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1814-1981, predominant [1920]-1969 (Creation)
- Creator
- Hicks, Ben Church, 1901-1982
Physical description area
Physical description
- 10.1 m of textual records
- 34 cm of graphic material
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Name of creator
Biographical history
Ben Church Hicks was born at Bridgetown, N.S. in 1901, son of John Herbert Hicks and his second wife Henrietta (Armstrong). He studied arts and applied science at Mount Allison and McGill universities, receiving a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from McGill in 1927. Hicks resided in Montreal and was employed in the electrical utility industry for 39 years as a consulting engineer with the Shawnigan Water and Power Company and its successor, the Quebec Hydro Electric Commission. A noted authority on tidal power, he also belonged to a number of professional associations including the Engineering Institute of Canada, Corporation of Engineers of Quebec, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Hicks married his first wife, Grace May Morrison (Watson) (1890-1943), in Montreal in 1934. Retiring in 1966, Hicks and his second wife Constance moved to the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia where he was very active in community affairs including the establishment of the Annapolis Valley Pioneer Musuem. He died at Halifax on 26 November 1982. Hicks' father, John Herbert Hicks Jr. (1844-1925), son of Bridegetown merchant John H. Hicks (1789-1863), was a teacher, federal government official, merchant, and founder of the firm J.H. Hicks and Sons Limited, building contractors and manufacturers, in 1891. He first married Sarah Collins Davies, with whom he had the following children: J. Herbert Hicks (1876-1954), Edward A. Hicks (ca. 1879-1968), and Henry B. Hicks (1879-1951). Children of John H. Hicks Jr. and his second wife Henrietta (Armstrong) (b. 1860) were: Ben Church, Ellis, Mary Helena (d. 1979), and Sarah Augusta.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records documenting the Hicks family of Annapolis County, N.S., predominantly created and accumulated by Ben Church Hicks, as well records documenting his personal activities and interests. Includes personal diaries kept from 1910 to 1981 (irregular entries), correspondence, essays, newspaper clippings, articles, legal and financial records, research and genealogical notes, diagrams, reports, minutes of meetings, pamphlets and other publications. Among the subjects covered are: Fundy tidal power, nuclear power, electricity and electrical systems, engineering profession, genealogy, philosophy, and science. Organizations represented include: Shawnigan Water and Power Company, Southwest Petroleum Corporation, Canadian Engineering Association, and Annapolis Valley Pioneer Museum. Fonds also contains correspondence, accounts, legal and other material documenting the personal and business activities of the Hicks family, 1814-1925, including John H. Hicks Sr., John H. Hicks Jr., J. Herbert Hicks, Edward A. Hicks, Phebe A. Hicks, Grace (Watson) Hicks, as well as John Church and the Fowler family of Annapolis Co. Also includes photograph albums, ca. 1865-1945, mostly kept by Mary Helena Hicks and Ben Church Hicks depicting family (Hicks, Fowler, Hall, Clark families) and scenes of Bridgetown.
Notes area
Physical condition
Several items in the files concerning John Hicks Sr. and Jr. (volume 2104) show signs of water damage and/or are torn and difficult to decipher.
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by Hick's estate in 1982 followed by an accrual in 1986 from Constance Hicks, Halifax.
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Image: Cherry Pudding.