Cora Houck, who died 27 March 1881 of scarlet fever, is buried in an unmarked grave in Salem Cemetery Lot No. 35, which to the uninformed eye seems to be vacant. The exact location of her grave on the lot is unknown. She is the only person buried on the lot. Cora was a daughter of Charles W. and Sarah (Myers) Houck and Lot No. 35 is one three purchased by children of Jacob Myers (buried in Lot No. 33) for the burial of young children then never used again. The others are Lot No. 34, John and Susan (Myers) Hickle; and Lot No. 48, James and Catherine (Myers) Parsons. Sarah was a daughter of Jacob by his first wife, whom we known only as "Miss Snow." The others were daughters of Jacob and Harriet (Dick) Myers. Here is a virtual tombstone inscription for Cora:
CORA HOUCK
Daughter of Charles W. and Sarah Myers Houck
Died March 27, 1881
Aged 12 Years & 6 Months
The Charles W. Houck family was enumerated during two federal census years, 1870 and 1880, in Benton Township. During 1870, the Houcks were enumerated as follows:
Houck, Charles, age 35, male, farmer, born Germany
Houck, Sarah, age 33, female, keeps house, born Pennsylvania
Houck, George, age 3, male, born Pennsylvania
Houck, Cora, age 2, female, born Pennsylvania
Houck, Elizabeth, age 9 months, born Pennsylvania
The Houcks were living immediately adjacent to Sarah's father and stepmother, Jacob and Harriet Myers, and such of their children who still were at home: Catherine, 18; Daniel, 15; Anne (sic), 12; Adaline (actually Adalaide), 6; and Abram, 32.
In 1880, the Houck family was enumerated in its permanent home, located in Section 27 of Benton Township. I can tell that by using an 1895 plat map and noting the names of their immediate neighbors, including Thomas and Phoebe (Myers) Gookin, Clarke and Mary (Myers) Gookin and John and Susan (Myers) Hickle. All of the women were Sarah's sisters. The entry reads as follows:
Charles W. Houck, 45, farmer, born Germany, parents born in Germany
Sarah Houck, 43, born Pennsyvania, parents born Pennsyvania
George A. Houck, 12, born Pennsyvania, father Germany, mother Pennsylvania
Cora Houck, 11, born Pennsylvania, father Germany, mother Pennsylvania
Phebe E. Houck, 10, born Pennsylvania, father Germany, mother Pennsylvania
Jacob Houck, 8, born Iowa, father Germany, mother Pennslvania
Edward H. Houck, 5, born Iowa, father Germany, mother Pennsylvania.
Daniel M. Houck, 4, born Iowa, father Germany, mother Pennslvania
Charles J. Miller, 25, minister/boarder, born Ohio, parents Pennsylvania
The final reference to Cora is found in Lucas County Death Record 1, Page 7, which reads as follows: Death No. 82: Cora Houck, female, age 12 years, 6 months, born Pennsylvania, died March 27, 1881, in Benton Township of scarlet fever after an illness offour days. Buried March 27, 1881, Reported by C.B. Powell, Russell, Iowa, attending physician, March 30, 1881.
Charles W. and Sarah (Myers) Houck are seated at the front of this family portrait. Their children are (from left) Edward, Elizabeth, Daniel, George and Jacob.
The Houcks were an interesting family who moved five years after Cora's death to South Dakota, where some family members still live. I prepared the following sketch of the family for the Lucas County Genealogical Society's 2000 volume, "Lucas County Heritage."
Kevin Costner would have had a more difficult time producing the popular film "Dances With Wolves" if it hadn't been for Sarah (Myers) Houck and her husband, Charles W., residents of Benton Township during the 1870s and 1880s.
Sarah, whose parents were Jacob Myers and his first wife, Miss Snow, was born May 27, 1836, near New Florence, Westmoreland County, Pa. Charles W. was born Oct. 23, 1834, near Esslingen, Wurtenburg, German, and emigrated to Westmoreland County, Pa., during 1849 or 1850. Shortly after he was discharged from Co. A, 54th Pennsylvania Infantry, at the close of the Civil War, George W. and Sarah were married. During 1870, they moved west to Benton Township, Lucas County, where Sarah's father and stepmother, Jacob and Harriet Myers, had settled four years earlier. Their home was along Lost Branch Creek, west of the former location of Brush College school.
The Houcks had six children, George A., Cora, Phoebe E. (Peck), Jacob R., Edward H. And Daniel M. Cora died in Lucas County March 27, 1881, age 12, and her unmarked grave is the only burial on the large Houck lot in Salem Cemetery.
During the fall of 1886, the family moved to Norfolk, Sully County, S.D., then during 1897, to Riverside Township, Potter County, S.D., and finally during 1907 Sarah and Charles retired to Gettysburg, S.D. Sarah died May 9, 1911, at their winter home in St. Cloud, Fla. Charles died Dec. 15, 1915, at Gettysburg. Both are buried in the Gettysburg Cemetery.
Their grandson, the late L. Roy Houck (at left, son of Jacob R. and Helena B. Hoerber Houck) became one of South Dakota's better-known native sons. A three-term state senator and two-term lieutenant governor, he pioneered raising buffalo as livestock and amassed the largest privately owned herd in the world at his Triple U Enterprises/Standing Butte Ranch 35 miles northwest of Fort Pierre.
The Houck ranch and its buffalo provided the setting for much of the film "Dances With Wolves" and Costner became a friend. Roy Houck died Nov. 2, 1992. His daughter, Kay Ingle, and other family members continue to operate Triple U Enterprises/Standing Butte Ranch.
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