PREFACE

Ricks, The Descendants of Jonas Ricks and Other Ricks Families in America,(Dexter, Mich., Donald M. Ricks, 1998)

To THE RICKS family:

"This genealogy is offered to the family with the knowledge that it is far short of what a good and complete history of the family should be. Some of the statistical omissions are owing to a lack of ability on the part of the author to procure them from various sources, especially from people who have failed to make reply to first, second, and third letters of inquiry, even to this day.

The family has scattered into nearly every state of the Union, many moving and leaving little or no clue, has been another obstacle.

This work had its inception in information secured by Mr. Joel Ricks of Logan, Utah, between the years 1893 and 1896. This data was turned over to the author by Mr. Ricks in 1906 and an arrangement entered into to collect and publish this record with that of the Rix family, descended from William and Thomas who originally settled in Boston and Salem about 1645, but through some misunderstanding on the part of the publisher this design was not accomplished.

Mistakes will undoubtedly be found in the work, but they exist, not from the want of painstaking efforts to avoid them, but generally from imperfect manuscripts and contrary statements made by members of the same family.

Many persons would be surprised to see the errors in their own letters, which are frequently the results, not of ignorance, but of carelessness. What is worth recording at all, is worth recording carefully and correctly. I would esteem it a favor, when mistakes are discovered, to have the corrections sent to me.

Thanking all who have helped in this matter, and asking the charitable consideration of all errors or omissions.

I am very truly yours,

GUY SCOBY RIX" [1908]1

The purpose of this book is to share with you the results of my research of several Ricks families. The gathering of these contents was not totally an individual accomplishment, because many people wrote letters of encouragement and provided welcomed contributions that ranged from tiny clues to primary documents. Perhaps they do not realize how much this family benefited from their involvement, but I hope they will know their part was important. I appreciate everyone who showed an interest.

My experiences with correspondence were not as negative as that reported by Mister Rix ninety years ago. The major difficulty was in locating family members and establishing that initial contact. Once we made the connection, the exchange was most often productive.

Jo Carolyn Beebe helped not only by providing extensive information concerning her ancestor Edward Ricks, but she also helped track down and report on other related matters. Lela Moore and Vera Peters contributed the raw Francis Rider material. Connie Hume O'Kane provided clues, raw information, and published material that lead to the Thomas Ricks and Gwin Ricks Riley genealogies. Marsha Sorrels provided input that helped improve previously published information about Milton Ricks. Anna Saffels, Vicki Kirksey and Ray Bryson contributed considerable time and material related the Gilliland and Ricks families, of Blount, St. Clair, and Etowah Counties, Alabama. Martha Ricks Bond was a great help in the early analysis and preparation of much of the material in Chapter One. She remained a strong advisor and confidant, showing me the obvious when I had bogged down in an enormous amount of raw data. Together, we had a series of research discussions, via email notes and consultations, that standing alone would make interesting reading. Those files and other notes will at some point be donated to the Tennessee State Library.

Melba and Douglas Lowe, of Allgood, Alabama, helped with research in Blount County, Alabama. Their findings opened new avenues to the early life of John Ricks and the decade he spent in Blount County. David Hutchinson and Floyd Pace were very helpful in providing and working on material concerning Nicholas Ricks, of Albemarle County, Virginia. David conducted research, transcribed records, and provided valuable feedback and analysis. To all of you, and others I have not named specifically, please accept my sincere thanks for your concern, kindness, and contribution to the families involved.

Included are many copies of abstract and transcribed records to help make the contents even more credible. I acknowledge and thank the compilers of the numerous abstract-oriented genealogy books cited at the footnotes. They contributed a lot of time and energy in publishing their works, often with insufficient compensation. They certainly helped make the research easier with their clues to additional information found in original documents. In regard to the abstracts, I sincerely hope those included represents fair use of their work. If I stepped over the bounds of propriety in that regard, at any point, I apologize. My goal was thorough documentation where possible.

I consulted numerous sources, so there are numerous footnotes, some with important additional comments. Undocumented research is a waste time and effort, and better documentation helps avoid speculative and unproved statements. Significant corrections to known lineage errors for the family histories included warrant your exposure to those documents. The absence of a source citing, to prove or support a genealogical statement, means that information was not personally obtained. Many statements are either tradition or hearsay, and I really could not gather a source citing for every genealogical statement made in this book.

