News Story:   Hickman Family Came 1897

Contributed by Brenda Scott Hines
April 2011
**************************************************************************
The Bronte Enterprise, September 3, 1964 {Historical and Progress Edition}

HICKMAN

         Hickman Name Associated with Coke County Since 1897

Through the list of pioneer families in this area runs the Hickman name.

It was in 1897 that Mr. and Mrs. John F. Hickman came to this county and 
Bronte.  Both they and their descendents have played a prominent role in the 
development of this county.

Their children include:
  
Miss LOU ANNA HICKMAN was married to Tom Modgling Oct. 27, 1889 in Llano.  
The family moved to Bronte in 1900.  He died in 1929.  Mrs. Modgling was born 
Sept. 6, 1869 in Warren, Ark., and moved with her parents to Llano in 1873.
Their family consisted of ten children; six sons; Bill, Ollie, Walter, Floyd, 
B. E. and Tom Modgling and four daughters, Mrs. Iber Cross, Mrs. L. W. Mills, 
Mrs. Lillie McCullough and Mrs. John Bowers.
 
R. E. (BOB) HICKMAN was born March 7, 1877 in Arkansas.  He married Miss Daisy 
Casner in Llano County, Texas and the couple moved to Bronte in 1901.  Mrs. 
Hickman was born Feb. 8, 1878, in Llano County. 
For 32 years, from 1907 until 1939, Bob operated a general mercantile business 
in Bronte and supervised extensive ranching interest. He retired from business 
in 1939, and they resided at their home just west of Bronte.  Mrs. Bob Hickman, 
77, died in 1955, he, 82, died in 1959. 
Their children are Robert Hickman, Bronte; W. A. Hickman, Blackwell; Mrs. R. J. 
Warren, San Angelo, and Mrs. Cumbie Ivey, Robert Lee.
 
ED HICKMAN was born Oct 21, 1886, in Llano County and moved to Bronte with his 
parents at the age of 11.  He was married in Bronte Nov. 26, 1905 to Melindy Herron.  
The couple lived here until 1915 when they moved to the Edith community for two 
years.  They returned to Bronte two years later in 1917, and lived here until 1933, 
when they again moved to Edith, where they lived until they retired and moved to 
Robert Lee, a few years ago.
Mr. Ed Hickman, 76, died at his home of a heart attack in June, 1963.  Their 
children are Ed, Johnny Mack and Freddy Hickman, Mrs. Austin Sandusky, 
Mrs. W. P. Harner, Mrs. Curtis Trimble and Mrs. Hadley Richards. 
He served as commissioner of Precinct 3 of Coke County from 1952 through 1960, 
a period of big improvement for this county.  During this time the new courthouse, 
the two county parks and much new road construction became realities.  Hickman 
Field, the baseball park in Robert Lee, was named in his honor.

Mrs. SALLIE LONG was born Feb. 3, 1871 in Warren, Ark., and was married May 23, 1888, 
to Thomas Long in Llano.  The coupled lived in Bronte a short time but went to 
Eunice, N. M., in 1911, when they homesteaded land.  Mrs. Long died March 7, 1964, 
at the age of 93.  Seven daughters and three sons survive her, including 
Mrs. R. H. Herron of Bronte.
 
FRANK HICKMAN came to Coke County with his parents and was an early day merchant here, 
then moved to McCauley, Luling and San Antonio.  He died in 1955.
 
Mr. and Mrs. WILL HICKMAN were married in Llano in 1899.  She was the former Daisy 
Hallmark of that city and they moved to Bronte in 1900.  They lived in Bronte a few 
years and then moved to Robert Lee when he was elected sheriff of Coke County.  After 
he retired from that job they moved back to Bronte.  He died in 1915 and she died in 
1963.  Their children are Mrs. Jewel Hollis and Mrs. Gordon Haile, both of Fort Worth. 
Two other daughters, Mrs. Walter Williams and Mrs. Jim Offield, did not remain in this 
area to make their homes. 

                                      ***************************
Permission granted by The Observer/Enterprise for publication
in the Coke County TXGenWeb and/or the Coke County Archives of the USGenWeb.
Copyright.  All rights reserved.