Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Sloan Mason. THE SYCAMORES, TURKEY "Our Heritage" by Claude Moore Mt. Olive Tribune Goldsboro, N.C. For those of us interested in preservation and restoration of historic homes we really rejoice when a restoration gets under way. We know that after completion it will be an inspiration to others. Recently, young Mr. and Mrs. Perry SMITH, Jr., purchased "The Sycamores" in the Town of Turkey. It was the old home of the late Mr. and Mrs. Edward E. SEAY. This old house, believed to have been built around 1780 on the site of an earlier house has been in the the family and family connection since the land grant was made to Captain Thomas HICKS in 1759. We could hardly say that it has gone out of the family since the present owner is a distant relative. The house at "The Sycamores" has been remodeled so many times that I would not venture to say how much of the original house is left. The present architectural lines are good. The home is located in a grove of sycamore trees believed to have been planted by Captain Thomas HICKS around 1759. The old Wilmington-Hillsboro Road ran through the grove. Lt. Colonel Banastre TARLETON and his British cavalry passed along this road in 1781. Several ghost stories relating to this place have been passed down to us. Captain Thomas HICKS was a native of Brunswick County, Va., and he migrated to Onslow County, N.C. where he was a captain in the militia. He married Elizabeth WILLIAMS and had several children. One son, Thomas HICKS (1776- 1817) married Mary FAISON. After his death the place passed to his son, Isham HICKS who married his cousin, Eliza PECK. Isham HICKS sold the place to his cousin, Curtis OATES who had married Ann FAISON. They sold the place to their cousin, Thomas Ivey FAISON (1802-1865) and his son, the Reverend Julian FAISON lived here for a time. The place then was sold to a cousin, Willis A. THOMSON, who in turn sold it to Alfred J. DANIEL, Mr. DANIEL gave it to his son, Napoleon A. DANIEL, who in turn left it to his daughter, Eva Daniel SEAY. The property was then left to her heirs and sold to the present owners. Captain Thomas HICKS represented Duplin County in the Provincial Congresses during the American Revolution. While the SEAYS owned "The Sycamores", they remodeled the house several times, and beautified the grounds with fine shrubbery and beautiful crepe myrtle trees which Mr. SEAY kept trimmed to perfection. It became one of the most attractive country places in Sampson County while the SEAYS lived there. Mrs. SEAY once won a nationwide rural bathroom contest sponsored by the Progressive Farmer and Southern Ruralist in the 1930's. The present owners will undoubtedly carry on the tradition of making and keeping "The Sycamores" beautiful. The home is located just off Highway #24 as you turn north at the downtown signal light, going toward Faison. The house located on a winding curve, sits quietly watching as progress goes by. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Sloan Mason ==============================================================