Benjamin, Thomas, & Alexander Ricks (1707-1775), (1745-1789), & (1776-xxxx)

My Paternal 6th, 5th & 4th Great Grandfathers, married Patience Healty (1710-xxxx), Priscilla Williams (1754-xxxx), & unknown

Benjamin Ricks, the son of Isaac Ricks Jr and Sarah McKinnie, and was born in Chucktatuck, Isle of Wight County Virginia in 1707. He married Patience Healty and bought a 400 acre piece of land for 40 shillings in Lunenburg  County Virginia. After his father’s death in 1748, Benjamin and his family moved to North Carolina where he bought a large tract of land from his brother William near Rocky Mount. It was there that Patience gave birth to ten sons and three daughters.   Three of Benjamin’s children: Lewis, Patience and Sarah, married spouses whose last names were Joiner. His son Meredith became a silversmith and was reported to be a miser.  He never married and at his death in 1780; despite great efforts, mysteriously his money stash was never found.

Unlike his older brothers, and presumably his son Meredith, Benjamin was not a wealthy man.  When his will was probated in 1775, his wife received 80 acres of land and twelve of his children each received five shillings and his youngest son received the remainder of his estate. The year 1775 marked the beginning of  the Revolutionary War. During the next 8 years  35,000 men between the ages of 16 and 60 from North Carolina joined the call to duty. 

[Painting: Washington’s Army at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse]

At least five of Benjamin Sr’s sons: Benjamin Jr, William, Lewis, John and Thomas, answered the call and fought in the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Jr was a Sergeant Major in George Washington’s Continental Army. William and Lewis, fought together at the bloody Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. Lewis was drafted into the army as a private but was a devout Quaker and did not believe in shedding blood.  William witnessed  his brother drop his gun and go into battle without his weapon.  That was the last time he saw him. Lewis’ heirs received a postmortem 200 acre land grant for his military service; perhaps the government was unaware he hadn’t actually fired a single bullet.  Interestingly, most of these war  land grants came from the confiscated property of Tories who fought for the British during the war.  

[Image: Lewis Ricks, a devout Quaker, dropping his weapon and refusing to engage in the killing during the Revolutionary War]

Benjamin’s son, Thomas Ricks my 5th great grandfather married Priscilla Williams, the daughter of Roland Williams and Martha Carter, in the same year his father died and the war began. At the war’s conclusion in 1783 Thomas received his final military voucher that represented  an “IOU” including interest for seven pounds 12 shillings for his effort.  Privates in 1776 received the equivalent of a whopping $6 per month (about $158 in today’s dollars) plus a bounty at the end of their service. At the time, the promissory  note was almost worthless and many speculators bought them cheaply from the rank and file before they left camp.  Many soldiers sold the notes to pay for their way home to loved ones.  One wonders if Thomas was ever able to exchange his for cash.  I also found copies of similar pay vouchers for two of his brothers, William and John.  

[Photo: Thomas Ricks’ Revolutionary Pay Voucher December 1783]

Thomas and Priscilla had three sons: Alexander (my ancestor), Urban and Wiley; and a daughter Milberry.  Thomas passed away 15 hours after his will was drafted on September 13, 1789. Three of his brothers -  Benjamin, Joel and Abraham - were by his side when he took his last breath. His estate was to be equally divided between “his wife Priscilla, his sons Alexander, and Urban and his daughter Milberry.” His father in-law Roland Willliams and his brother Abraham were named executors.   Roland Williams referred to “the lawful begotten heirs of my daughter Priscilla” in his will dated 1813, so it is clear Thomas’ his wife predeceased her father.  In his will Roland mentioned his son Urban which explains how the name came to be used with Thomas and Priscilla’s son. 

Alexander Ricks my 4th great grandfather, was born in 1776 in Edgecombe County. Not much, including the name of his wife is known about him. Their son, Thomas Little Ricks, born in Nash County, North Carolina in 1802 is my 3rd great grandfather. His story is told in a separate blog. Alexander’s brother Urban (born 1778) also had a son named Thomas (who married Archie Polin and then later Sally Taylor) and a son named Alexander.  The name of Urban’s wife is not known.