John Dickson (abt. 1788 - 1866)

Born about 1788 in Renton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Johnston) Dickson — married 29 Jul 1814 in Abbey, Renfrewshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Died 15 Aug 1866 at about age 78 in Spring Brook, Dunn, Wisconsin, United States

Biography

John Dickson was born in Scotland.

John was born about 1788 at Renton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. He was the son of Robert Dickson and Janet Speir.

He married Sarah Johnston on 29 July 1814 at Abbey, Renfrewshire^[1][2]. They had at least seven children, dates taken from the Dickson history^[3].

1. Robert (1815 - 1840)
2. George Allan (1817 - 1902)
3. John (1818 - 1856)
4. Archibald (1820 - 1911)
5. Mary (1824 - 1910)
6. Thomas (1828 - 1899)
7. Agnes (1832 - 1919)

John Dickson migrated from Scotland to United States.

His two oldest sons migrated to the United States in 1835 and 1836 respectively. He emigrated from Greenock, Scotland on the Tropic with his remaining family on 17 June 1837 at New York City^[4]. They settled in Ryegate, Caledonia, Vermont^[5] where his sister Jean Gibson was already living.

In 1850 he was living with his wife Sarah and his son Thomas aged 22 at Ryegate, Caledonia, Vermont^[6]. He was aged 60 and had been born in Scotland.

John and his wife moved in 1855 to Spring Brook, Dunn, Wisconsin where Agnes married Daniel Sly(e)^[7]. who had gone there earlier that year with Thomas. During the journey he fell from the train, but was not seriously injured. In 1860 he (70) and his wife (69) were still living with their son Thomas (31) at Spring Brook, Dunn, Wisconsin^[8]. Also in the household were the Sly family - Daniel, his daughter Agness (28), and their children - William George (3) and Mary B (1).

John died on 15 August 1866 at Spring Brook, Dunn, Wisconsin^[7].

Research Notes

Some American records spell his name as Dixon, but the standard way of spelling this name in Scotland is Dickson, and that is the name that was on his marriage record.

Lyla Dickson Flagler in her book^[3] gives the name of John's father as James. This is incorrect. Based on the names his sister gave her children and he gave his first son and the Scottish naming pattern, I have decided that his parents were Robert Dickson and Janet Speir. Moreover, he named one of his sons George Allan, the name of his sister's husband. Her death record gives her mother's maiden name as Speirs. From DNA matching and other evidence, he was the brother of William Dickson whose father was also believed to be Robert. William does not appear in the book except one mention in a letter, but his son Peter does.

Sources

1. ↑ "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XY3B-59X : 11 February 2020), John Dikson, 1814. Accessed 7 Oct 2020
2. ↑ Scotlands People (digital database), Church registers - Old Parish Registers Banns and marriages, Accessed 7 Oct 2020

   Groom=DIKSON JOHN Bride= SARAH JOHNSTON/FR1708 (FR1708) DOM=29/07/1814 Ref=559/ 40 593 Parish=Abbey

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Flagler, Lyla Dickson. The Story of a Scottish Family. Falmouth, Massachusetts: Kendall Press. 1958. Digitised by the Internet Archive 2018 Accessed 25 Jun 2021
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Immigration Lists, 1820-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. Original data: Registers of Vessels Arriving at the Port of New York from Foreign Ports, 1789-1919. Microfilm Publication M237, rolls 1-95. National Archives at Washington, D.C Accessed 26 Jun 2021.
   • View Ancestry Record 7485 #1317098 (requires subscription)
5. ↑ Miller, Edward and Wells, Frederic. History of Ryegate, Vermont from its settlement by the Scotch-American company of farmers to present time. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Caledonian Company, 1913. Digitised by the Internet Archive, accessed 25 Sep 2020
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC2H-Q9B : 4 April 2020), John Dixon, Ryegate, Caledonia, Vermont, United States; citing family 256, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Accessed 7 Oct 2020
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Miller, Edward and Wells, Frederic. History of Ryegate, Vermont from its settlement by the Scotch-American company of farmers to present time. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Caledonian Company, 1913. Internet Archive, accessed 25 Sep 2020
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW9N-XJT : 18 February 2021), John Dickson in entry for Thomas Dickson, 1860. Accessed 26 Jun 2021

• Biography written by his 3xgreat niece Margaret Bailey Allison