Joseph W. Hickam

As printed in 1882

JUDGE JOSEPH W. HICKAM.

Judge Joseph W. Hickam has probably spent more years in public fe than any other man now living in Boone county. From early manhood to old age he has served his county in almost every capacity.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

[ead's Fort in the fall of 1816, and the spring following came to Boone county, and settled on the farm now owned by Birch Hunt, situated in the river bottom. He remained on this place until the spring of

1819, when he moved to a place four miles south of Columbia. This farm, consisting of 320 acres, was bought from the government by Judge Hickam's father. The elder Hickam had five sons and four daughters. Of this family, only four are now living. John Hicktn was one of the earliest settlers of Boone county, and was an industrious enterprising citizen, a man possessed of many strong points of character. He left his children about ten thousand acres of Itnd. Judge Hickam's opportunities for securing an education were quite limited, from the fact that he left Virginia at an early age, and then were no schools in Missouri at the time he came to this State. Hi attended a subscription school for six months. Was afterwiCrds for twelve months a pupil of a school taught by Elijah Hart, an uncle of Thomas H. Benton. He next att.ended Washington College at Jonesborough, Tennessee, for a few months. His public life commenced at the age of sixteen, when he was elected captain of a militia company. He cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and has always been a Democrat. Was commissioned a justice of the peace by Got. Miller in 1827, and served in that capacity for many years. In 1832 he was elected county court judge, and was presiding justice during a portion of the term. Was engrossing clerk of the lower house of the Missouri legislature from 1834 to 1839. From 1839 to 1858 he was superintendent of bridge building in Boone county. He also held the ofbce of.school commissioner until 1859, when he was appointed assessor l>v the county court. During the war he held no position but that of justice of the peace. Judge Hickam was first married to Miss Turley, of Madison county, Kentucky. By this union they had one daughter, Emeline, now the widow of Cornelius Maupin. The first wife having died in 1865, he was again married, July 4, 1867, to Malinda J., daughter of May. John and Temperance (Wright) Barclay, of Boone county. They have no children. Judge Hickam is not a member of any church nor of any secret society. His recollections of border life are of the most interesting and thrilling nature. Since retiring from the active duties of life he has lived quietly on his fine farm of 600 acres, one mile west of Columbia and one-fourth mile south of the gravel road, which has been his home for fifty-four years. He has been a prominent man all his life and is widely known and universally respected, as he deserves to be. Nearly the whole of his busy life has been spent in the service of his fellow-men, and his labors will survive him. Such men cannot be forgotten.

As printed in History of Boone County, Missouri (1882). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.