Now at 78, she can’t seem to stop seeking out more about the generations before her.

Wickman’s entry into the world of genealogy started when her older sister, Sandy Klein, called her one day more than 20 years ago and asked if she knew anything about their dad.

She told her sister all she knew was Butte, Montana, was listed as his place of birth on the back of her birth certificate.

But how had her father had been born in Montana, when her grandmother was from Norway? It was a mystery.

DONNA WICKMAN STANDS in front of the family cabin outside Yaak, Mont., with her granddaughter, Makayla St. Cyr, and daughter Lisa Dobson. (Photo provided by Donna Wickman)

Wickman’s parents divorced when she was 3 and she and her sisters had little contact with him growing up.

“We didn’t get to spent time with him because he met a woman and she didn’t want him to have anything to do with us, so the only time we got to see him is when he would come up to see his grandparents, my great-grandparents,” Wickman said. “Later on, when I was living in Indiana with her (Lisa’s) father, he called me one night and he was crying and he was telling me ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.’ She gave him a choice between us and his

(Continued on page 3-A)new kids. He thought we already had what he believed was a good stepfather.

“We weren’t allowed to have anything to do with my dad, we weren’t allowed to ask questions, nothing like that. But when my mother died in 1979, my sisters and I were going through her stuff, we found a packet of letters, wrapped with a pink ribbon, that he had written to her in 1949. Why she kept all those letters, all those years, of someone she supposed hated — I think she left them because she wanted us to find them when we were old enough to find out the truth.”

Joined by their other sister, Barbara Schultz, the three took a trip to Montana that unearthed boxes and boxes information about her dad’s family, including how he came to be born in Montana.

A PHOTO OF the family’s original cabin outside Yaak, Mont., built by Donna Wickman’s great-grandparents, Simon and Tillie Helmer. (Photo provided by Donna Wickman)

Her father’s mother, Harriet Faull, had traveled to Montana to stay with her aunt. There she met Beldon Helmer, and they had three sons. The oldest of them was Wickman’s father, William.

The discovery came through a strange series of events. While in Yaak, Mont., seeking information about the family, they stopped in the Dirty Shame Saloon, one of only two buildings in town, so she could use a restroom.

As she was contemplating purchasing some clothing, her sisters joined her in the bar. They decided to have lunch there and began talking to patrons, explaining the reason for their visit. Then the bartender, overhearing their conversation, told her someone had left a bunch of material about the family at the bar.

The person who had left the stuff was a cousin named Grace who had passed away. It had been turned over to the new owners of the family’s homestead, which was built by her great-grandparents, Simon and Tillie Helmer.

The new owners had saved everything — photos, diaries, tintypes, newspaper clippings and other material. The property featured a unique cabin. It had a porch along the front and a pointed gable that extended through the roof, with a cupola on top.

Wickman said her great-grandmother used to run a commissary and sell things to the native American tribes in the area.

The sisters found out they were Swedish. One of her father’s relatives even had a family tree dating back to 1578.

The family’s former property is now the Camp Patriot Veteran Retreat Ranch, purchased in 2014. About six years ago, Wickman visited the camp with her daughter, Lisa Dobson, and granddaughter Makayla St. Cyr. She would like to make at least one more trip out there.

Wickman’s latest find is a Civil War diary written by her great-uncle, Stephen H. Helmer. It is on display at a Civil War museum in Carlisle, Ohio. A Helmer relative had contacted her to let her know of its existence.

The diary, probably written in a small pocket notebook, details daily life within his unit for about six months in 1863. It had several letters Helmer wrote to his wife that provided additional details about some the battles he fought.

One of the largest he writes about was the Battle of Missionary Ridge in November 1963. Under the command of Gen. Thomas J. Wood, Helmer’s division led a successful assault against Confederate forces.

He described the battle to his wife, as written “The signal was given — a line far (as) I could see up and down the valley at once advanced upon them. No sooner had we started and before we could get within shooting distance of them they left their works and climb (the) hills or mountain. Our line soon gained their line of works = under the the fire of their artillery = Shell – Grape and canister was poured down upon us. Again we ‘Charged’ up the ridge soon (comming) under fire of their Musketry — on moved our lines = under one of the heaviest fires I ever (wittnessed). Carrying the 4 ridge our Brigade capturing prisoners to the amt. of 400 or 500, 16 pieces of artillery — ammunition and small arms. The Rebels were completely ranted scutting in every direction = utterly demoralized.”

Helmer writes about Gen. Ulysses S. Grant observing the battle and complimenting the unit, “Of all the columns he ever saw, this was the grandest in its movements.”

He also told her his commander praised the unit for going beyond his orders, as he did not expect them to do more than carry their second line of works. “You did not stop there but charged most gallantly up the mountain and carried every thing before you. You have covered yourselves with glory.”

Wickman lived in Indiana from 1966 to 1982, before moving back to the area. She has found several more relatives in the Midwest. “Sometimes you don’t know how far or how near you will find relatives once you start looking,” she said.

She recounted finding a last name, then finding a restaurant that had a similar name. When visiting the restaurant on a research trip, she noticed a marriage certificate on the wall confirming it was a relative.

“That was five miles from where I lived,” said her daughter, Dobson.

“It’s unbelievable. And I’m still finding out things — accidentally — because I’m not really looking,” Wickman said.