Hick: The Story of Lorena Hickok, Journalist and Author
Lorena Alice Hickok was born on March 7, 1893, in East Troy, Wisconsin. She was the daughter of Addison J. Hickok, and Anne Hickok. Her father was a dairy farmer, whose specialty was butter. She had two sisters, Ruby Adelsa, and Myrtle.
Lorena didn’t have the greatest childhood. Her father struggled with alcoholism, and didn’t have steady employment. This put a huge strain on the family.
When she was ten years old, her family left East Troy, and moved to Bowdle, South Dakota. Three years later, Lorena’s mother, Anna, died of a stroke. It was a terrible time for young Lorena, and her two sisters.
Their father remarried in 1908, two years after the death of his first wife. His new bride was Emma Flashman, a divorcee, who had Addison Hickok had hired on as housekeeper after his wife’s death.
Lorena didn’t take well to her new living arrangement. Her father was abusive towards her, and neglected her. When stepmother Emma decided to kick Lorena out of the house, Addison did nothing to protect his daughter.
Fourteen-year-old Lorena had to find work as a housekeeper, working for an Irish family. She worked for a while in a mice-infested boarding house, and then in a rooming house for railroad workers outside of town, then finally found work in a farm…
