Wickham family papers

The Wickham family papers (1704-1950; 9.5 cubic feet) consist of papers of Richmond, Virginia and “Hickory Hill” plantation in Hanover County, Virginia, including the families of John Wickham (1763-1839), his son, William Fanning Wickham (1793-1880), grandson, Williams Carter Wickham (1820-1888), and great-grandson, Henry Taylor Wickham (1849-1943).

The collection contains business correspondence, chiefly concerning legal and agricultural pursuits; family correspondence with immediate and extended relatives; personal correspondence from friends and political associates; two brief diaries discussing the secession and the beginning of the Civil War; financial and legal papers, including lists of books purchased, hires of enslaved laborers, the purchase of enslaved laborers, medical care for enslaved laborers, losses from invading soldiers during the Civil War, estate values, including those of enslaved laborers, indentures, deeds, receipts, plats and surveys, and lists of enslaved laborers by name and age; genealogies and genealogical charts; invitations and calling cards; military papers of General Williams Carter Wickham in the Civil War and Captain Williams Carter Wickham, U.S. Navy; news clippings; some notes and manuscripts of William F. Wickham; a few photographs and snapshots; poetry; hand-written recipes; school papers; and sympathy and greeting cards.

There is also a hand drawn map of Hickory Hill plantation, the Wickham family estate which may have been drawn by a descendant of an enslaved laborer. It shows a diagram of "Mammy's House" and surrounding buildings that were revisited in the 1980's. The pages following the illustration name African Americans who were still living and working at Hickory Hill estate in the early 1900's. Mentioned are the families of John Robinson, Albert Cash, Henry Toliver, Edith Jackson, Matt Foley, Maria Tucker, Ruben Lewis,Landonia Lewis, ALec Hewlett, Louisa and Albert Jackson, Henry Abrams, Betty Jackson, John Abram and Roselyn, Milton Hewlett, and Virginia Shelton.

Topics include the Civil War, the relationships between family members in both the North and the South, and attitudes toward secession; many aspects of enslavement, often naming the enslaved laborers involved; Virginia and national politics; the practice of agriculture in Virginia; the education of the children of Virginia planters, including attendance at the Howard School, Episcopal High School, Washington College and the University of Virginia; military service of General Williams Carter Wickham (1820-1888), Captain William Carter Wickham (1887-1985), and other Wickham relatives.