FICKLIN.
Benjamin Ficklin became a citizen of Albemarle about 1814,
and is described in one place as being from Frederick County,
and in another from Culpeper. Either then, or shortly after,
he entered the Baptist ministry. He purchased in the western
part of the county upwards of thirteen hundred acres,
and his residence for twenty years, called Pleasant Green,
was the place adjoining Crozet on the west, now occupied by
Abraham Wayland. He was appointed to a seat on the
county bench in 1819. In 1822 he proposed to sell his lands
with the design of removing to Ohio or Indiana. This purpose
however was abandoned, and in 1832 he removed to
Charlottesville where for a number of years he was engaged
in the manufacture of tobacco.
He was noted for his uprightness and decision of character.
At the time of his removal to Charlottesville, the state of
things in the town, morally and religiously, was far from
being unexceptionable. In a clandestine manner, most of the
stores did more business on Sunday than on other days.
The negroes came in in large numbers for purposes of traffic.
Great quantities of liquor were sold. In the later hours of
that day, the roads leading from town were lined with men
and women in all stages of drunkenness, some staggering
with difficulty, others lying helplessly by the wayside. Mr.
Ficklin set himself vigorously to remedy these evils. He
warned the merchants that every violation of the Sunday
law should be visited with the highest penalty. A similar
warning was given to the negroes; and by the lively application
of the lash to those who neglected it, the town and roads
were soon cleared of transgressors. Sabbath observance put
on a new face. The comfort of worshippers, and the general
order of the community, were vastly promoted. So impartial
was the old man in the execution of his duty, that when
one of his own wagons, sent out to sell tobacco, trespassed
upon the sacred hours in reaching home, he imposed a fine
upon himself. It is said, that a member of the bar remonstrated
with him on what he considered his excessive zeal,
and stated by way of illustration, that in the preparation of
his cases he had often been obliged to work on Sunday;
whereupon Mr. Ficklin at once fined him on his own confession.
Altogether the whole county was laid under many
obligations to his courage, efficiency, and public spirit.
His last years were overclouded by business reverses. He
closed his earthly career during the war, in the last days of
1864. His wife's name was Eleanor, and his children were
Slaughter W., Benjamin F., who was one of the last Stage
proprietors in the country, Ellen, the wife of a Brown,
Susan, the wife of J. R. Hardesty, Elizabeth, the wife of
Elijah Dunkum, and Lucy, the first wife of Fontaine D.
Brockman.
