William Rickman
Encyclopedia
Dr. William Rickman was a prominent figure in the American Revolution
, known best as the first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army during the war. This title would later evolve into the position of Surgeon General.
Dr. Rickman married his step-cousin Miss Elizabeth Harrison in 1774, daughter of Benjamin Harrison the Signer of the Declaration of Independence and owner of Berkeley Plantation. She was also the older sister of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States. Dr. and Elizabeth Harrison Rickman had no children. A previous marriage to anyone by Dr. William Rickman has not been substantially proven at this time, and is not yet considered completely factual. The descendants of Jesse Rickman of North Carolina believe Dr. Rickman was married previously married to van Meter and had several children, she dying around 1775; the Jesse Rickman lineage suggests Dr. Rickman later married Miss Harrison. This is what cannot be substantiated.
The name "Kittiewan" was not applied directly to the current property until the very early 19th century. Dr. Rickman referred to his home estate as "Millford" in the early 1780s, the first documented name for the tract (http://asv-archeology.org/Org/OrgKittiewan.html). In a 1779 will, Rickman's neighbor to the west, David Minge, mentions several tracts Minge owned including one named "Kittiwan". The Minge Kittiewan tract was actually the southern part of the current North Bend Plantation adjacent to the west side of Kittiewan Plantation. Minge's Kittiwan tract is mentioned as such for the last time in the 1783 tax roll, but the acreage can be traced through the records until 1819. After the Widow Minge married Collier Harrison, her lands were simply listed as "Minges" as late as 1801, and then listed as “Collier Harrison’s” for many years after her death until the land passed to her son John Minge prior to 1820.
When Dr. Rickman died in 1783, his widow Elizabeth inherited his property, including Millford. The 1787 tax records show Elizabeth Rickman charged with two tracts of land, 223 acre (0.90244978 km²) and 365 acres (1.5 km²), with no name directly associated with the land. Elizabeth Rickman subsequently married John Edmondson around 1789. Her will, drafted in May 1790, specified all of her land was to go to her husband John Edmondson; upon his death, the Thomas Brown tract was to go to her brother William Henry Harrison, while the 280 acres (1.1 km²) home place would go to Carter Bassett Harrison, another brother.
Even though he was to receive the Rickman home place though her will in 1790, Elizabeth and John Edmondson sold the Millford tract and other lands to total 8oo acres to her brother Carter Bassett Harrison in 1791. The 800 acres (3.2 km²) did not include the Thomas Brown tract, which passed to William Henry Harrison. Two years later, William Henry Harrison signed a quitclaim deed ceding all claims to "Brown's Quarter" to his brother Carter Bassett Harrison for £25 Virginia money; this is the only instance in the deed books where the word "Quarter" appears with this particular tract. The quitclaim record also confirmed it as the tract Rickman bought from Brown and the land that was bequeathed to W.H. Harrison by his sister. The erroneous use of “Brown’s ‘Quarter’” in relation to the Millford and Kittiewan Brown tract has led to speculation that William Henry Harrison once owned historic Sherwood Forest, the home of President James Tyler, having it the only home owned by two U.S. Presidents, which is not correct.
Elizabeth Harrison petitioned to receive bounty land due her late husband Dr. Rickman from his service during the American Revolution. She was given land certificates totaling 6666 acres (27 km²) in Ohio. She later gave these certificates to her siblings as she had no heir. After her death, her second husband John Edmondson, who was given the right to live at Millford for life, left Millford and married again; from this marriage he had a few children. From the 1840s to 1870s, the children of this last marriage sued the Harrison family for the land in Ohio, but ultimately lost.
The previous information was provided Patrick O'Neill, Kittiewan Plantation historian, owned and operated by the Archeological Society of Virginia (http://asv-archeology.org/).
, known best as the first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army during the war. This title would later evolve into the position of Surgeon General.
. During this time he held the rank of Captain of Regiment 95. Having studied medicine, he was appointed surgeon to the Royal Navy
ship HMS Launceston on January 1, 1766. He served on the Launceston for about 3½ years until about August 1769.
