Frederick Bicking
Frederick Bicking (John Frederick Bicking) was an American paper mill owner who was born in
Following his arrival in Pennsylvania, Bicking owned and operated a paper mill, establishing the Bicking paper dynasty that would last well into the 19th century. He also owned a fishery on the Schuylkill River, and operated the Sheetz, or "Dove Mill", which was thought to be the oldest or second-oldest paper mill (to the Rittenhouse mill) in the colonies. As someone who utilized indentured servants, his advertisements for assistance in recapturing "runaways" can be found in newspapers of the time period.
The Continental Congress allocated funds to purchase Bicking's paper for currency production. The bank notes to pay the troops at Valley Forge were printed on his paper. He is mentioned in several of the minutes of the Continental Congress and in the George Washington Papers where Capt.
Frederick Bicking married Mary Catherine Unverzagt of
Of Frederick Bicking's five sons, three were paper makers in Pennsylvania.
Frederick's son, John Bicking, had a paper mill near present-day Fisherville and was a soldier in the Philadelphia militia.
References
- ^ Develin, Dora Harvey. Historic Lower Merion and Blockley