Courtland Oliver Dick

Courtland Oliver Dick was my great, great grandfather. He was born on 15 February 1888 in Lincoln, Benton county, Missouri, the fifth and youngest child of Lafayette Dick and Mary Anna Giffin. Courtland had one older sister and three older brothers: Emma Viola Dick Miller, William Joseph Dick, Charles Dick, and James Robert Dick Skillman. When he was about 10 years old, Courtland moved to Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, where he lived the rest of his life. On 29 October 1908, Courtland Oliver Dick and Lillie Margaret Conners had a baby girl, Frances Olive Dick (my great grandmother). At the age of 20, Courtland was then married to Lillie Margaret Conners in December 1908. When Courtland was about 22 years old, he started work for the Kansas City Star newspaper as a mailer, and continued at that job as long as he lived.

About the same time Courtland started working for The Star newspaper, his wife, Lillie, had her second baby girl, Virginia Ann Dick on 17 July 1910. But just before Virginia reached her 14th month of life, she passed away. According to an interview of Frances Olive Dick Monk by her daughter, Beverly Frances Monk Spohr, in October 2003, Frances’ baby sister, “Virginia died when she was 13 months old. She caught whooping cough and then she got pneumonia. But they wouldn’t let her into the hospital because whooping cough was considered a contagious disease then, and she died from the pneumonia.” Virginia was buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Kansas City, Wyandotte county, Kansas. The family could not afford a headstone to mark Virginia’s grave, and her mother, Lillie, saved her money and was able to have a headstone placed at her daughter’s grave when she was an old woman.

Courtland’s only surviving daughter, Frances Olive Dick (she got her middle name, Olive, from her father’s middle name, Oliver) was married on 12 March 1930 in Liberty, Liberty county, Missouri, to Robert Wilson Monk. Frances had two children: Beverly Frances Monk born in 1932, and Robert Wilson Monk Jr. born in 1938.

Courtland signed many documents “C. O. Dick,” and his granddaughter Beverly remembers that he went by “Ollie.” Beverly told me that Courtland’s daughter, Frances, called her parents Mama and Papa, and that Beverly called them Mimi and Popi.

Courtland died on 6 April 1958 in Kansas City, Missouri and was buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Kansas City. Courtland’s wife, Lillie, lived in Kansas City until her death in 1973.

Photograph: Courtland Oliver Dick, Lillie Margaret Conners Dick,

Loretta Hall (unknown relationship), and Frances Olive Dick.

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Here are three census records from 1910, 1920, and 1930 that show Courtland Oliver Dick and his family:

1910 United States Federal Census, Kansas City, Ward 8, Jackson, Missouri, , roll T624_786, page 10B, Enumeration District 97, image 1213, dated 15 April 1910, street: Locust, house no. 1223, lines 53-55:

“Line 53, Oliver C Dick, head of household, male, white, age 22, 1st marriage, married 2 years, born in Missouri, father born in Kentucky, mother born in M, able to speak English, occupation: paper hanger, type of worker: w, able to read, able to write, renting home.

Line 54, Lilly M. Dick, wife, female, white, age 19, 1st marriage, married 2 years, mother of 1 child, 1 child living, born in Missouri, father born in Nebraska, mother born in Illinois, able to speak English, occupation: none, able to read, able to write.

Line 55, Olive Dick, daughter, female, white, age 1, single, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri, occupation: none.”

1920 United States Federal Census, Kansas City, Ward 11, Jackson County, Missouri, , roll T625_928, page 4A, Enumeration District 179, image 103, dated 7 January 1920, street: Gilhom Road, house no. 2940, dwelling no. 66, family no. 102, lines 32-34:

“Line 32, Courtland O. Dack, head of household, renting home, male, white, age 30, married, able to read, able to write, born in Missouri, father born in Virginia, mother born in Virginia, able to speak English, occupation: mailer, industry: newspaper.

Line 33, Lillie M. Dack, wife, female, white, age 29, married, able to read, able to write, born in Missouri, father born in Nebraska, mother born in Illinois, able to speak English, occupation: none.

Line 34, Francis O. Dack, daughter, female, white, age 11, single, attended school within the year, able to read, able to write, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri, able to speak English, occupation: none.”

1930 US Census, , Ward 15, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, 5 April 1930, enumeration district no. 48-224, page 222, sheet no. 7A, address: 4116Wayne Street, dwelling no. 75, family no. 110, lines 37-39:

“Line 37, Courtland O’Dick, owns home, value of home: 3000.00, owns radio set, male, white, age 42, married at age 20, did not attend school in last year, able to read and write, born in Missouri, father born in West Virginia, mother born in Ohio, able to speak English, occupation: Mailer, industry: News Paper, class of worker: W, actually at work, not a veteran.

Line 38, Lily M. O’Dick, wife of head, female, white, age 39, married at age 17, did not attend school in last year, able to read and write, born in Missouri, father born in Kentucky, mother born in Illinois, able to speak English, occupation: none.

Line 39, Frances Monk, daughter, female, white, age 21, married at age 21, did not attend school in last year, able to read and write, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri, able to speak English, occupation: none.”

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I found a clipping from an unknown newspaper that had been laminated and used as a bookmark when I was visiting the home of my grandma, Beverly Monk Spohr (Courtland’s only granddaughter). Here is Courtland Dick’s obituary from that newspaper clipping:

“In Loving Memory of

COURTLAND OLIVER DICK.

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He Had Been a Mailer for The Star 47 Years.

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Courtland Oliver Dick, 70, of 4116 Wayne Avenue, died yesterday at St. Luke’s hospital. He had been ill three weeks.

Mr. Dick had been a mailer 47 years for The Star and had been a member of Mailers local No. 7 for 41 years. In 1951 he was a delegate from his local to the International Typographical union convention in Detroit. He was born in Lincoln, Mo., and had been a resident of Kansas City 60 years.

Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Lillie M. Dick of the home; a daughter, Mrs. Frances Monk, 9648 Lee boulevard, Leawood; a sister, Mrs. Emma Miller, 2312 College avenue; a brother, Robert Skillman, El Monte, Calif.; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 2:30 o’clock Tuesday at the Newcomer chapel. Burial will be in Forest Hill cemetery.

The pallbearers will be Robert E. O’Dell, G. R. McNib [?], Clarice [?] Taylor, Robert W. Brown, M. J. Sweeney and Henry C. Slier.[?]

In our hearts a memory is kept,

Of one we loved and will never forget.”