In the last write-up of Dr. Hickman I discussed briefly the action that
he developed for the grand piano in 1928.  I have had several requests
for more of this information but, I need a little more time to gather
my documents.

In the meantime, here is a biographical sketch of Dr. Clarence N.
Hickman.  He wrote the genealogy of the Hickman families of Virginia,
Kentucky, Indiana and Texas in 1967.  I will send the sketch in three
separate installments because of the typing time.  I hope everyone
enjoys this write-up.

Jim Brady

 - - -

I have been requested to include in this booklet a brief account of my
activities during my seventy eight years.  I have agreed to do so but
am placing the record in the appendix where it may be skipped by those
who are not interested.

I was born August 16, 1889, on a farm about one mile north of Lizton,
Indiana.  With the exception of William, all my brothers and my sister
were born on this same farm.  (This does not include the two children
that died in infancy).  We lived in a four room frame house that
belonged to my grandfather Leak.  As children, we played with bows,
crossbows and arrows made by my father or older brothers.  We all used
the PINCH DRAW.  The arrows had heavy heads so that we did not need
feathers to guide the arrow.  We all went to the Leak country school.
My teachers were Ora Leak, Obe Higgins and Ethel Jacks.

On March 1st, 1898, we moved from the Leak farm to the Job Hadley farm
farther north.  We all attended another country school, walking about
one and one-half miles to the school.  We boys shot fish with bows,
using umbrella staves as arrows.  I well remember that I could not
understand why we had to aim under the fish to hit it.  It was not
until I attended high school, where I learned about refraction of
light, that I understood this phenomenon.  At this early age I showed
ability to tinker with watches.  Our house had four rooms downstairs
and one large room upstairs.  In addition, there was an adjoining log
house that we used as a summer kitchen and dining room during the
summer months.

On March 1st, 1900, we moved from the Hadles farm to the Mappen farm
which was about one mile west of Jamestown, Indiana.  The Big Four
Railroad ran right through this farm.  The house had only three rooms
and the seven of us lived there for three years.  We attended a country
school that was about on-half mile from out house.

While living on this farm I became interested in photography and became
well acquainted with Stanley Hendricks, who owned and operated a photo-
graphic studio in Jamestown.  Stanley Hendricks was to have a profound
influence on my life at a later date.  I also became interested in
music, playing guitar and cornet.

On March 1st, 1903, we moved from the Mappen farm to a 240 acre farm
about four and one-half miles north of Martinsville, Indiana.  The farm
house had three rooms downstairs and two upstairs.  We attended a
country school not farm from our farm.  My father had bought this farm;
here-to-fore we had been renters.  My brother, Hanson, attended high
school at Martinsville, walking several miles to the interurban.

I continued my interest in music, especially the guitar, and began
to take pictures for a small fee.  I attended the firs and cleaned the
school house for a small fee.

In June, 1904, I graduated from the eight grade but, not being able to
attend High School, I took the 8th grade over again.  We cut wood --
hickory poles for the Old Hickory Chair Factory at Martinsville -- and
we had to do lots of ditching.  At that early age I surveyed an open
ditch for my father, using a square and level.  He did not have much
confidence in the ditch, claiming that the water was going to run
backwards.  When we had our first big rain, he went out in the rain to
see how the ditch was working and was surprised but happy to see that
the water was running the right direction.

Disturbed over the fact that we children were not going to be able to
get a high school education, my father and mother sold this farm and in
September, 1905, we moved to a farm west of Jamestown.  The farm house
had five rooms all on the same floor.

I attended high school at Jamestown and on the side studied German
(from books only).  My interest in photography continued and I did
lots of professional work.  I continued playing guitar and renewed my
interest in magic, which had begun when I was about five years old.
I gave a magical performance at Jamestown and then later at Brownsburg.
I was the official photographer for the Standard Oil Company that was
erecting a pumping station at Jamestown.

I renewed my friendship with Stanley Hendricks and he hired me to clerk
in his clothing store on Saturdays and later during the summer.  He had
given up the photographic business and had bought the clothing store in
Jamestown.

In September, 1906, we moved from this farm to a farm of eight acres,
about one and one-half miles south of Jamestown.  My father and mother
had bought this farm.  This house had five rooms downstairs and three
rooms upstairs.  This was the largest house we had ever lived in.
Furthermore, there were fewer in the family.  My oldest brother,
William, had married and my brother Hanson was Supt. of Schools in
the Philippine Islands.

I continued my studies in the Jamestown High School and also continued
my home studies of German.

Stanley Hendricks had sold his clothing store in Jamestown and had
established one at Waynetown, Indiana.  He had tried to get me to quit
high school and go with him to Waynetown to clerk in his store.
However, I told him I wanted to get a high school education.  In the
fall of 1908, I received a letter from him offering to let me finish my
high school at Waynetown, by clerking in his store, mornings, noons and
evenings and all day Saturdays.  I accepted his offer and went to
Waynetown.  I slept in the store for some time.

Stan, as we all called him, was like a brother and father to me.  I owe
a great deal to him.  He always called me "Hick".

In June, 1909, I graduated from the Waynetown High School and continued
clerking full time in Mr. Hendrick's clothing store.  In the late fall
of 1909, I took a leave from the store to attend a teacher's Normal
Course at Winona Collect, Winona Lake, Indiana.  Dr. Johnathan Rigdon,
who had been president of Central Normal Collect at Danville, Indiana,
had established a new college at Winona Lake, Indiana.

In the spring of 1910 I resumed my duties clerking in the clothing
store.  In the fall of 1910 I accepted a position teaching 7th and 8th
grade in the Waynetown public schools.  During the winter I organized a
band in the school and by spring they were playing well enough to
perform in public.  It was at this time that I took up the clarinet as
I was never able to develop a lip for the cornet good enough to play as
much as was needed as a band instructor.

I had continued my interest in magic and had given a few performances
in Waynetown and Hillsboro.  I made a short tour of churches and opera
houses in Indiana, billed as The Hoosier Magician.  I had one assistant
that traveled with me, Lacy Shuller.  In the spring of 1911, I made
another tour under the same billing.  After this tour, I went back to
the farm at Jamestown for the summer.

I had expected to teach 7th & 8th grade again in Waynetown but was
offered a position at about double the salary to teach in the Jamestown
High School.  I taught mathematics, physics, botany and German in this
school.  I took the state teacher's examination in German and got a
license without ever having had an hour of study in any school.  I had
been elected president of a German club in Waynetown because they
thought I knew more German than others who had studied German in
college for four years.