Biographical Note

Robert William Hicks was born on January 10, 1827. He enlisted in the Confederate Army on March 20, 1862 and served as a Sergeant in Company I, 34th Virginia Infantry. He died November 27, 1917 and was buried in Bedford County. Little biographical information could be found on Hicks. Within the collection's materials, evidence suggests he and his wife, Fanny A. Hicks, had at least four children: Edward J., John R., James M. and Lula. It appears that Fanny Hicks survived her husband, but was in poor health for a long time.

Various bonds and receipts within the collection indicate that Hicks was engaged in the tobacco business. He cultivated tobacco on large tracts of his land and sold it on a fairly large scale to individuals and cooperatives. He also owned livestock. Hicks served as a Justice of the Peace with the Campbell County Court, where he appraised property, inspected cattle and bore witness on cases, among other things. He also operated a business in Bedford County during the latter part of his life.

James Morris Hicks, son of R. W. Hicks, studied mechanical engineering at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI; now Virginia Tech), graduating in 1901. While at VPI, he held various positions of leadership, serving as class secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president; and belonged to the Maury Literary Society and the Engineering Club. After graduating, Hicks worked as a colliery superintendent at the Hudson Coal Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and also managed his father's tobacco farm.

Of R. W. Hicks' other children, only the briefest of information could be found: Lula Hicks married J. Edward Wilkinson of Evington, Virginia. John R. Hicks lived in various places, including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Saint Louis, Missouri; and Clinton, Louisiana. John seems to have been a religious man, working for a school. The papers suggest that Edward J. Hicks lived in Evington and helped his father with his tobacco business.

Stephen Hicks lived in Bedford County, where he owned a large estate. The relationship of Stephen and J. H. Hicks to R. W. Hicks and his family is unclear.

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