William Hicks was born in 1755 in Virginia. While living in Virginia, he married Mary Swango
(Swanger) on 2 January 1784. William Hicks died 19 Dec 1822 in Garrard County, Kentucky.
Mary was born ca. 1763/65 and died 24 Aug 1847 in Jessamine County, Kentucky. No cemetery record
for Mary or William was found in Jessamine County, Kentucky. William Hicks is listed on the
1810 census of Garrard County, Kentucky. William Hicks was not listed on the first census of
Kentucky.
The Revolutionary War Pension Application (Pension Claim # 8931) of William Hicks contains much
information. In June of 1818 William Hicks, aged about 62, states under oath that he enlisted in the 12th
Virginia Regiment, a continental establishment in Captain William McKee’s Company under the command
of Col. James Woods, on or along the 25 day of Sept. 1776, for the term of two years and served out his
time in the corps aforesaid at the mouth of the Great Kanawha, and was regularly discharged in the fall of
the year in 1778. The discharge given him by Capt. McKee, he states is either lost or deposited at some
of the offices in Richmond, Virginia. He further states that sometime in the year 1780 he again engaged in
the second Virginia Regiment attachment under Col. Samuel Hawes and in Capt. Frank Cowherd’s
company and served the time of eighteen months and was discharged from the same on the 17th day of
January 1782, as will more fully appear by the original discharged filed and dated the 17th day of
January, 1782.
He further says that during his service he suffered much from exposure as well as in battle having served
the whole campaign under General John Green to the South. He further states that his circumstances are
such as to render personal labor on his part are necessary to obtain the means of tuberculosis and his
age and infirmity places it out of his power to do much. He therefore states that he is need of the aid and
the assistance of his country to render his latter at all comfortable. An official report on file shows that the
above noted pensioner died 19 Dec 1822 in Garrard County, Kentucky.
William Hicks married 2 January 1784, Mary Swanger (Her name was almost certainly Swango since
there were no Swangers in Virginia at the time. There were Swangos in the area.), the date
of her birth and the name of her parents are not known. Mary Hicks, the soldier’s widow, was allowed
pension on her application executed 19 Nov. 1838. She was then a resident of Jessamine County,
Kentucky, aged seventy-two years. An official report on file shows that she died 22 August 1847, in
Jessamine County, Kentucky. In Nov. of 1838, Suffiah Combs, a daughter of the soldier William Hicks,
and his wife Mary, was a resident of Jessamine County, Kentucky, she was born 20 September 1790,
and was the parent’s fourth child. Her husband, Edward Combs, died in Oct. 1825.
The following data pertaining to the other children are shown: the first child, name not given, died when
about 3 months old; Moses the next child, was born 7 Sept. 1786, Abraham was born 30th Oct. 1788;
Samuel was born 16 Jan 1792; William was born 4 Dec 1794; Abaigail was born 20
May 1796.
In 1845, William Hicks was living with Mary Hicks, the widow, in Jessamine County, Kentucky. It was not
stated however, that he was the son William. (The above was an answer from A. D. Miller,
Executive Assistant to the Administer to Mrs. J. H. Freeman of Springfield, TN. letter dated 15 Feb.
1933.)
Deposition of Suffiah Combs
Mary was the granddaughter of William Swango and the daughter of Abraham Swango. Abraham
Swango had a daughter referred to as Mariah who was born about the same time. Her name is listed in
William Hicks’ Revolutionary War pension papers as “Swanger”. William Hicks was recruited for the
Revolutionary War by Hugh Stephenson in Bullskin creek section of 7 May 1839.
The deposition of Suffiah Combs of Jessamine County, Kentucky, taken at her residence, on 07 May
1839, to be used as evidence in the favor of the application of Mrs. Mary Hicks, widow of William Hicks,
deceased, for a pension under the act of congress passed July 7, 1838. Deponent being of forty-eight
years old on the 20th day of September last deposest and said that she is the fourth child of William Hicks
and Mary Hicks, whose name before marriage was Mary Swanger.
She further states that she has her father’s old pocket book, now in her possession, which book contains
the family register of the marriage of her father and mother and the ages of their children-said register
occupying two pages. The handwriting is that of the deponent’s father and has been there since the
deponent’s earliest collection. On the right hand page is first is some old accounts and nearly middle way
down is entered the parent’s marriage, but to dim now but to make out the month and the year.
They were married which appears to be 2nd Jan 1784, and immediately below is listed the ages of their
sixth and seventh children to wit: William Hicks was born 4 Dec., 1894, Abaigail Hicks was born 20 May
1896. The left hand page also commenced with some old accounts and near half way down there is an
entry (but not entirely legible) the age of William and Mary Hicks second child (the first child as the
deponent said as she remembered died at about 3 months of age). This entry seems to make their
second child, Moses Hicks, to have been born, 7 Sept 1786. The third child’s age is legible and in these
words” Abraham Hicks, son to William and Mary Hicks, born the 30th September (Oct.) 1788″. The next is
the deponent’s own age, Suffiah Hicks was born 20th Sept. 1890. Then comes the name and age of the
fifth child, of the said William and Mary Hicks, which states their Samuel Hicks, was born the 16th January
1892. All of which entries are specified in said family register was legible when the deponent’s past
recollection of seeing them, which was many years, prior to her father’s death. But it will be observed that
the deponent’s father has made a very obvious mistake in putting down the years of all the children,
except the first two, Moses and Abraham. The deponent’s having made use of 1890, etc. in place of
1790, and with this correction she, the deponent, firmly believes from every information from she has
received from her mother and her father and other sources that the whole of said register is correct. The
deponent further saidth that she knows that the said pocket book containing said register is her father and
was in his possession many years before his death. Her father the said William Hicks died 25 Oct at that
time the book containing the register came into the possession of the deponent and has remained in her
possession ever since. Which register this day described by her, she makes part of this deposition and
further saith not.
Suffiah Combs
State of Kentucky
Jessamine County
The above deposition of Suffiah Combs was this day sworn and subscribed by the said Suffiah Combs
before me, Jos. H. Chrisman, A Justice of the Peace, for the County of Jessamine and the state of
Kentucky, and I swear that Suffiah Combs is a good woman of moral character, person of truth and
veracity Given under my hand this 7th day of May 1839.
Jos. H. Chrisman
In the book Alphabetical Index of Pensioners, with Reference to Counties, pg.189 Mary Hicks is listed as
pensioner of Jessamine County. Jessamine County, Kentucky Will Book G, pg. 375, 428, 433 is the will of
Mary Hicks, probated 19 July 1847. This where we learn of daughter Polly (Mary) Goforth. William and
Mary lived in Garrard County, KY then moved to Fayette Co., KY and then back to
Garrard Co.
William Hicks was recruited for the Revolutionary War by Hugh Stephenson in Bullskin creek section of
Berkeley County, VA, now Jefferson County, WV which is the same area that Hugh Stephenson and the
Swangos lived and therefore lived near enough to Abraham Swango to have known his daughter,
Mary/Mariah. William only had two other known children: Isaac and William. Nothing is known of their
descendants. The spelling of Mary’s maiden name is listed as “Swanger” in her husband’s Revolutionary
War pension papers and her father’s last name is listed as “Swanger” in a lease of land from George
Washington. There were Swangers living in this country at the same time, but none near the same area
as Abraham Swango. It is possible that the family name was Swanger, but it is more likely that Swanger
was simply a misspelling of an uncommon name. Descendants now use the spelling “Swango.”