the Hickman's:
A Historical Account
Our Beginning....
Although much is known about our family tree, there is still so much more waiting to be discovered. Our story begins in the shadows of American history — with two ancestors whose strength shaped everything we are today.
Our earliest known ancestors, Jim and Judy Hickman, were born into slavery. Historical accounts suggest they originated in Virginia before being transported and sold to a slaveholder in South Carolina. Like so many enslaved families, their early lives were undocumented, controlled, and nearly erased by the systems that bound them.
Despite unimaginable conditions — being forbidden to read, write, worship openly, or pursue education — Jim and Judy preserved their dignity through faith, courage, and family. Their wisdom came not from books but from lived experience, spiritual resilience, and the determination to survive.
From their endurance came five children who would carry the Hickman name forward into Reconstruction and beyond:
Children of Jim & Judy Hickman
Favor
John
Jim Jr.
Ben
Doskey
These five names are the foundation of our family’s recorded history.
Favor Hickman
Favor married Pleasant Bellamy Hickman, and together they raised eight children:
Samuel, Will, Doskey, Izzie, Charlie Sr., Fred, Arthur, and Joe.
This line became an anchor of community life in the post–Civil War South, shaping churches, farms, and family networks that supported generations.
John Hickman
John was the father of two children:
Troy and Ben.
Though smaller in number, John’s line remains a vital part of the Hickman story.
Ben Hickman
Ben married Mary Faulk, and together they raised nine children:
Walter, Rollie, Tom, Pearlie, Lonnie, Lela, Gussie, Janie, and Hattie.
Families like theirs formed the backbone of African American progress during segregation — working, building, and uplifting their communities.
Doskey Hickman
No surviving information is recorded, a reminder of the many stories lost during slavery and the eras that followed. His name remains honored as a missing piece of our history.
Jim Hickman Jr.
No recorded information survives, though his place in our lineage is just as meaningful. Every name in our family tree carries weight.
A Legacy of Endurance
From two enslaved ancestors grew generations of teachers, laborers, soldiers, leaders, and believers.
The Hickman family story mirrors the broader African American journey —
from enslavement to emancipation, from silence to strength, from survival to legacy.
Today, we honor Jim and Judy Hickman by preserving their memory and standing proudly on the foundation they built.
We are here because they endured.
If you have old photos of our loved ones—your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, or any relatives whose stories shaped our family—let’s digitize them and preserve their legacy. These images are more than memories; they are our history, our roots, and the foundation our future generations will stand on.
Please send any photos you’d like to share to chrisone24@gmail.com or call/text me at 843-421-2357 so we can honor and preserve them for our family archive.
Chris Hickman