Hicks, Charles

Charles Hicks was a New York merchant related to the prominent Hicks family of Flushing, New York. In the 1730s and 1740s he operated out of St. Augustine, Florida, and became wealthy transporting goods and slaves from Cuba, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina, to New York and New Jersey. At this time, trade between Spanish and British colonies flourished, even though protectionist laws made the commerce illegal. Hicks married a woman named Hannah Hyman and they had six children: Charles, Scott, Elizabeth (Eliza), Anne, Caroline, and Philip. By the end of the 18th century, Hicks had returned to New York, and was living in Mount Misery, Long Island. He died sometime before 1798.

From the guide to the Charles Hicks letter books, Hicks, Charles, letter books, 1738-1750; 1800-1828, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)