downtown Branchville.  She was filling a kerosene stove and her clothes caught fire.

From the New Jersey Herald

Tragic Death of Branchville Woman

MRS. MARY A. WICKHAM FATALLY BURNED IN HER APARTMENT SUCCUMBS AT NEWTON
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Branchville correspondent
     The tragic death of Mrs. Mary   A. Wickham Thursday from serious burns in a fire in her apartment on the third floor of the Sadkin building, former American Hotel, was a shock and tragedy not easily forgotten, and brings to a close a life of wonderful activity for a woman in her eighties.  Mrs. Wickham loved nature, every weed, seed and flower was her friend. Living alone she spent much of her time on long hikes gathering her treasures  from which she fashioned many beautiful articles, writing poetry was also a hobby. Several of these compositions were read at her funeral services. Mrs. Wickham always greeted everyone with a smile, in fact it seemed a smile that never wore off.

     Funeral services for Mrs. Wickham were held from the Presbyterian church Sunday afternoon with the pastor, Rev. Charles F. Parsons in charge, assisted by Rev. Lyman H. Scamans of the Methodist Church. James Wilson, tenor soloist, sang selections.  Interment was in Branchville cemetery. Bearers were William C. Cook, B. F. Rosenkrans, John E. Bowman, Fred W. Bosch, Wilbert Stires.

     Mr. and Mrs. Wickham for many years owned and lived in the house in Frankford now owned and occupied by the Stimson sisters.  Mr. Wickham died several years ago and Mrs. Wickham has been a resident of Branchville some time. She leaves a son Ross Wickham Jr., of Greenville, N.Y., three daughters, Mrs. Edna Thompson, of South Orange; Mrs. Ernest Thompson, of Hubbards Woods, I.L.; Mrs. Maude Roe and Mrs. William Hillyer, of Evanston, I.L.; a grandson Ross Roe, of Branchville, and  several other grandchildren.

     The fire which caused the death of Mrs. Wickham in Newton Memorial Hospital four hours later, started in a storage room in her apartments in the Sadkin building. Her screams were heard by Mrs. Max Zapadinsky, a tenant on the second floor, who rushed to the grocery store of Linn A. Washer on the first floor, spreading   the alarm. While John Stumph, an employee, summoned the fire department Mr. Washer and his helper Oliver Walker, risked their lives in an effort to save Mrs. Wickham. They were soon joined by members of the fire company and others and succeeded in taking the unfortunate woman to the office of Dr. G. F. Johnson.  An ambulance was summoned from Newton Hospital, where she was later removed. The valiant work of Branchville Hose Co., in rescue work and keeping the flames from spreading to other rooms is highly commendable. Other occupants of the second floor were the Hendershot sisters, who were cared for at the home of their relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Hosea Docker. They are now occupying their apartment.  Water seeped through to the second and first floors  of the building, causing some damage to walls etc. The firemen were called to chimney blazes at the home of William Hooey on Wantage Avenue on Wednesday, and on Friday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Clifford.  Very little damage resulted from either fire.