Margaret,
This is from an article I wrote many years ago.
Yankee Azoreans John Miranda Raposo This is not a work about the thousands of
immigrants whohave come to New England from the nine islands of the
Azores.Rather, this work is primarily concerned with the descendants of
ThomasHickling, a Boston Yankee who settled on São Miguel and became the
patriarch ofa large clan on both sides of the Atlantic. Thomas Hickling was
born in Bostonon 21-2-1744 into the prosperous merchant family of William
Hickling of Nottingham, Englandand Sarah Townsend Sale. At the age of eighteen,
his father arranged anapprenticeship for him with the prosperous Green brothers
and in 1764 hemarried their sister, Sarah Emily Green, fifteen years his
senior, in Boston's old Trinity Church.[1] There is some speculationthat it was
a marriage of convenience, arranged either for social or economicreasons, or
both. In any event Hickling fulfilled his marital duty becoming thefather of
two children by his first wife. Catherine Green Hickling was born in Salem in
1768 and WilliamGreen Hickling was born in 1765. Their father soon left his
family and locatedto the Caribbean where he traded in molasses which he shipped
back to hisfather's distillery in Boston.[2] He must have been anenterprising
sort, for he perceived the commercial possibilities in the Azoresbecause in
1769 be was living in Ponta Delgada. Thomas Hickling never returned to America
andnever lived anywhere else. He became one of the principal developers of the
orangetrade, the export of oranges to England,which became the basis for the
colossal fortunes of many of São Miguel's socially prominent families and paid
for the constructionof many a palácio, those grand manorhouses with their
lovely English and French gardens still seen throughout theisland. In 1820
Hickling exported nearly 5,700 crates or oranges and 2,000crates of lemons from
Ponta Delgada.But the firm of his sons-in-law Ivens & Burnett exported over
11,000crates.[3] At the height of the orange age 93% of the oranges producedin
São Miguel were exported. Butthe Hicklings and many other "gentlemen farmers"
were brought tofinancial ruin at the end of the century when the orange trade
came to an end,victim of a blight that first attacked the orange groves in
1834, again in 1860and finally destroyed the remaining groves at the end of the
century. Thefinancial ruin resulted in a reduced standard of living for
these"gentlemen farmers", many of whom could no longer afford the upkeepon
their lovely homes and gardens. Manycan still be seen in the suburbs
surrounding Ponta Delgada and Lagoa, their dilapidated state a silent witness
toboth the greatness and the misery of the age.[4] News traveled slowly and it
must have been months beforeHickling learned that Sarah Green, the wife he had
last seen twelve yearsearlier, had died in Bostonin May of 1774. He could not
have mourned her death very much for not longafter, in February 1778, the
youngwidower married Suzanne Sarah Falder of Philadelphia,fifteen years his
junior. It must have been love at first sight since the youngSarah just
happened to be passing through Ponta Delgada in the company of her father,
Thomas Falder.Between the time of their marriage and 1808 they produced 16
children, all bornin São Miguel, including two sets of twins.[5] Thus, came
into being thefirst generation of Yankee Azoreans. Throughout his lifetime on
São Miguel,the Protestant Hickling was very ecumenical; whenever a Protestant
minister wasunavailable at the frequent arrivals of new Hicklings, he had them
baptized in theCatholic Church.[6] In 1776 Thomas Hickling was appointed
American Vice Consulin Ponta Delgada,a post he held until his death some fifty
years later. Hickling became sociallyprominent and popular for his sincerity
and friendliness. His diplomatic andsocial positions on the island made him a
natural good will ambassador whooften received and entertained visiting
foreigners. Over the years his businessventures made him a fabulously wealthy
man and he built three magnificentestates on the island. In 1792 he was living
on Rua da Misericórdia. His first manor house with a curved northernside and
curved outer steps leading to what must have been a magnificent lawn,was built
in Rosto do Cão in the parish of São Roque on the outskirts of PontaDelgada.[7]
In 1812 he began building the Palácio de São Pedro. Built in theGeorgian
colonial style, it cost Hickling nearly $30,000.00, a huge fortune atthe time
and it was considered the grandest private residence on the islandwell into the
second half of the 19th century.[8] It still stands today atthe water's edge in
the eastern end of Ponta Delgada as the Hotel São Pedro,the grand dame of
hotels, lovinglypreserved and filled with period furniture, by its late
proprietor, VascoBensaúde. But it is Hickling’s TerraNostra park and botanical
gardens in Furnas that stands as a perpetualmonument to his memory. Hickling
chose the Furnas valley to build his summerhome in 1782, which he appropriately
named YankeeHall. Furnas is blessed with thermal springs of warm water and
Hicklingbuilt his home on high land facing o Tanque, a natural pool fed by
these warmsprings. All around the house Hickling began developing what
eventually becamea magnificent botanical garden, planting many specimens from
America andfrom other lands where he maintained commercial interests. For the
rest of hislife, Hickling divided his time among his three estates. Thomas
Hickling died in Ponta Delgadaon 31 August 1836 and lies buried in the
protestant Cemetery. He was succeeded as vice-consul by his sonThomas, Jr.