Several months after publishing The Ricks Family of Guilford Co., NC, Eastern TN, Northeast AL, and Northeast MS, 1993,  I began a training and testing process to qualify as a certified genealogical record specialist (CGRS). As the process took its course, several fundamental mistakes in my original 1993 self-published book became evident. Thorough research resulted in a better understanding of the possible negative impact a few of my previous statements and reported family connections might have on the history of this family. An overwhelming sense of purpose grew steadily, and professional ethics compelled me to correct the earlier mistake of publishing a lineage without having the necessary supporting documents or a preponderance of evidence. I say with a clear conscience that I have neither.

The original Ricks family book, and the revised edition of 1957, did not include proof of the reported lineage between Jonas Ricks, of Guilford County, North Carolina, and Isaac Ricks, of Edgecombe County, North Carolina.  Perhaps there are records that would provide such evidence, but I have not found them. Still, Mister Rix performed a great service for the family as he recorded input from many people before 1908. His opening statement asked us to consider his limitations of that day, and he acknowledged that errors existed. Many Ricks descendants today conclude there were major errors in his book. On a grand scale, his efforts are worthy of commendation, because he created so much for us to provea starting place.

Since Mister Rix published his book so long ago, I have not attempted to obtain permission to use his public-domain material. New information reported in this book will be obvious only if you have studied the Guy S. Rix material. Unfortunately, the reader will not have the original book with which to compare my findings. There are no remaining copies available for purchase, but there are a few copies available in private hands or at various state libraries. The family has not only grown in numbers, but is also scattered afar, and it seems doubtful that any individual or group will attempt another similar large-scale project. Families will more readily opt to publish their own genealogies, such as the one presented here. Even this work is too broad in scope to represent a well-documented family history, simply because it is an overview of several families. As with Mister Rixs book, information presented here is also a starting point and guide for future researchers.

My review of early Ricks family records included those created in North Carolina during the period 1700 — 1800. The results failed to confirm the original ancestral connection reported for Jonas Ricks, but I did not review all extant records. As it became increasingly obvious that there were errors in the published lineage of several Ricks families, my vision for this book began to change. The logical course of action was to continue the ongoing research, organize the families as the results revealed, and to report my findings. The alternative to publication was to store this knowledge and related documents away in my file cabinet, but that would have been a selfish decision.

The lengthily section concerning Richard Ricks, of Charles City County, Virginia, contains original and abstract records, some of which might leave the reader wondering what purpose they serve in this book. This is an original history of this family, and several questionable (perhaps incorrect) family groupings, hanging and unanswered questions, and speculative statements will be of interest to descendants who read this book. These people lived a long time ago, and relatively few records survive, especially in Prince George County, Virginia. Facts and absolute truths are sometimes impossible to locate and determine, so we must do our best to reconstruct the past using limited sources. Thus, the purpose of all the early material is to provide a reference for you to evaluate the results reported herein.

I conducted most research at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) at Nashville, and I wrote the book as I obtained information. That wonderful library holds many useful records, and I found researching there convenient, enjoyable, and very productive. While parking is at times a problem, once inside you will find pleasant and well-qualified state employees available and eager to assist you. I commend the staff for their service to the public.

There is an index, but it does not include all the names found in Appendix A, which provides abstracts of deed and probate records. I personally indexed Chapters One through Eleven, so do not be surprised if you find a name not included. I did my best.

With regard to abbreviations, I presented abstract records as they appeared in the source cited. All others generally conform to the recommendations of Richard Lackey in his book Cite Your Sources: A Manual for Documenting Family Histories and Genealogical Records. The National Genealogical Society Quarterly numbering system came from Joan Ferris Curran's publication, Numbering Your Genealogy:  Sound and Simple Systems. I also consulted the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition.

As with most individuals engaged in a genealogy project, my resources were limitedmuch more could have been done, and I know there is a better effort possible by a future researcher. These results are not by the highest standard a remarkable achievement in genealogical research and reporting. I did this work in my spare time, as my gift and legacy to my siblings, children, and other relatives. I thank God for his presence and guidance.

Yea, I Have A Goodly Heritage!

  Note 1:
Guy S. Rix, History and Genealogy of the Ricks Family of America, (Salt Lake City, UT: Shelton Publishing Co, 1908) Revised 1957, hereinafter, The Revised Edition.
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