James P. Wickes (b. ~1805 - d. 1869)
MSA SC 5496-35040
Property and Slave Owner, District 5, Kent County, Maryland

Biography:

James P. Wickes was born around 1805.¹ His father was William Wickes, and he had two sisters Augusta Wickes (Browne) and Antoinette Wickes.²  His father, William Wickes, had thirteen slaves and one free black in 1820.³ It is possible that some of these slaves were passed down to James P. Wickes, though no will has been found for William Wickes to verify. 

In 1832, James P. Wickes served in the House of Delegates for Kent County.⁴ On April 20, 1839, James P. Wickes bought about 280 acres of land for $1,475 from Joseph Wickes, trustee for the late Richard Spencer. James P. Wickes now owned “Banning’s Resurvey of Smith’s Range” on Davis’s Creek in Piney Neck, formerly belonging to Richard Spencer.⁵  On June 9, 1840, James P. Wickes sold this same parcel of land to Samuel Coleman for $2,000 dollars, under the condition that Coleman would pay off the land.⁶  On September 4, 1840, however, Coleman gave the land back to Wickes, still having to pay $1,025 plus interest to Wickes.⁷ In 1840, James P. Wickes resided at his property in Piney Neck and was head of a mixed household, containing five whites, as well as one free black and nineteen enslaved blacks in District One of Kent County.⁸ Two years later on February 22, 1842, James P. Wickes bought 30 acres of adjoining woodland for $600 from Richard Spencer’s son Richard P. Spencer, of Georgia.⁹

In 1850, James P. Wickes owned at least three slaves: one male mulatto and two female blacks.¹⁰ On May 18, 1852, Antoinette Wickes, his sister, deeded the property “Wickliffe” to him. "Wickliffe" was a 365 acre property on the western side of Eastern Neck Island. James P. Wickes was to pay $2,500 for the property. He was indebted to Antoinette Wickes by $3,500 for the payment of “Spencer’s Lot,” 270 acres on Grays Inn Creek in Piney Neck.  His mortgage was satisfied and released May 9, 1855.¹¹  On June 11, 1852, James P Wickes, along with his wife Charlotte A. Wickes, his brother-in-law and sister James and Augusta Browne, and sister Antoinette Wickes, sold the family lands of "Walnut Neck" and "Smyth's Desert" to James Kelley for $300.¹² 

In April 30, 1855,  James P. and Charlotte A. Wickes sold "Cooks lot number 2," containing 44 acres in Piney Neck to Augusta Browne for $1,727.¹³ A little more than a week later, James P. Wickes paid James and Augusta Browne $2,000 for their portion of "Wickliffe" on Eastern Neck Island containing 365 acres. The "Wickliffe" property was formerly owned by William Wickes and upon his death was divided among his three children: James P., Augusta, and Antoinette. According to the above land records, it appears that James P. Wickes acquired all three portions of the property.¹⁴ On August 18, 1863, James P. Wickes, along with Horatio Beck bought 120 acres of land from Richard Hynson, trustee for the Tilden family, for $1,200. This land called "Ringgold's Fortune" was near the town of Fairlee in District Three of Kent County.¹⁵ Beck and Wickes then divided this land and sold it. "The Tilden Farm" (which was part of "Ringgold's Fortune") was sold to the Vestry of St. Paul's Parish, as well as smaller portions of land sold to Nathaniel Voshell, William Tomlinson, and G. Clark Taylor.¹⁶ 

In 1850, there was a shift in the U.S Census for Kent County, recognizing three election districts, as opposed to two. On September 19,1860, the State of Maryland under the Act of 1860 redistricted Kent County, changing the lay out of the districts. Kent County was no longer divided in two districts, but rather five.¹⁷ The map drawn by Simon Martenet in 1860 details the five districts. The 1860 U.S Federal Census, however, only lists three districts because it was taken in August, before the redistricting was complete. It is not until the 1870 Federal Census, that the enumerators recognized the five districts.

Though James P. Wickes was still listed in District 1, Rock Hall, in the 1860 Census, he appears in District 5 on the Martenet Map, with property in Piney Neck (Jas. P. Wickes MSA SC 5496-34930) and on Eastern Neck Island.¹⁸ Wickes owned about 1,600 acres of land in Piney Neck and Eastern Neck Island in the mid 1800s. By 1860, Wickes married Charlotte A. Wickes and had three daughters and four sons. In his household was his brother-in-law, James Brown, married to James P. Wickes' sister Augusta. Within the household was also a governess Mary S. Ridgely. Wickes was a farmer and had $34,000 in real estate and $10,380 in personal estate.¹⁹ His inventory reveals a house with many rooms that were well furnished. He produced corn at his farm in Piney Neck, and had a large herd of livestock, including cattle, horses, and pigs. His slaves no doubt contributed to the farming and maintenance of the land and livestock. According to his inventory, he died around 1869.²⁰ 

There is no mention of his slaves in his inventory nor his sales. The chattel records and will for James P. Wickes has not yet been found.

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Researched and written by Kathy Thornton, 2013.
 
 
 
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