Mrs. Jane BICKETT, whose husband was once an Assistant Post Master of Mount Ayr, and Mrs. May HORNE, whose husband was a former Mount Ayr druggist, have the distinction of being relatives to President Martin VAN BUREN and the two Presidents HARRISONS ant to Benjamin HARRISON, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Here is their story:

Their mother, Katarine Anne PHILLIPS, was left an orphan while very young, and her mother's brother, Martin VAN BUREN, took her from Ohio to Virginia to live in his home. He raised her until she was 16 years old. Then she wanted to go to Ohio to visit her father's uncle, William Henry HARRISON; but there had been much political strife between the two families as they had both run for President of the United States, and VAN BUREN defeated HARRISON the first time, then HARRISON defeated VAN BUREN the next time. Her uncle VAN BUREN told her if she went to HARRISON'S, she could not come back, but nevertheless she went to visit her father's uncle, William Henry HARRISON, in Ohio.

She attended school with his sister, Kate, and they became fast friends. her father's uncle, William, often told her of his grandfather, Benjamin HARRISON, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His Indian fighting days, he depicted vividly to her. In 1841, Uncle William Henry became the ninth President of the United States, defeating her uncle, VAN BUREN, who had been the eighth President. However, President HARRISON died one month after he had taken office.

After the funeral his sister Kate gave these sister's mother the veil she had worn to his funeral.

The third President in the family was Benjamin HARRISON, grandson of William Henry. He was president in 1889-1892.

Treasured now in the Mount Ayr home of these sisters, are the veil given their mother and a Bible and a dictionary used by the HARRISONS.

Mrs. BICKETT has one son, John, of Aledo, Illinois, and one daughter, Lila TRIPLETT, of Flagler, Colorado. John has one son and Lila has no children.

Mrs. HORNE has one son, William HORNE, living in Des Moines, Iowa, who has one son, Lewis, and one son, Earl, of Mount Ayr, Iowa, married but has no children. Later, Mrs. May HORNE died January 9, 1937, age 75 years.

SOURCE:
LESAN, Mrs. B. M. Early History of Ringgold County: 1844 - 1937 Pp. 69-70. Blair Pub. House. Lamoni IA. 1937.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, May of 2010