(1781-1875). Sarah Falder died in 1849 and was buried beside herhusband. In
1848, with the financial crisis caused by the firstattack of blight to the
orange groves, YankeeHall and the gardens were sold to the Marquês da Praia who
restored andexpanded Hickling’s masterpiece.[9] So grand an estate did
itbecome, that his descendant put the house and estate at the disposal of
theKing and Queen during their visit to the island in 1901. In 1970 the
island's government formally recognized ThomasHickling’s place in Azorean
history and horticulture by erecting a monument tohis memory close by the
entrance of his beloved Yankee Hall. The AzoreanHicklings: the descendants of
Thomas Hickling §1 1 - Thomas Hickling was born in Boston on 21-2-1744 to
William Hicking andSarah Sale. He was married in Boston on 22-8-1764 to
Sarah Emily Green,daughter of Rufus King andKatherine Stanbridge, who
died in 1774. In February 1778 in Ponta Delgada, hemarried Sarah Falder,
daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Falder. He was Vice Consul ofthe United
States in Ponta Delgada from hisappointment in 1776 until his death on
1Sept 1834. Sarah Falder died in Ponta Delgada in 1849.[10] By his first
wifehe had: 2 - CatherineGreen Hickling (1768-1852) , visited her father
and his estates in São Miguel from1786 to 1788 and it is from her
diaries, portions of which were published inInsulana[11] that we know
about herfather's activities and his projects as well aswhat the
island's gardens looked like in 1786. She married William Prescott
andthey became the parents of several children, three of whom survived
infancy.Among them was the celebrated author and historian William Hickling
Prescott(1796-1859) who visited with his grandfather in 1815.[12]
2 - WilliamHickling was born in Bostonon 14 June 1765. He died in 1794.
ThomasHickling and his second wife Sarah Falder were the parents of[13]:
2 - MaryHickling (c. 1778-1805) married John Anglin of County
Cork.After her death,John Anglin married his sister-in-law Ana
Joaquina. 2 -Elizabeth Flora Hickling (1783-1832) married William
Breakspeare Ivens, an armigerous English gentleman, in 1805, who
was in the Azoreswith his friend WilliamShelton Burnett on a
business venture. George III granted him a coat of arms in1816.
Both men fell in love with Hickling sisters. By the time he died
in1851, the orange blight and a financial scandal left him and his family in
financial ruin.[14] Theywere the parents of eight
children, among them: 3 - Robert Breakspeare Ivens was born
inPonta Delgadaon 9 Mar 1822 and died in Lisbonon 20 Feb
1889. He was married to Luisa Soares Borralho by whom he had
two children. ByMargarida Júlia de Medeiros Castelo
Branco, born in Água de Pau in 1832 to José Jacinto
Raposo do Rego Castelo Branco and his wife Ana Jacinta
Matilde, he had two illegitimate children:[15] 4- Roberto
Ivens was born in Ponta Delgada on 12 June 1850 and died in
Lisbonon 28 Jan 1898. He was a famous geographer and explorer of the
African continent. The expedition to the African continent by
Ivens and Brito Capelo, rankswith the exploration of
the Louisiana Purchaseby the Americans Lewis and Clark.
