George William Nicol was born to George Nicol and Jane Small Nicol. Jane Small was the mixed race daughter of Sophia Small, a wealthy Settler businesswoman who built the first two-story building in Freetown in 1796 (four years after the founding of Freetown in 1792).
Nicol belonged to the mulatto Settler class that exerted great influence in Freetown during the 19th century. George Nicol was a British carpenter who worked for the Sierra Leone Company during the 1790s. The Nicols were a prosperous family.
After Sophia Small died, Jane Nicol inherited a substantial amount of her mother"s property.
After entering into business, George Nicol also invested and built property. Two houses on Water Street and a brick house worth 3500 pounds east of the Government Wharf.
In 1853, Nicol was the second largest property owner in Freetown with a valuable estate. After returning from school in England, Nicol entered the government service in 1829 and served in the Mixed Court until 1841.
In 1841, Nicol served in the Colonial Secretary" General’ s Office and was promoted from Fourth to First Writer by 1859.
In 1859, Nicol was appointed Colonial Secretary based upon a recommendation given by Governor Fitzjames. Nicol was essentially deputy to the Governor and served on the Governor"s Council until 1868. Nicol, retired from the Colonial Secretaryship in 1868 possibly due to the fact he became permanently disabled.
The Colonial Treasury increased his pension to 396 pounds for serving in the harsh climate of Sierra Leone which was at that time known as the "White Manitoba"s Grave".
Possibly because he was an "octoroon" Nicol was given special consideration in regard to pension as the Treasury evidently thought him to be an Englishman and did not realize that Sierra Leone had been his birthplace. Nicol sold his valuable Freetown property to Charles Heddle, a mixed race Senegalese "merchant prince" who had amassed a fortune in the groundnut trade.
Williams had qualified as a lawyer in 1878 and served in Freetown and Lagos.
