Robert L. Ricketts was born on February 8, 1835 in Dearborn (now Ohio) County, Indiana. His parents were William Ricketts and Harriet Dean.
He married Rebecca Pigsley on October 11, 1860 in Woodford County, Illinois. Rebecca was born on May 19, 1843 in Illinois. Her parents were Welcome Pigsley and Thirza Clark.
. . .the Rev. Welcome Pigsley and his wife and Ben Johnson were some of the pioneer teachers of the Hendryx school. There was not a Hendryx school. There was not a school house in Deerfield township when we located there in 1833. The Hendryx school house was built in 1837 or 1838, on the old Baughman place. . . My recollection is that Mrs. Thirza Pigsley, wife of the Rev. Welcome Pigsley, taught the first school in the old Hendryx school house. The big boys and girls kept coming until she had 60 scholars—more than she could handle—and her husband was employed to finish the term. ("A Rampler's Notes," by Joseph Mitchell, Canton Weekly Register, December 29, 1905,
transcribed by Dorene Fox-Sprague.)
Their children were Charles Alvin Ricketts (1861), Samuel Wilson Ricketts (1863), Abby Lenora Ricketts (1864), Harriet Thirza Ricketts (1867), and Amanda Maria Ricketts (1869).
Robert died on June 1, 1899 and Rebecca died on February 17, 1919 in Sedalia, Pettis County, Missouri.
Ohio County was first created in 1844 from Dearborn County, Indiana. The county seat is Rising Sun which is in Randolph Township. Ohio County is in southeast Indiana on the Kentucky border. In 1826, Dearborn County Courthouse burned containing all records.
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