William Rickman

American political leader (died 1783)

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Dr. William Rickman (died 1783) served during the American Revolutionary War as the Director and Surgeon of the Continental Hospital of the Continental Army in Virginia.[1] He was the first overseer of the Continental Army hospitals in Virginia.[2]

Rickman, of Charles City County, Virginia, married Elizabeth "Betsey" Harrison, the daughter of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence and owner of nearby Berkeley Plantation on May 5, 1775. Rickman received his appointment with the Continental Hospital in Virginia, which is believed to have played a role in his father-in-law losing his reelection as delegate nearly two months later to the Continental Congress.

Rickman has no known descendants according the National Park Service, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). He is known as the first owner of the Kittiewan Plantation House.

## Early career[edit]

There is no clear information about the year of birth or place of birth for William Rickman, nor a clear path Rickman may have taken towards his medical career before he married in 1775.

There was a William Rickman who was a surgeon in Portsmouth, Virginia from 1751 to at least 1764, and reported to 1775. He subscribed to A Collection of Thoughts, Moral and Divine, upon Various Subjects. In Prose and Verse. Dedicated, by Permission, To the Right Honourable Earl of Powis, By Wellins Calcott, Gent., 1764, Exeter. The source is a US-UK directory and the UK portion is printed in Exeter, England.[3]

A William Rickman was justice of the peace in Charles City as of June 11, 1772. Benjamin Harrison, Benjamin Harrison Jr., and Robert Harrisons also served the city.[4] Rickman was a justice of peace in November 1775 when he was concerned about two enslaved men who escaped the county jail before they were to be executed.[5]

## Married Elizabeth Harrison[edit]

Rickman, of Charles City County, Virginia, married Elizabeth "Betsey" Harrison, the daughter of Benjamin Harrison V, signer of the Declaration of Independence[6][7] and owner of nearby Berkeley Plantation, on May 5, 1775.[8] She was also the older sister of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States.[9] William Rickman had no children[9] and has no known descendants according to Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).[10][11]

## Kittiewan[edit]

Kittiewan Plantation is a Colonial period plantation house (1606–1776) built in the 18th century along the James River in the Virginia Tidewater.[2] The land was bought and sold many times since 450 acres were purchased by Charles Roane in 1667.[9] Rickman purchased the house that he called Milford in the early 1770s[12] and it had that name as late as Elizabeth's will of May 3, 1790.[13][a] Rickman is known, though, as the first owner of what is now called Kittiewan House Plantation.[2]

The following marker is located where State Route 619 ends at State Highway 5:[14]

Kittiewan and Doctor Rickman Marker

> Two miles south is Kittiewan, mid-eighteenth century manor house. Here lived Doctor William Rickman. From 1776 to 1780 he was director and Chief Physician of the Continental Hospitals of Virginia.

Erected 1977 by Medical Society of Virginia, by authority of Charles City County.[14]

Rickman and his neighbors in Charles City were protective of their land and riverside areas. On November 8 and November 29, 1776, Rickman and David Minges issued a notice in The Virginia Gazette that no one should fish, fowl, or hunt on the property of Charles City subscribers without their notice.[15][16]

## American Revolution[edit]

As revolution loomed, Thomas Jefferson met with Rickman at his residence on May 15, 1771.[17] Rickman was appointed physician to the Continental troops in Virginia, as recommended by Benjamin Harrison,[18] and was enlisted on May 18, 1776.[19][20][b] He served during the American Revolutionary War as the Director and Surgeon of the Hospital of the Continental Army in Virginia.[20][21] The Virginia convention was held on June 20, 1776 to elect a Continental Congress delegate, but Harrison was not relected. The Virginia committee of safety preferred to appoint Dr. James McClurg and it was thought that Harrison's pressuring Congress, at least in part, lost him his seat as delegate.[22] In 1777, McClurg became surgeon general of Virginia state troops.[23]

In July 1776, a temporary hospital was established at Williamsburg, with two physicians swapping the posts of surgeon and apothecary the first two months.[24]

