The Dicks (pre-house?) Era, before 1814

Lynchburg City Clerk's Office, Lynchburg

Deed Book A, Page 343

This indenture made this sixth day of August one thousand eight hundred and twelve, between John Lynch and Mary his wife of the town of Lynchburg of the one part, and Agatha Dicks of the same place of the other part, witnesseth, that the said John Lynch and Mary his wife, for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar to them in hand paid, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have given, granted, bargained, and sold, and by these presents do give, grant, bargain, sell and confirm unto the said Agatha Dicks a certain half-acre lot of ground lying and being within the Corporation of Lynchburg, and laid off agreeably to the plan of said town, bounded as follows, Viz. Beginning at the intersection of the contemplated seventh street and third alley and running with said contemplated seventh street, north, thirty eight degrees, west, ten poles, thence north fifty two degrees, east, eight poles, thence south, thirty eight degrees, east, ten poles to said contemplated third alley, thence, with said contemplated third alley, south, fifty two degrees, west, eight poles to the beginning. To have and to hold the aforesaid lot of ground and premises, with the appurtenances, unto the said Agatha Dicks her heirs and assigns forever...

Campbell County Clerk's Office, Rustburg

Book 10, pp 399
A deed on 8 August 1814 refers to a Court of Chancery order from August of 1813
whereby Agatha Dix (Dicks) acquired what appears to be 73 1/2 acres on Fishing Creek from the estate and heirs of Achilles Douglas, her brother-in-law. Newby Johnson, Douglas's son-in-law, was the guardian of the heirs, and executor of the estate. Agatha Dicks purchased the property from the Achilles Douglas Estate for $1.00

(*Note: On October 12th, 1812, Elizabeth Douglas [wife of Achilles and sister of Agatha Dicks] was granted her dower from Achilles' estate, 76 3/4 acres "including the mansion house" on Lynch's Creek (also known as Fishing Creek). In 1813, she was taxed at a $.50 for the land valued at $61.32. Did Agatha, Elizabeth's Sister, sue her for the large majority of her dower in 1813-1814? It seems as if Elizabeth sold Agatha 73 1/2 acres out of her 76 3/4 acres [perhaps keeping the mansion house and surrounding land], as this land, with the same value, is shown in Agatha's possession in 1815 tax records [Agatha left for Ohio in the fall of 1814, and no record can be found that the Fishing Creek property was ever sold, however])

Land Tax Records for Campbell County, Virginia

Agatha was the daughter of Sarah Lynch (sister of Lynchburg's founder, John Lynch) and Micajah Terrell (co-founder of the South River Monthly Meeting in Lynchburg). Born in Bedford County, Virginia on September 25th 1759, Agatha married William Nathan Dicks on February 7th, 1787 at the New Garden Monthly Meeting in Guilford County, North Carolina.

In 1793, the family (including Nathan, Sarah, and Micajah) moved back to Lynchburg from the Springfield Meeting in North Carolina. Agatha and William are listed as being witnesses to the wedding of William Davis and Zalinda Lynch at the South River Meeting on May 13th of 1793. A fourth child, Achilles D. Dicks, was born in 1795. Unfortunately, William died in December of 1798 at age 36. The inventory of his estate is shown below. In 1800, Agatha and her children moved back to the New Garden Meeting in North Carolina.

In 1811, Agatha and her son Achilles had come back to Lynchburg. She sold a tract of 140 acres to an Edmund Brown for $400, and then sold her 1/2 acre lot to Peter Elliott (see below).

Shortly after these sales, Agatha and Achilles moved to the Miami Monthly Meeting in Ohio, followed by son Nathan in 1815. She married Isaac Harvey in May of 1815, and died on June 18, 1828. She is buried in the Old Springfield Friends Cemetery (old section 6, lot 2)

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