CWTS Article of the Month!

September 1999

"Wm. S. Wilcox of Adrian, Michigan"

Part of  "Focus on the Merchant" series.

by Chester Robinson

Extracted from The Civil War Token Journal, Volume 1 Number 1.


         William S. Wilcox was born April 25, 1819, at Riga, Monroe Co., New York.  The family moved to Milan, Ohio for a few years, and then to Adrian, Michigan in September 1836.

    In 1848, Wm. S. Wilcox and a man named Chappell opened a hardware store in Adrian.  Eighteen months later Wilcox bought his partner's share of the business, and until after the Civil War ran is as Wm. S. Wilcox Hardware.  Later the name changed to Wilcox and Bro. and eventually became Wilcox Bros. and Co.  The business continued until after 1950 under the Wilcox name.  It was located in later years on the south side of West Maumee St.

    Wm. S. Wilcox was active in civic affairs, and served as Mayor of Adrian.  In 1864 he was elected to the state legisl;ature, and later to the state Senate.  In 1869 he was appointed prison inspector for the state of Michigan.  He was also active ion the church, serving as Sunday school superintendent at the Baptist Chruch for some 50 years.

 

Wm. S. Wilcox Store Cards
MI5F-1a
1094
Copper
Plain Edge
R9
MI5F-2a
1097
Copper
Plain Edge
R4
MI5F-3a
1098
Copper
Plain Edge
R6
MI5F-4a
1102
Copper
Plain Edge
R9
CWTS Article Archive
Winter 2016 A Reminiscence
Winter 2016 My First Sulter Token
Spring 2016 Protesting Union Civil War Policies
Winter 2015 Slave Owner Issued Civil War Tokens
Fall 2014 Hill the Barber & African American Store Card Issuers
Fall 2014 Gustavus Lindenmueller: The Myth, The Man, The Mystery
Apr. 2004 Henry Varwig - OH165GD
Mar. 2004 Dating Mr. Sayre's Tokens
Feb. 2000 Knowledge of Civil War Tokens
Jan. 2000 Ohio 710A
Dec. 1999 Speculations About Yankee Robinson
Nov. 1999 Hussey's Private Message Post
Oct. 1999 The Great Central Fair
Sep. 1999 Wm. S. Wilcox of Adrian, Michigan
Aug. 1999 Grading Isn't Really a Monster
July 1999 The 1860 Presidential Campaign Medalets
June 1999 The Other Store Cards of Central New York
May 1999 George McClellan - The Peace Maker?
Apr. 1999 Sutler Tokens at Gettysburg
Mar. 1999 More on the Monitor and Merrimac
Feb. 1999 Civil War Token Mini-Set -- General Franz Sigel
Jan. 1999 Die Sinker Errors on Civil War Tokens
Dec. 1998 The Abraham Lincoln Mini-set
Nov. 1998 Civil War Token Errors
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