Marriage of Ida C. Hughes and Charles A. Fox, 1884
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Article on the marriage of
Ida C. Hughes and Charles A. Fox
24 June 1884, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Ida Hughes was the third born of Martin and Mary (Wickham) Hughes' 11 children, and their eldest daughter. She was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa on 12 July 1862, and lived there until her marriage. She married Charles A. Fox, the son of Dennis and Elizabeth (Claffy) Fox, on 24 July 1884. Charles was born in Lewis County, New York in 1859. In about 1869 the family moved to Warren County, Illinois. They only lived there a couple of years before moving to Corning, Adams County, Iowa, where his parents lived the rest of their lives. Dennis and Elizabeth Fox were both of Irish origin. Dennis mainly worked as a laborer.

It appears that Charles and Ida lived in Council Bluffs until shortly before 1900, when they moved to Omaha. Charles worked in the men's clothing and shoe business with Ida's brother Tom Hughes, and was also deputy city clerk in Council Bluffs for several years aroud 1890. Tom Hughes died in 1896, after that it appears Charles moved his family to Omaha where he worked as a shoe and clothing salesman. Charles and Ida had three children, Donald T., Mary Angela and Cecelia. They lived in Omaha for the rest of their lives.

Related Items:
Biography of Ida's father, Martin Hughes, from 1891.
The Hughes residence at 903 3rd St., Council Bluffs, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Biographies of Ida's uncles James, Patrick and Owen P. Wickham.
Biography for Charles Fox's brother Frank.
Obituaries for Ida's father, Martin, mother Mary and brothers Thomas B., John J. and Martin D. Jr. and sister Mayme.
Pictures of the Hughes family plot in St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Omaha Daily Bee (Omaha, Nebraska)
Thursday, 26 June 1884, p. 7


Merrily Mated.
FOX-HUGHES.
    On Tuesday evening the marriage of Charles A. Fox to Miss Ida Hughes took place at St. Francis church, Rev. Father McMenomy officiating. After the ceremony a reception was held at the residence of the bride's father, Mr. Martin Hughes, No. 619 Ninth avenue.1 The gathering of friends was large, the occasion was a joyous one in all respects and the worthy young couple start out with the hearty congratulations and earnest well wishes of a large number of friends. The following were among the gifts on the occasion:
    Mrs. M Hughes,2 sewing machine and feather bed; M. Hughes,3 parlor set furniture; Mr. and Mrs. Fox,4 china tea set; George Hughes,5 parlor mirror; Mrs. E. Schull,6 silver breakfast castor; Thomas and Celia Hughes,7 silver jewel case; Miss Anna Fox,8 set silver napkin rings; Johnny, Mamie and Martin Hughes,9 hand painting tray; Frank Fox,10 drawing room table; Mr. and Mrs. O. P. Wickham,11 marble top center table; Mr. and Mrs. James Wickham,12 silver cake basket; Kate Wickham,13 set silver spoons; Mr. and Mrs. P. Lacy,14 two gold-lined cups and saucers; Mr. and Mrs. James Pryor,15 silver dinner castor; William Lacy,16 pair of statues; Mr. and Mrs. James Hughes,17 bouquet holder; Mr. and Mrs. D. Gill, of Des Moines, set silver knives, forks and spoons; Rev. B. P. McMenomy, large prayer book; Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Brown, silver cake basket; Mayor W. R. Vaughan, statuette of Lord Byron; Stephen McAtee, silver fruit stand; Patrick McAtee, silver butter dish; Misses Fanny and Mary McAtee, of Denver, set gold lined napkin rings; Mrs. McMenomy and Maggie Coine, silver cake basket; Mr. and Mrs. Keating,18 silver fruit dish; Angie and Celia Wickham,19 silver thimble; Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Murphy, cut glass water service; Edward and Kate Murphy,20 pair vases; John, James and Mamie Mithen,21 ebony plush centre table; Miss Kate Mithen, china fruit plate; Mr. and Mrs. M. G. Griffin, china fruit basket; Mr. and Mrs. William Spetman,22 cut glass cheese case; Mr. and Mrs. Gunnoud, silver and glass jelly dish; Mirah Hannan, flora album; Lena Castner, hand-painted china water pitcher; Charles Beno, table cloth and a dozen napkins; Louis Bechtele, crockery eggs basket; Kate Riley, silver breakfast castor; James Galvin, bouquet holder; Lizzie Spetman, dozen napkins; Dave Holtz and H. Spetman, table cover; John Stork, silver water service; Tillie and Emma Loskowskie dozen silver fruit knives; F. H. Guanella23 and William Galvin, silver fruit basket; Thos. Brennan, of Omaha, breakfast castor; P. Kelly, hand painted china pot; Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Shea, of Neola, silver water pitcher; Mr. and Mrs. N. O'Brien, silver carving knife and fork; Daniel Dougherty, camp rocker; Mr. and Mrs. D. J. O'Neil, pair vases; Nellie Mulqueen, silver and cut glass fruit stand; Mr. and Mrs. John Cusick, pair silver goblets; Kate Tholl, silver pickle castor; Wm Maloney, breakfast castor and napkin rings; Edith Lockwood, silver card receiver; Mr. and Mrs. Blaxin, silver pickle castor; Alice and Kate Blaxin, silver fruit stand and dozen china plates; Tholl & Kracht, silver fruit basket; Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Spetman,24 silver pie knife; Thos. Laskowskie, silver syrup pitcher; H. E. Baker, of Corning, silver pickle castor; James Thompson, of Corning, silver and cut glass bouquet holder; Mr. and Mrs. John Mergen, silver waiter; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Leffert, silver card reciever; Mr. and Mrs. John Jay Frainey, silver sugar bowl; Mrs. Durgan and daughters, silver berry dish; Julia Sullivan, gold berry spoon; Mr. and Mrs. J. Sullivan, set silver spoons; Mr. and Mrs. J. Appel, large silver spoon; Mr. and Mrs. Oakes, of Emerson, willow ware rocker; Mrs. O'Neill and daughter, wine glass set with all the colors of the rainbow; Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Kelly, silver water pitcher; Thomas Millet25 and Ed. McGorrisk, of Des Moines, china set; J. C. O'Reagan, of Des Moines, set silver knives and forks.

