Sacramento County
Biographies
JOSEPH E. HICKS
JOSEPH E. HICKS.--Representing the
third generation of a family of California
pioneers, Joseph E. Hicks has spent his entire life in the vicinity of his
birth. He was born on the old Hicks
ranch, near the present location of McConnell Station, Sacramento
County, on August 20, 1884. His father, James B. Hicks, was born in Tennessee
on August 7, 1849, a son of Joseph and Martha Hicks, both natives of Virginia. Joseph Hicks came around the Horn with his
wife and four children when James was a small boy. The family settled at first near Jackson,
Amador County,
then moved to Sacramento County
and acquired part of the Chaboya Grant on Dry Creek,
south of the present location of Galt.
Here James B. Hicks was reared, and on December 1, 1877, he was married
to Miss Etta Frederick, who was born at Sacramento
May 29, 1855, the daughter of Louis and Elizabeth (Geater)
Frederick. Louis Frederick was a native
of Germany; and on coming to the United
States he settled in Lexington,
Ky., where he married Miss Elizabeth Geater. Four
children were born to them in Kentucky; and in 1853 the
family came around the Horn to California,
and here four more children were born, only two of whom are now living. Mrs. James B. Hicks, and
William Frederick, who lives at Rocklin, Cal. Louis Frederick was
a tailor; and he first settled in Sacramento,
where he carried on his trade. In 1867
he moved to a ranch three miles from Roseville, Placer
County, and farmed there for a number of years. He died in Oakland
at the age of sixty-nine. Mrs. Frederick passing away when fifty-nine.
After
his marriage James B. Hicks established the firm of Bottimore
& Hicks, entering the butcher business at Galt and continuing there until
he sold out his interest and moved to the old Hicks ranch, where our subject,
Joseph E. Hicks, was born. James B.
Hicks farmed this 1,100-acre ranch for fifteen years and then returned to Galt,
where he spent his last days, passing away June 24, 1904; he was survived by
his widow, who is still living there.
They were the parents of several children: Fred, of Yuba City,
Cal.; Pearl, Mrs. C. F. Whitmore of
San Francisco, who has four children, James, Leslie, Helen
and Emily; Ralph M.; and Joseph E., of Yuba City.
Joseph
E. Hicks received his education at the Galt and Arno schools and when sixteen
started out for himself. He worked for
the Don Ray Company of Galt as clerk for five years; then for a year and a half
he was in business for himself, and the following ten years were spent in the store
of Sawyer Bros., Inc., of Galt. Upon the
resignation of R. H. Brewster as constable of Galt, Mr. Hicks was appointed in
his place, and he held this office to the entire satisfaction of the
public. On December 10, 1921, Mr. Hicks
opened up a soft drink business. This
business was sold on May 26, 1923, and Mr. Hicks is now manager of one of fifty
stores owned by the Martha Washington Grocery Stores, Inc., at Yuba
City, Sutter County,
his home address now being 404
B Street, Yuba City.
On
June 10, 1910, Mr. Hicks was married to Miss Grace A. Sparks, the daughter of
Merritt A., and Mary (Driscol) Sparks. Her father, who was a native of Crawford County,
Pa., was a son of Merritt S. and Angelina (Kettle) Sparks,
both natives of New York. When Merritt A. Sparks was nine months old,
he family removed to Clay County, Ind., and there at Bowling Green he received
his education and learned the carriage-making trade, which he followed in
Cincinnati, St. Louis, Mo., Peoria, Ill., and Crawfordsville, Ind. In 1875 he came to California
and remained for a time at Sacramento,
going from there to Dutch Flat, where he worked for a year and a half. In 1878 he came to Galt and for twelve years
conducted a shop along the lines of his trade.
He and his wife still live at Galt.
Mr. And Mrs. Joseph E. Hicks are the parents of three children: Melvin Maxwell, Josephine, and Mary Etta, who
was named for her two grandmothers. Mr.
Hicks is a Democrat in politics. He is
past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias of Galt,
and is also a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West.
Transcribed
by Priscilla Delventhal.
Source: Reed, G. Walter, History
of Sacramento County, California With Biographical Sketches, Pages 849-850.
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1923.
© 2007 P. J. Delventhal.