[The inscription is typed below for easier reading. He is buried beside the frontier Baptist preacher John Gano. This picture was provided by Jerry Evans, Shepherdsville, KY.]
Sacred to the Memory of
WILLIAM HICKMAN, SR.
who departed this life
January 21, 1834 A. D.
in the 87th year of his ageBorn in King and Queen County, Virginia, February 4, 1747.
William was the son of Thomas and Sarah Sanderson Hickman.
Orphaned early in life. He was raised by his grandmother.
About the year 1770, he heard the preaching of those oft
persecuted Baptists -- John Waller, James Childs, and
David Tinsley. This led to his conversion February 21, 1773
of which he states, "All at once the heavenly burden seemed to
fall off, I felt the love of God flow into my soul: I had sweet
supping at the throne of grace: my sins pardoned through
the atoning blood of the blessed Saviour.He made his first trip to Kentucky in 1776, and near
Harrodsburg. He preached the first message of his ministry
from Numbers 23:10, in company with Elders Thomas Tinsley.
They became the first Baptist preachers to preach in
the great west.He moved to Kentucky in November 1784, and settled near
Lexington where be became a member of Lewis Craig's
church at Gilberts Creek, in 1787. Hickman organized the
Forks of Elkhorn Baptist Church and served it as pastor
for many years. He also served a number of other churches
during his ministry, and preached to the people in Shelby
County and other frontier settlements often at the risk
of his life from Indian fury. Perhaps no man in Kentucky ever
baptized more people than this old servant of God. Of his
preaching it was said, "It is a plain, solemn style, the sound
of it like thunder in the distance: but when in his best mood the
sound is like thunder at home, and operates with prodigious
force on the conscience of his hearers."William Hickman served his country as a chaplain in the
Revolution. He was married twice and raised many children.
One of his sons, Captian Paschal Hickman, in whose honor
Hickman County, Kentucky was named, fell in the Battle of
River Raisin. Others of his family followed him in his ministry.
Peace be with you all - Amen.
Marker placed by the Baptist History Preservation Society
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