FRANK HERBERT PIKE  &  MAE FRENCH HUEY

Frank Herbert Pike was born in 1858 in Lawrence,Kansas,the first born of Joshua Pike and Mary Balcom. He married Mae French Huey.  Miss Huey was born 8 June 1858 in Missouri.  Her parents were George Leach Huey and Mary Wheeler originally of Virginia.  Mae Huey died in 24 Nov 1906 in Lindsay, OK  She is buried in Erin Springs Cemetery (south of Lindsay) and her headstone reads:  May French, wife of Frank Pike.

Mae French Huey Pike

  Frank Pike was living in Shawnee, OK in 1916.  They had at least three children, probably more.   They are:

i. Marcus

ii.  Mary Etta Pike (born 7 Nov 1889, died 25 Nov 1962, Livermore, Alameda, CA) She is buried in Hughson, Stanislaus, CA with her husband Samuel Allen Coleman (born 1882, died 1958). His parents were  J.Thomas Coleman and Tennessee Belle Riley of TX.  Mary Etta and Samuel who married in 1906 had one known child: Lila Allen Coleman (born 12 Dec 1917, Dibble McClain, OK, died 28 Nov 1976)

iii. George Joshua Pike  (born 13 April 1891, died October 1972, Durant, Bryan County, OK)

  Below is a copy of a letter written to Frank Pike when he was 12 years old from his Aunt Lizzie of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Aunt Lizzie was his Mother's sister, Elizabeth Ellen Balcom Brown, (born 1845, Douglas, MA, died 1884, Hutchinson, KS) Lizzie emigrated with the Pikes from MA to KS in 1854 and she was only nine years old. Her Mother had died when she was two years old and she lived with the Pikes in Lawrence until she married in 1868. The letter is dated January 3, 1869. 

My dear Frank:  I suppose you will be surprised to have a letter come directed to yourself but I thought you might like to hear something about this part of Kansas and that you would, in turn, let me know what is going on in Lawrence.  Last night I had a letter from your cousin, Sarah Balcom, who is a very lttle older than you are and I thought you might like to hear from her too.  She wrote that she should be 12 years old the 1st day of February and I am going to try to send her a birthday present of a picture.  It is called "Mama is in Heaven".  You know she has no Mother.  after her Mother died, which was about the time you were born, little Sarah lived with us and the morning after you came into this world I went to the room where you were not knowing that we had two babies instead of one.  When upon looking into the bed where your Mother lay I saw a great black looking boy baby lying beside Sarah who was very fair and beautiful.  I didn't like the looks of you very well at first and I think the old Doctor said you resembled one of the Kaw Indians.  If I were you I would write to Sarah and ask her if she thinks she would know you now.  Willard is not married yet and is not to be until spring.  Tell your Mother that Rebecca is very homesick in Grafton.  They live in one part of a house where the sun never shines and it is always dark and gloomy.  Tell her, too, that June Ackley, Rebecca's sister is married in Maine to an old man.  Fred and Elmer both go to school.  I saw an account of the festivals in one of the Lawrence papers.  I suppose you went to the one got up by the Unitarian Church.  We have heard all about it so I shall look for an account of it in your letter.  I don't think people can be very poor if they can give so much money to the church festivals.  Did Santa Claus come to your house this Christmas?  I thought of you all and remembered how happy you looked, you and Jessie, a year ago when you found so many nice presents in your stockings and I wondered if Fred would have his hung and jump as Jessie did when he saw what was in it.  I want to see Fred every day.  He is able to walk all around now I suppose and talks some, doesn't he?  I was sorry to hear that he and Jessie have the whooping cough---I guess you are glad that you have had it.  If you had been down here a few weeks ago you would have had a sleigh ride and a nice skate upon the river. I guess we have had much snow but not quite so much as you have, though it is quite muddy now.  Friday, New Years Day, I thought I would have a turkey dinner so a day or two before I baked cakes and pies, and so forth and Friday cooked the turkey--I guess it was pretty good for a first attempt.   At any rate we enjoyed it.  Lavinda and Marvin Kellogg dined with us and in the evening we played back gammon and had quite a pleasant time.  We used to board at Mrs. Kellogg's mothers'.  One night last week we went to a spelling match at the school house.  It was announced that this school would spell against all the others in the county but it was a cold disagreeable night and only a few came from their districts.  But there was a grand spell down and as I was chosen on one side I thought I would spell--which I did--until I missed.  Don't you think I ought to be ashamed to miss a word in spelling--I shouldn't have missed that time if I had not been careless.  There are some smart boys and girls here and if you Lawrence boys are not wide awake they will out-do you--at least in spelling.  But this is a long enough letter for the first one and I hope you will answer it.  Write or print as well as you can and say that you wrote a letter before you were twelve years old and I shall be glad to answer it.  Kiss Fred and Jessie for me and accept much love for yourself and your Father and Mother.