See the entire newspaper page here.
1 There are no old houses left on this block.
2 Mrs. M Hughes is Mary (Wickham) Hughes, mother of the bride.
3 M. Hughes is Martin D. Hughes, Sr., father of the bride.
4 Dennis and Elizabeth (Claffy) Fox, parents of the groom.
5 George F. Hughes, Ida's younger brother.
6 Mrs. E. Schull is Charles' sister Theresa, widow of Eugene Schull.
7 Thomas and Celia Hughes are Ida's younger siblings. Charles later worked in the clothing business with Tom. Celia later married John M. Mullen.
8 Miss Anna Fox is Anna Jane, younger sister of Charles.
9 Johnny, Mamie and Martin Hughes were Ida's youngest siblings.
10 Franklin A. Fox, younger brother of Charles.
11 Owen P. and Margaret (Fenlon) Wickham. O. P. was Ida's uncle, her mother's youngest brother.
12 James J. Wickham and his 3d wife, Bridget Keating. James was Ida's uncle, her mother's oldest brother. His first wife was Mary Lacy.
13 Kate Wickham is probably Katherine Marie, daughter of James J. Wickham and Mary Lacy. She married Thomas Millett in 1907.
14 Mr. and Mrs. P. Lacy is Patrick and Mary Ann (Fee) Lacy. Patrick's first wife was Ann Wickham, youngest sister of Ida's mother, Mary. Ida's uncle James Wickham's first wife, Mary Lacy, was Patrick's sister.
15 James and Julia (Fitzpatrick) Pryor. There is a good chance that James Pryor is somehow related to Cecelia (Pryor) Wickham, Ida's maternal grandmother. James was the executor of her will, and Celia is also enumerated with the Pryors in 1885. James was a brickmason, and worked for the Wickhams.
16 William Lacy was probably the brother of Patrick. He was not married, and died about two years later.
17 I am not sure who these Hughes are.
18 There are two Keating families associated with the Hughes/Wickhams. Ida's brother George F. Hughes married Elizabeth J. Keating in 1891. Also, Bridget Keating was the 3d wife of James J. Wickham, Ida's uncle.
19 Angie (Mary Angela) and Celia (Cecelia E.) Wickham were Ida's cousins, the daughters of Owen P. and Jennie (Fenlon) Wickham.
20 Edward and Kate Murphy are most likely Ida's cousins, the children of Edward and Honora (Hughes) Murphy. Honora Hughes was Ida's father's half-sister.
21 John, James, Mamie and Kate Mithen were probably the children of Michael and Mary (Kearney) Mithen. Michael Mithen may have been the brother of James, and half-brother of Patrick and Mary Lacy.
22 The Fox family had several connections to the Spetman family. Franklin Fox, Charles' brother, married Wilhelmina Spetman in 1889. It is probable that these Spetmans are related to her. Frank also worked for Fred W., Wilhelmina's brother, between 1883 and 1887.
23 Kate Mithen, daughter of Michael and Mary (Kearney) Mithen, married Francis H. Guanella in 1889.
24 Fred W. Spetman was the brother of Wilhelmina who married Charles' brother Frank Fox in 1889.
25 This is probably the Thomas Millett whom Katherine Marie Wickham (daughter of James J. Wickham and Mary Lacy) married in 1907. Darby (b 1840-Ire) & Margaret Gill in 1880 Des Moines






Transcribed by Erica DeCoursey
2011