A monument to his memory stands in Ponta Delgada near
the Esperança Convent. 4 - Duarte Ivens was born in Ponta
Delgada on 31 Aug1852. 2 - SarahClarissa Hickling
(1783-1849) married her brother-in-law's friend, William Shelton
Burnett. 2 - AnaJoaquina Hickling (1785-1824) and John Anglin have
descendants in the UnitedStates as well as in the Azores. A
grandson, Dr. João Hickling Anglin, was therector of the local
lyceum and was a respected researcher who published many
scholarlyworks. 2 - CharlotteSophia Hickling (1787-1877) married
Jacinto Soares de Albergaria. 2 - FrancesHickling (1789-1867) married
Joaquim António de Paula Medeiros, a localphysician. They have
many descendants in São Miguel,some of whom have marriedinto the
local nobility. 2 - FrederickHickling was born on 1 Oct 1791 and died
in August 1794. 2 - HarrietFrederica Hickling (1793-1853) married John
White Webster, a Harvard professor. He met Harriet while doing
someresearch on the geological formation of theisland.[16] The
salary of a Harvardprofessor was more an honorarium in thosedays,
than a decent salary. Harriet aspired to social prominence and
entertained lavishly at their Cambridge, Massachusetts home, spending well
beyondher means. Professor Webster went into debt to support his wife's
lifestyle. One of his creditors, Professor George Parkman,
pressedWebster for repaymentand threatened to take legal action
which would have ruined Webster. ProfessorWebster murdered Parkman
and dismembered and incinerated the body.Nevertheless he was
discovered, tried, condemned and was hanged in August1850.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs.John White Webster, became one
ofthe most famous cases in American jurisprudence because of the missing
corpus delicti.[17] Two oftheir daughters went on to marry
Dabneys from Faial,another Yankee familyestablished in the Azores.
Harriet WainrightWebster married Samuel WyllysDabney, who was
United States Consul in Horta.[18] The Consulship of Horta passed
on to succeeding Dabneygenerations, as did the Vice-consulship of
Ponta Delgada tosucceeding Hickling generations. The Dabneys resigned their
consulship in 1891 when a new State Department rule prohibited consular
officialsfrom engaging in commercial enterprises in their posts.
Wyllys and his familyreturned to the United Statesand established
Fayal Ranch in California.[19] 2 - SamuelHickling (1795-1799).
2 - AmeliaClementina Hickling (1796-1872) married Hugh Chambers in 1822 and
settledwith her husband in New Bedfordwhere he died in 1823. She was
pregnantand returned to the Azores where her daughterEmmeline was
born in 1823. Amelia then married Thomas Nye in New Bedford in
1827 andhad several morechildren. 3 -Emmeline
married Edward Coffin Jones of Nantucket in 1844 and they
lived in the magnificent Rotch-Jones-Duff mansion, today a house and
garden museum open to the public in New Bedford. 2 - Mary
AnneHickling (1800-1888) married her brother-in-law, William Ivens, in
1833 inthe Protestant Chapel in Ponta Delgada.They had several children.
One daughter,Catherine (1836-1933) married Ricardo Júlio Ferraz
and they are the ancestorsof a very numerous Ivens-Ferraz family,
including Generals, Admirals, FinanceMinisters and a Prime
Minister of Portugal.[20] Senator John ForbesKerry: the Hickling
Connection Edward Coffin Jones and Emmeline Hickling Chambers were theparents
of Sarah Coffin Jones (1852-1891) who married John Malcolm Forbes(1874-1904), a
railroad company executive and a great-grandson of the ReverendJohn Forbes
(1740-1783) and Dorothy Murray. They had several children. AfterSarah’s death,
John Malcolm Forbes married Emmeline’s cousin Rose Dabney(1864-1947) and they
had three children. Rose Dabney was the granddaughter ofHarriet Frederica
Hickling and the ill fated Professor John White Webster. Senator John Forbes
Kerry (1943- ) is the son of RichardKerry and Rosemary Forbes,
maternalgrandson of James Grant Forbes (1879-1955), and great grandson of
FrancisBlackwell Forbes (1839-1908). Francis Blackwell Forbes is also a
great-grandsonof the Reverend John Forbes and his wife Dorothy. Thus, Thomas
Hickling’sdescendants by his great granddaughters Rose Dabney and Sarah Coffin
Jones, andthe descendants of Francis Blackwell Forbes and his wife Isabel
Clark, arecousins. Former presidential candidateSenator John Forbes Kerry,
like his Hickling cousins, is a great-grandson ofFrancis Blackwell Forbes. If
there is an after life, Thomas Hickling must have anenormous grin on his
patrician face.
