Bertha and Nellie Farrington were the daughters of Sarah Scrivener and Martin Van Buren Farrington. Nellie was the elder of the two, born in Kansas in June 1881. Bertha arrived in November 1883. They had one older sister, Carrie; George, a brother born between them; and two younger sisters, Maud and Edna. There was also Lloyd, a brother who died in infancy.
In 1900, the Farringtons were living in Mulberry, Kansas. Martin, a veteran of the Union army, supported his family as a farmer. He had come to Kansas from Illinois in 1872 and married Sarah there in 1880. In November 1900, just months after the census was taken, he died at home at the age of 65. In this photo, one of the sisters wears a button with a portrait of a man. Often, these were worn as memorials to someone who had passed. If the button was worn for their father, this may be a clue as to when the photo was taken.
In 1902, 21-year-old Nellie married Delmar L. Pickard, a farmer and carpenter. They lived in Taloga and later in Kinsley, Kansas, and had one daughter, Gladys Opal, born in 1904.
On September 27th, 1905, 21-year-old Bertha married Delmar's brother, John S. Pickard, in Clyde, Kansas. According to The Clifton News, the wedding was held at the home of Bertha's mother, where 30 guests gathered to witness the ceremony. "The bride looked very beautiful in a white silk dress," the paper reported, and "A number of useful gifts were received." Tragically, the marriage was to be cut short. Bertha died at home on October 16th, 1907, at the age of 23. Her funeral was held at her mother's home, just as her wedding had been a few years before. Her obituary in The Clyde Republican noted that "her life was devoted to her home and relations and her loss will be keenly felt by the dear ones left." It includes a quote by poet William Cowper: "Domestic happiness- thou only bliss of paradise that has survived the fall." She was laid to rest in Pleasant View Cemetery in Vining, Kansas.
Over the next few years, mentions of the close-knit Farrington and Pickard families dotted the local papers. "Sunday J.S. Pickard entertained for dinner Mrs. Nellie Pickard and daughter, Gladys, Miss Edna Farrington, and George Farrington..." the correspondence section of The Richfield Monitor noted in August 1910. Nellie traveled often to nearby towns to shop and visit with friends and family.
In 1940, Nellie and her husband were living in Cotopaxi, Colorado, where Delmar was a timber worker. According to his 1942 draft card, Delmar was employed by the Works Progress Administration (or "Work Projects Administration" as it was known between 1939 and 1943). Delmar passed away just a few years later in 1945 at age 66. He was buried in Hillside Cemetery in Kinsley, Kansas.
After her husband's death, Nellie returned to Kansas to live with her brother, George, and his family. She eventually moved to Harrison, Arkansas, where her daughter, Gladys, lived. Nellie passed away there in 1972 at age 91. She was buried in Hillside Cemetery beside her husband.
If you know who these sisters may be, let us know in the comments!
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