Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Edward B. Hicks Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Edward B. Hicks Letter, Ms2010-081, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased by Special Collections in 2010.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Edward B. Hicks Letter was completed in November 2010.

Biographical Information

Edward B. Hicks was an attorney based in Lawrenceville, VA. He was born on July 11, 1789 and died on November 27, 1858 at the age of 69. Edward was the eldest son of Daniel (died in November of 1857 at age 99) and Fanny Hicks (died on April 12, 1840).

On November 3, 1822, Edward married Elizabeth Stone, the daughter of Governor and Senator David Stone of North Carolina. The couple had many children together, but unfortunately Edward survived most of them. However, one son named David Stone Hicks, who was born on May 11, 1826, attended the University of Virginia and became a lawyer and judge. Edward also survived his wife, who died on Febuary 12, 1837 after a long illness; in the Hicks family diary, he describes her as, “my most affectionate and devoted wife.”

Barringer, Paul, James Mercer, and Rosewell Page. University of Virginia: Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics, with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni. Vol. 2. New York: Lewis, 1904. Print.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a single letter from Edward B. Hicks in Lawrenceville, VA to William Townes in Clarksville, VA. The last page serves as the letter's envelope and contains a postage mark, sending address, and the remnants of a red wax seal.

The letter's contents rant against President Polk's presidential administration, blaming him for not helping Virginia's debt as well as for having the audacity to try to go to war with Britain over the Oregon Territory. The following quote is indicative of Hicks' contempt for Polk: "Does he believe that he can bully England, when Napoleon with Europe at his back, could neither alarm or conquer her."

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by material type.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Townes, William, Clarksville, VA

Subjects:

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South