[1] José Manuel Bela Morais, “Descendants of ThomasHickling”, MS, Lisbon,n.d.
[2] Isabel Soares de Albergaria, Quintas, Jardins e Parques da Ilha de São
Miguel, Lisbon, Queluz Editores: 2000.[3]Sacuntalade Miranda, O Ciclo da
Laranja e os gentlemenfarmers da Ilha de S. Miguel: 1780-1880, Ponta Delgada:
InstitutoCultural de Ponta Delgada: 1989.[4]Sacuntalade Miranda.[5] Francis
MilletRogers, “Boston Brahmins in the Azores” Atlantic Islanders of the Azores
and Madeiras, North Quincy:The Christopher Publishing House: 1979.[6]
BelaMorais,“Descendants of Thomas Hickling”.[7] FrancisMillet Rogers, “Boston
Brahmins in the Azores” Atlantic Islanders of the Azores and Madeiras, [8]
BelaMorais,“Descendants of Thomas Hickling”.[9] Isabel Soaresde
Albergaria.[10] José Manuel Bela Morais, “Descendants of ThomasHickling”, MS,
Lisbon,n.d. Francis Millet Rogers, “Boston Brahmins in the Azores” Atlantic
Islanders of the Azores and Madeiras, North Quincy:The Christopher
Publishing House: 1979.[11] Catherine Green Hickling, Diário: 1786-1789 in
Insulana,Ponta Delgada,Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada: 1993.
[12]Authorof The Conquest of Mexico, The World of the Aztecs, The World of the
Incas, History of the Reign of Ferdinand andIsabella, the Catholic, The
Conquestof Peru, The Rise and decline of theSpanish Empire. [13]Theseare the
children which this author has been able to document.[14] José Manuel Bela
Morais, et al, Ivens Ferraz: Origens e sua Descendência, Lisbon:
1999.[15]Franciscode Simas Alves de Azevedo, in Centenário:Hermengildo Capelo e
Roberto Ivens, Conferências e Comunicações. Comissãodas Comemorações do
Primeiro Centenário da Travessa da África por HermengildoCapelo e Roberto
Ivens, Academia Portuguesa da História. Lisbon: 19-6-1985.Carlos Maria Machado,
Genealogias, MS,Biblioteca e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada, n.d.
[16]JohnWhite Webster, A description of the island of St. Michael, comprising
an account ofits geological structure. Boston:1821.[17]HelenThomson, Murder at
Harvard, Boston, Houghton Miffin:1971.Robert Sullivan, TheDisappearance of Dr.
Parkman, Little, Brown, Boston: 1971.[18] He was the son of the second consul,
Charles WilliamDabney and grandson of the first consul, John Bass Dabney.
(see Joseph C. Abdo, "TheDabney Family of Faial" and Francis Millet Rogers,
“Boston Brahmins in the Azores”)[19] Bela Morais, “Descendants of Thomas
Hickling”.[20] Ibid.
On Friday, April 28, 2017 9:18 AM, Margaret Vicente
<margaretvice...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello,
Does anyone in the list have a complete list (including deceased children) of
the well known - Thomas Hickling and of his 2nd wife Sarah Faldes? who lived
and died in Ponta Delgada, island of S. Miguel?
Mr. Hickling was from Boston, USA. His 2nd wife was from Philadelphia. Because
they were not Catholics their marriage is not in the Church records. Hoping
some savvy research may be able to help.
I'm also looking for a correct timeline of when his first wife died in Boston.
Trying to reconcile the the two marriages.
Thank you.
--
Margaret M Vicente--
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