@Nannie Hicks
Shanon, I think you just have a coincidence of name. There is plenty of documentation on the Cherokee Nannie Hicks; there is also documentation for John Bickle, the father of George and Matilda Bickle. There is nothing to suggest that John iwas the John Bickle married to Nannie Hicks.
The Starr book lists Nannie Hicks as the daughter of Aky Rogers and George Hicks, and lists John Bickle as her husband, with the indication that there were no children.
The Nannie Hicks in Geni is listed as the wife of John Michael Bickle, Jr., the mother of two children, George Washington Hicks b. 1831 and Matilda, born 1839
Both women have an estimated DOB of 1810-1812
Cherokee Nannie:
Dead by 1896, her only heir was a nephew named Benjamin Hicks, born 1856
This helps to support the fact that this Nannie/Nancy was born a Hicks and that she had no children
NOTE: there was a payment involved in 1896 for the ‘Old Settlers’ so the census takers made a thorough search for heirs of those who had died before 1896.
1851 ‘Old Settler’ Roll, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma:
Skin Bayou District,:Group #183 Nancy Bickle [no others in this group, so children living with her at that time]; her husband may have been alive, but would not appear on the census since he was a white man
1824: Aky Rogers listed as member of Dwight Mission in 1824, indicating the family had already moved west by this date [link to information on the Mission here: http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=DW001]
1818: Aky Hicks with a family of 6 signs up to move west [Emigration Rolls, transcribed by Jack Baker, 1977]
“Other” Nannie, not actually named in any record I could find on line:
1850 U.S. Census: Izard, Arkansas
John Bickle
Age:40
Birth Year:abt 1810
Birthplace:Virginia
Home in 1850:White River, Izard, Arkansas, USA
Gender:Male
Family Number:246
Household Members:
Name Age
John Bickle 40 <<<<<<<<<
Rhody Bickle 25 clearly a second wife as only Nancy is young enough to be hers
George Bickle 19 <<<<<<<<<
James Bickle 17
Matilda C Bickle 13 <<<<<<<<<
Nancy A Bickle 4
James Pauff 18
This appears to be the John’s family in the 1840 U.S. Census, Cannon, Tennessee
Name:John Bickle
Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Cannon, Tennessee
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:2 [George & James]
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:1 [John]
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:2 [Elizabeth & Matilda]
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:1 [unnamed wife, not Rhoda since she would have been only 15 at this time]
Persons Employed in Agriculture:1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write:1
Free White Persons - Under 20:4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:2 [John and first wife]
Total Free White Persons:6
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves:6
Cannon County, TN is in central Tennessee, not near the Cherokee Nation. It was formed from Warren County in 1836.
In 1830 a Michael Bickle and his family are found in Warren County; Michael has a son aged 15-19 who could be John. John and his first wife were probably married after the 1830 census since George was born in December, 1831. I could not find any marriage records on line for John Bickle in Tennessee or in Arkansas.
Matilda did not die until 1913. She did not file an Eastern Cherokee application, which is improbable if her mother was Cherokee.
Find-a-Grave says that George W. Bickle arrived in Indian Territory from Arkansas about 1890; he died shortly thereafter.