A man named William Rickman appears in the records of Charles City County, Virginia in 1770. The records contain several references to Rickman and his dealings within the county, but none mention a wife or children. In 1774, the Charles City County William Rickman married Elizabeth Harrison, daughter of the Signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Harrison. Miss Harrison was the older sister of William Henry Harrison, who would become the 9th President of the United States of America.
regarding the subject and additionally discussed the issues of the day with fellow southerner Thomas Jefferson
. When the war began, the Continental Congress
unanimously voted to name Rickman the first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army. First overseeing Southern Department during the War, he later inherited the Northern Department as well.
Rickman became disillusioned with the War as he experienced an alarming lack of supplies and manpower to care for the wounded and dying soldiers. Rickman made numerous trips to Philadelphia to plead for better conditions and additionally wrote numerous letters to various political friends requesting funding for his hospitals. He received little assistance, however.
Due to his growing frustration with the developing government and his own failing health, Rickman submitted a resignation in April 1780 but was not granted a release until October 1780. He retired with the rank of Colonel.
Rickman died in Virginia of unknown causes.
does much to explain his conflicted opinions about the American Revolution
.
William Rickman and his wife Katherine had four children:
After his first wife Katherine died, William Rickman married Elizabeth Harrison (1775–1790), sister of William Henry Harrison
. They had no children.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, known best as the first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army during the war. This title would later evolve into the position of Surgeon General.
Family life
His family life has been the issue of conversation for decades and has two schools of thought.The most prevalent history was produced by Mrs. Claude Randleman in the early 1960s, which Dr. Rickman denied and burned. The less prevalent and most recent history is provided after exhaustive research by the Kittiewan Plantation historian, which should be considered the more accurate source of the history of Dr. William Rickman of Charles City County.Kittiewan Plantation interpretation
Dr. William Rickman, famous during the American Revolution as the head surgeon of the Continental Army in Virginia, bought several tracts in Charles City County, Virginia, in the 1770s. Rickman purchased one tract from Thomas Brown before 1780, which is now bounded on the south and east by Highway 619, on the west by Drinking Run and on the north by a run of Drinking Run, containing approximately 240 acre (0.9712464 km²).Dr. Rickman married his step-cousin Miss Elizabeth Harrison in 1774, daughter of Benjamin Harrison the Signer of the Declaration of Independence and owner of Berkeley Plantation. She was also the older sister of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States. Dr. and Elizabeth Harrison Rickman had no children. A previous marriage to anyone by Dr. William Rickman has not been substantially proven at this time, and is not yet considered completely factual. The descendants of Jesse Rickman of North Carolina believe Dr. Rickman was married previously married to van Meter and had several children, she dying around 1775; the Jesse Rickman lineage suggests Dr. Rickman later married Miss Harrison. This is what cannot be substantiated.
The name "Kittiewan" was not applied directly to the current property until the very early 19th century. Dr. Rickman referred to his home estate as "Millford" in the early 1780s, the first documented name for the tract (http://asv-archeology.org/Org/OrgKittiewan.html). In a 1779 will, Rickman's neighbor to the west, David Minge, mentions several tracts Minge owned including one named "Kittiwan". The Minge Kittiewan tract was actually the southern part of the current North Bend Plantation adjacent to the west side of Kittiewan Plantation. Minge's Kittiwan tract is mentioned as such for the last time in the 1783 tax roll, but the acreage can be traced through the records until 1819. After the Widow Minge married Collier Harrison, her lands were simply listed as "Minges" as late as 1801, and then listed as “Collier Harrison’s” for many years after her death until the land passed to her son John Minge prior to 1820.
When Dr. Rickman died in 1783, his widow Elizabeth inherited his property, including Millford. The 1787 tax records show Elizabeth Rickman charged with two tracts of land, 223 acre (0.90244978 km²) and 365 acres (1.5 km²), with no name directly associated with the land. Elizabeth Rickman subsequently married John Edmondson around 1789. Her will, drafted in May 1790, specified all of her land was to go to her husband John Edmondson; upon his death, the Thomas Brown tract was to go to her brother William Henry Harrison, while the 280 acres (1.1 km²) home place would go to Carter Bassett Harrison, another brother.