According to William Brown, who reported to General George Washington, Rickman had not adopted a military-style hospitals and instead a general-style hospitals. As a result, all hospitals had sick patients. Brown wished to segregate sick patients from others (presumably wounded), which would be cheaper and provide better medical care.[25][26] He held monies until Rickman provided counts of sick patients at each of the hospitals. Because the counts were unknown, supplies were not sent and the soldiers suffered very difficult winters without proper clothing, a condition that lasted until late May 1780.[25][26] Another confusion was notification from Brown during his travels that he was requested to set up a hospital at Rocky-ridge by Brown and a more recent order to set up a military hospital that had been requested by Colonel Davis. He chose the latter.[27] In a letter signed "W. Brown Phys. Gen. of the hospl Mid. Distt", William Bell provided counts for hospitalized soldiers in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. For Virginia, Rickman treated only 18 sick at the Chesterfield Courthouse, which Brown had transferred by the governor to Rocky-ridge, as Brown had proposed.[28] In August 1780, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to William Rickman to make a payment for medicine furnished to the ship Fedant while at York.[29] Payment was made to Dr. William Rickman, Director General of the Continental shop at Richmond on August 14, 1780.[30] Rickman retired on October 21, 1780,[19][20] with the rank of colonel.[31]

## Later years, death and legacy[edit]

Kittiewan Plantation House, near New Hope, Charles City County, Virginia

Elizabeth's sister Ann Harrison Coupland was at the Rickman's by November 9, 1782 when her son William Rickman Coupland was born at Kittawan (Kittiewan). He was the fourth of ten children borne to Ann and David Coupland.[32]

Rickman died in 1783 and he was buried with a marble headstone provided by the military at the Kittiewan cemetery.[19][c] Kittiewan Plantation is now the home and headquarters of the Archeological Society of Virginia and a history museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 1979 and the Virginia Landmarks Register on September 20, 1977.[9]

## Widow's benefits and inheritance[edit]

After Dr. William Rickman's death, Elizabeth Harrison petitioned Congress to receive bounty land due to her late husband's service during the American Revolution. In January 1784, she was given land certificates totaling 6,666.66 acres (26.9790 km2) for 3 years with the rank of colonel.[31][33] The land she received was in a total of five patents in Ohio.[34]

