In preparation for placing on-line more of the genealogical records found in Nims Family Association files, we have recently completed proofreading of the Moses Nims branch of our family. Moses was one of five children of Ebenezer Nims, and our data base contains over 800 pages of content on this branch alone. Here are three people from the Moses line whom you may not have met previously. Read these brief accounts to further "meet the family."

William L. NIMS (Loyal-4, Rufus-3, Elisha-2, Moses-1) was born on 23 Jan 1831 in Watertown, Jefferson, NY. He died on 5 Sep 1863 in Memphis, TN, and was buried in the National Cemetery there. William enlisted as a 6th corporal in A Co of the 38th IA Regiment in Dubuque, IA on 15 Aug 1862 at age 31 for a term of three years.

Fayette County Historical Society--pp 434-435--Thirty Eighth Infantry--The four companies from Fayette County were recruited mostly in August, 1862. Company F were all recruited from the 11th to the 25th of August. The Thirty-eighth left New Madrid, June 7, 1863, strong healthy men. They had spent the winter there, with light camp duty and almost no toughening work; had lived on good and varied food, and though in good health and flesh, were soft in fiber. They went into the siege of Vicksburg in the heat of summer, on the extreme left of the line, with a high cliff on the east and a timbered bayou on the west ( a few rods distant); the picket line on ground muddy and malarious, where water had that spring, and recently been twelve feet above the ground; drinking warm milky-looking water, eating strictly army rations; doing heavy picket and fatigue work day and night, in constructing batteries, rifle pits, etc.; those off duty often called into line several times a night to repel an apprehended sortie from the rebel fort; the heat from the bluff, after noon, reflecting oppressively upon the camp, the bluff and near timber uniting near the tents in a point, rendering it almost impossible for the camp to be fanned by a breeze, with the stinging bite of the "jigger" insect driving sleep from the weary and failing soldier; all this was more than human muscle or human nerve and pluck could bear. When the surrender came, on the fourth of July, relaxing the tension that had held many a feeble man to his duty, the ravages of disease swept through and prostrated the regiment. The death rate that followed proved the severity of the test the regiment had passed.

The wasted regiment moved from Port Hudson the middle of August and went into convalescent camp at Carrollton, LA on the 16th of August. October 23, embarked for Brazus Santiago, as a portion of Banks Texas expedition arrived at Brownsville November 9th, and remained on garrison duty until July 25, 1864, and July 31, re-embarked for New Orleans, then to Fort Morgan, and went into camp on Mobile Point August 9th. December 12, 1864. Major General Canby issued an order for consolidation of the Thirty-eighth and Thirty-fourth in the Thirty Fourth Iowa volunteers, and the Thirty-eighth ceased to exist.

 The history of the Thirty-eighth is the most mournful of all the Iowa regiments. Before it had been in service two years, more than three hundred enlisted men and a number of officers had died of disease; more than a hundred more had been discharged on account of ill health. For many weeks it hadn't well men enough to take care of the sick and bury the dead. If it did not have the opportunity to win glory on the battlefield, it did all that men could do--gave itself entirely up for its country, and may well be called Iowa's Martyr Regiment. 

Nicholas Kirk SHARP (son of Nathan Kirk SHARP and Mabel GAY) was born on 13 Sep 1908 in Liberty, Gage, NE. Nick studied and passed his amateur radio license in 1980 and was assigned the call letters "KAOJGF." Nick had, since he was a boy, aspirations for becoming a licensed 'ham' radio operator, but he had not obtained his license until this time. Nick remained active in his radio functions and accomplished much in the Lincoln and southeast Nebraska area, especially in "Packette" radio operations, for which he was one of the early operators in the Lincoln area.

This story was told about Nick's childhood--When Nicholas Sharp was about 7 or 8 years old, he was permitted to take a train trip from Liberty, NE., to Beatrice, NE. This was a distance of perhaps 30 miles by rail. His oldest sister, Irene, was staying with relatives in Beatrice, and Nick was going there to join her. Likely this was his first trip on a train and he was not knowledgeable of railroading methods.

Prior to boarding the train he was given specific instructions by his parents, to get off the train at the first stop, which was Wymore, NE, some 12 miles distance. Upon getting off the train, he was to go through the depot and board the train which was destined for Beatrice. This Beatrice bound train was supposed to be on a track on the other side of the Wymore Depot. When the train from Liberty arrived at the Wymore depot, Nick did not ask where the specified train was bound for, but merely followed his parents' instructions and boarded the train which was waiting on the track on the other side of the Wymore depot.

The train departed shortly and as was the custom, the conductor came through the cars to take the tickets of the passengers aboard. When he came to Nick, it was soon evident to the conductor that Nick was on the wrong train! Nick was on the train bound for Fairbury, NE, some 20 miles away in the wrong direction! The conductor then quickly stopped the train and instructed the train engineer to back all the way back to the depot in Wymore, a distance of perhaps 6 to 8 miles at this point in time.

Then the train arrived in Wymore, Nick, assuredly, was properly escorted , by either the conductor himself, or another railroad employee, and placed aboard the correct train, bound for Beatrice.

The train for Beatrice soon departed and thanks to the attentiveness and consideration of the conductor, Nick resumed his rather eventful trip to meet his sister in Beatrice.

It is safe to say that little Nick likely was the object of many jokes and remarks during the time when the train was backing up into Wymore. It was a Saturday and many of the passengers were men on their way home for the week-end. The requirement to back up the train for that distance unquestionably delayed their arrival at home for a considerable period of time.

Marian Louise NIMS (Willie Harrison-6, Frederick-5, Frederick Boyden-4, James-3, Ariel-2, Moses-1) She was a registered nurse, and attended Winthrop College for two years. In 1950, she married John Cheney, an NFA Director in the early 1980s.

Eagle Bulletin, 10 Oct 1984---It began in February when Marian Cheney added a valentine to the Christmas wreath at the Fayetteville Post Office and has become a seasonal decorating challenge she accepts to the delight of both the customers and employees of the post office.

"My father was a postmaster," Mrs. Cheney said with a trace of the South Carolina accent she has retained in the 34 years she has lived in Fayetteville, "and I love those guys. I like the attention they give me when I put up a new one."

It all began when Mrs. Cheney, a resident of 205 Hunt Dr. and a weekly customer at the post office, suggested to her neighbor, Postmaster Robert Norton, that the Christmas wreath still hanging at the post office could be brightened with valentines. The next time she was at the post office, she noticed that nothing had yet been done to the wreath so she purchased a valentine and added it to the wreath herself.

By St. Patrick’s Day, the wreath was beginning to show its age so Mrs. Cheney replaced it with a straw wreath decorated, with shamrocks.

"Bob (Norton) offered her money to replace the wreath and to purchase the decorations," said John Pellenz, post office operations supervisor, "but she said no. She said it’s her civic duty."

"She takes it home for a few days and fixes it up when the seasons change," Mr. Pellenz said.

The wreath hangs outside the building and thus is vulnerable to vandalism. After being stolen twice and recovered in the weeds nearby, the wreath is taken inside daily with the flag. For Easter, the wreath was decorated with bunnies and a pink ribbon. Pink dogwood replaced the rabbits for Mother’s Day. For Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, flags and patriotic bunting were added. Japanese lanterns now decorate the wreath for the fall season.

Mrs. Cheney agrees that she has so obligated herself to decorate the wreath seasonally that she couldn’t stop even if she wanted, but she has no intention of stopping.

Her home is also decorated with wreaths--a straw one on the back door, the door used most frequently, and a grapevine wreath inside. And of course an evergreen wreath at Christmas.