Even though he was to receive the Rickman home place though her will in 1790, Elizabeth and John Edmondson sold the Millford tract and other lands to total 8oo acres to her brother Carter Bassett Harrison in 1791. The 800 acres (3.2 km²) did not include the Thomas Brown tract, which passed to William Henry Harrison. Two years later, William Henry Harrison signed a quitclaim deed ceding all claims to "Brown's Quarter" to his brother Carter Bassett Harrison for £25 Virginia money; this is the only instance in the deed books where the word "Quarter" appears with this particular tract. The quitclaim record also confirmed it as the tract Rickman bought from Brown and the land that was bequeathed to W.H. Harrison by his sister. The erroneous use of “Brown’s ‘Quarter’” in relation to the Millford and Kittiewan Brown tract has led to speculation that William Henry Harrison once owned historic Sherwood Forest, the home of President James Tyler, having it the only home owned by two U.S. Presidents, which is not correct.
Elizabeth Harrison petitioned to receive bounty land due her late husband Dr. Rickman from his service during the American Revolution. She was given land certificates totaling 6666 acres (27 km²) in Ohio. She later gave these certificates to her siblings as she had no heir. After her death, her second husband John Edmondson, who was given the right to live at Millford for life, left Millford and married again; from this marriage he had a few children. From the 1840s to 1870s, the children of this last marriage sued the Harrison family for the land in Ohio, but ultimately lost.
The previous information was provided Patrick O'Neill, Kittiewan Plantation historian, owned and operated by the Archeological Society of Virginia (http://asv-archeology.org/).
Jesse Rickman family interpretation
Dr. William Rickman (possibly born around 1731 – 1783) was a prominent figure in the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, known best as the first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army during the war. This title would later evolve into the position of Surgeon General.
Early career
Possibly born in Hampshire, England to Robert and Tamar Rickman, Rickman may have migrated to the colonies while a young man. He may have taken up military service and served as a British Officer in the French And Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. During this time he held the rank of Captain of Regiment 95. Having studied medicine, he was appointed surgeon to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ship HMS Launceston on January 1, 1766. He served on the Launceston for about 3½ years until about August 1769.
A man named William Rickman appears in the records of Charles City County, Virginia in 1770. The records contain several references to Rickman and his dealings within the county, but none mention a wife or children. In 1774, the Charles City County William Rickman married Elizabeth Harrison, daughter of the Signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Harrison. Miss Harrison was the older sister of William Henry Harrison, who would become the 9th President of the United States of America.
American Revolution
As revolution loomed, Rickman sympathized with his fellow colonists and supported the revolutionary movement. He frequently corresponded with his friend George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
regarding the subject and additionally discussed the issues of the day with fellow southerner Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. When the war began, the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
unanimously voted to name Rickman the first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army. First overseeing Southern Department during the War, he later inherited the Northern Department as well.
Rickman became disillusioned with the War as he experienced an alarming lack of supplies and manpower to care for the wounded and dying soldiers. Rickman made numerous trips to Philadelphia to plead for better conditions and additionally wrote numerous letters to various political friends requesting funding for his hospitals. He received little assistance, however.
Due to his growing frustration with the developing government and his own failing health, Rickman submitted a resignation in April 1780 but was not granted a release until October 1780. He retired with the rank of Colonel.
After The War & Death
As the Revolution wound to a close, Rickman spent the remainder of his life with his family at his plantation home in Virginia, dubbed Kittewan. Rickman remained active in American politics and kept a great deal of correspondence with Washington and Jefferson during these years.Rickman died in Virginia of unknown causes.
Children
Rickman was a descendant of the English Rickman family which included a number of prominent Quakers. The Quaker stance of pacifismPacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
does much to explain his conflicted opinions about the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
William Rickman and his wife Katherine had four children:
- Peter (1760 - Unknown), who was born in England. Peter renounced his allegiance to Great Britain and took the oath of allegiance in the formation of Henry County, Virginia.
- John (1765 - Unknown), was also born in England.
- Tamara (1768 - Unknown)
- Jesse Riley (2 May 1770 - 10 March 1860), left home at a young age, fought in the Revolutionary War himself (in North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
) and later was a pioneer of the Great Smoky MountainsGreat Smoky MountainsThe Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
in Western North Carolina.
After his first wife Katherine died, William Rickman married Elizabeth Harrison (1775–1790), sister of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
. They had no children.
Monuments and memorials
- Rickman's home and gravesite, Kittewan, is registered as a National Historic Place.
External links
- Kittewan Plantation (Virginia), Rickman's final home and burial place http://www.kittewanplantation.org/