When Dr. Rickman died in 1783, his widow Elizabeth Harrison Rickman inherited his property, including Millford. Elizabeth Rickman married John Edmondson around 1789.[9] Her will, drafted and probated May 3, 1790, specified all of her land was to go to her husband John Edmondson; and upon his death, the Thomas Brown tract was to go to her brother William Henry Harrison, while the 280-acre (1.1 km2) home place would go to Carter Bassett Harrison, another brother.[13] Elizabeth died in 1791.[9]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ It is not known when construction began. The chimney is dated before 1725.[12]
2. ^ James McClurg — who "exceedingly" desired the position and, having studied in Edinburgh, London, and Paris was among the state's "eminent physicians" — asked for the Continental Congress to appoint him the position. He asked for Thomas Jefferson to appeal for him, but Benjamin Harrison successfully appealed for Rickman.[18]
3. ^ His pension request was received in 1784 and assigned a certificate number on February 28, 1784 by B. Harrison. An upright marble headstone was installed at the Kittewan cemetery at Charles City, Virginia. It was shipped on April 18, 1942 for installation.[19]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Harrison of James River 1926, p. 91. See both notes 4).
2. ^ a b c "Kittiewan". Archeological Society of Virginia. 21 February 2015. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
3. ^ Biography Database, 1680-1830, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England: Avero Publications, 1998 - via U.K. and U.S. Directories, 1680-1830 [database on-line], Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.
4. ^ Virginia State Library Bulletin, Virginia State Library (1922). Justices of the Peace of Colonial Virginia, 1757-1775. D. Bottom, superintendent public printing. p. 87.
5. ^ "Charles City, fc. William Rickman, one of his majesty's justices of the peace for the said county..." The Virginia Gazette. 10 November 1775. p. 6. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
6. ^ Harrison of James River 1926, pp. 84, 92.
7. ^ "Founders Online: From George Washington to Brigadier General Charles Scott, 27 July 1779". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
8. ^ "Marriages: Dr. William Rickman, of Charles City, to Miss Betsey Harrison". Virginia Gazette. 5 May 1775. p. 2, col 1.
9. ^ a b c d e f "Charles City County: Kittiewan (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
10. ^ "Search Results for "William Rickman"". National Society Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). Retrieved 9 May 2024.
11. ^ "Search: William Rickman". Daughters of the American Revolution. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
12. ^ a b Brown, Beth (2009). Haunted plantations of Virginia. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. p. 72\. ISBN 978-0-7643-3328-6.
13. ^ a b Elizabeth Edmondson of Milford in the county of Charles City, Will Book, Vol 1, 1789-1808, Virginia. Charles City County Court; Probate Place: Charles City, Virginia - via Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021. Comment: You can't take it with you. Find out what was left behind and to whom in 200 years of Virginia probate records.
14. ^ a b "Kittiewan and Doctor Rickman Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
15. ^ "No fishing, fowling, or hunting notice by William Rickman and David Minge". The Virginia Gazette. 8 November 1776. p. 3. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
16. ^ "No hunting, fishing, or fowling in Charles City by David Minge and William Rickman". The Virginia Gazette. 29 November 1776. p. 4. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
17. ^ "Founders Online: Memorandum Books, 1771 for Thomas Jefferson". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
18. ^ a b "Founders Online: To George Washington from Major General Charles Lee, 5 April 1776". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
19. ^ a b c d William Rickman - U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985 [database on-line] - via Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
20. ^ a b c Heitman, Francis B. (1780), "Journals of the Continental Congress", Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army 1775-1783, vol. 18, p. 262, "title is Colonial Director of Hospitals in Virginia, Continental Service. Military record Director of Continental Hospitals in Virginia from May 18, 1776 to October 21, 1780"
21. ^ Harrison of James River 1926, pp. 91–92. See both notes 4) on page 91.
22. ^ "Founders Online: To George Washington from Edmund Randolph, 11 October 1776". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
23. ^ "Founders Online: To Thomas Jefferson from James McClurg, 6 April 1776". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
24. ^ Gill, Harold B. (1972). The apothecary in colonial Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; distributed by the University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. p. 83\. ISBN 978-0-87935-001-7.
25. ^ a b "Founders Online: To George Washington from Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg, 8 May 1780". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
26. ^ a b "Founders Online: To George Washington from William Brown, 29 May 1780". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
27. ^ "Founders Online: To George Washington from Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg, 23 May 1780". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
28. ^ "Founders Online: To George Washington from William Brown, 3 July 1780". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
29. ^ "Founders Online: From Thomas Jefferson to William Rickman, 14 August 1780". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
30. ^ William Rickman in Virginia, U.S., Colonial Records, 1607-1853 [database on-line], Lehi, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017 See Survey Report SR 00308. Survey Report No. 332. Page 4.
31. ^ a b Burgess, Louis Alexander (1927), Virginia Soldiers of 1776, vol. 1, Richmond, VA, USA: Richmond Press, p. 364 - via Virginia, Soldiers of 1776 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 1997., "Dr. William Rickman, rank colonel, Council Chamber Jan. 12, 1784. I do certify that Elizabeth Rickman, widow and Extrx. of Dr. Rickman, Director General, is entitled to the proportion of land allowed a Colonel of the Continental line for three years. Benjamin Harrison, Governor; Warrant 2245 for 6666-2 acres issued 13 January 1784. Recorded Book I., page 474."
32. ^ Harrison of James River 1926, pp. 90–92. See both notes 4) on page 91.
33. ^ "Kentucky: Secretary of State - Land Office - Warrant 2245 for the widow of William Rickman". web.sos.ky.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
34. ^ "Search Results - BLM GLO Records - William Rickman". glorecords.blm.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2024.

## Bibliography[edit]

* "Harrison of James River (Continued)". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 34 (1). 1926. ISSN 0042-6636.
* Tartar, Brent (June 1983). Revolutionary Virginia: The Road to Independence (Independence and the 5th Convention, Volume 7). University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0-8139-0968-4.

## External links[edit]

* Kittewan Plantation (Virginia), Rickman's final home and burial place