This sketch about John and Elizabeth Dickinson is uncomfortable for me to present to you because there have been some discussions and controversial comments about them. To begin with, our ancestor, Charles Dickinson, may not be their son because he was born in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Their other children were born in Long Island, New York. I see no indication that the family ever lived in Rhode Island, so I am worried about presenting our possible link to this couple that I have entered into our family tree. Some researchers say that this couple did not have a son named Charles. There are other disagreements about John's birthdate and questions about whether he had one, two, or three other marriages, and so on. Having told you all the above, I will go ahead with my original plan to tell you about this family but with a lack of confidence in the strength of their story. If we learn later that our ancestor, Charles Dickinson, was definitely NOT the son of this couple, I will undo my error and try to find Charles' true parents.
John Dickinson/Dickenson emigrated from England to Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1640. He was born in 1602 in Ely, Cambridge, England. He had a wife named Mary Taylor and two wives named Frances, according to some researchers. Frances Foote was the name of one of them. On the 10th of July in 1651, he married Elizabeth Howland Hicks, the widow of Ephraim Hicks in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts. John and Elizabeth had at least five children, as follows:
1654 Joseph
1666 Charles, our ancestor
1671 Hannah
1674 Richard
? Elizabeth
In 1658, John bought a lot on Oyster Bay from John Hinksman. In 1677, John is on a list of Freeholders of Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, .... The town of Oyster Bay extends from Long Island Sound in the north, south to the waters of South Oyster Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, pictured here:
Elizabeth died in Oyster Bay, Long Island in 1683 at the age of 48. She "willed to her granddaughter, Elizabeth Dickinson: 1 pair of sheets and 1 pair of pillowcases. The residue to her 3 daughters, Elizabeth Dickinson, Lidia Browne, and Hannah Bosworth." [Lidia may have been the daughter of Ephraim Hicks]. John died in 1684, at age 82.
JOHN DICKINSON
BORN: 1602 in Ely, Cambridge, England
MARRIED: 1)Mary Taylor, 2) Frances Foote, 3) Elizabeth (Howland) Hicks 10 Jul 1651
DIED: 1684 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY
ELIZABETH HOWLAND
BORN: 11 Oct 1634 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA
MARRIED: 1)Ephraim Hicks in 13 Sep 1649 Plymouth, Plymouth, MA
DIED: 26 Jan 1683 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY
Sources: John's birth: Pedigree Resource File submitted by Eugene D. Tidwell 3484 E. Summer Hill Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84121 edtidwell@netzero.net on 21 Jun 2000; Ancestral File (TM), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998, Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150 USA;"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQR9-BH3 : 11 February 2018, John Dickenson in entry for Richard Dickenson, 27 Sep 1674); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 504,743; DICKINSON, John (1630-1676) & Frances (FOOTE) (1629-), M/2 Frances BARNARD 1677; B 1648?; Wethersfield, CT/Hadley DICKINSON/DICKERSON?, John (-1680) & 2/wf Elizabeth (HOWLAND) HICKS (-1691, Oyster Bay), w Ephraim; 10 Jul 1641; Plymouth "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:MBT9-BZ9 : accessed 24 December 2018), entry for Elizabeth Howland; file (2:2:2:MM95-RQX), submitted 11 May 1999. Pedigree Resource File submitted by Researcher, Eugene D. Tidwell 3484 E. Summer Hill. U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
Resided at Oyster Bay Long Island Co. New York John DICKINSON bought a lot from John Hinksman in 1658 of Oyster Bay, Long Island Co., New York.
Samuel Clarke, the son of Jeremiah Clarke, married Hannah Wilcox, the daughter of Stephen Wilcox in 1693 in Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island. Samuel and Hannah were both born in Kingston c. 1675. They started their family c. 1700 and resided in Westerly, Washington, RI:
John
Audley, male b. abt. 1706 (Audley was Samuel's mother's maiden surname)
Samuel
Hannah, our ancestor, b. abt 1725
Samuel
Sarah
Pictured at left in modern time,
Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. (Wikipedia)
Samuel and Hannah died in their 80s in 1761.
SAMUEL CLARKE
BORN: abt 1675 in South Kingston, Washington, RI
MARRIED: 1693 in North Kingston, Washington, RI
DIED: 1761 in Westerly, Washington, RI
HANNAH WILCOX
BORN: abt 1675 in North Kingston, Washington, RI
DIED: 18 Oct 1761 in Westerly, Washington, RI
SOURCES: Researcher, Leon Stiles, historian for Stiles and Affiliated Families Assn..re the birth of Samuel; : Elda Esch Dickinson, Benoni Dickinson and his Descendants; Compiler, John Osborn Austin, "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island, page 423, genealogy of the Wilcox family..
It is apparent that Peter and Mary were both born in Westerly, Rhode Island, and Mary's birthdate is 1670, Peter's birthdate is c. 1655. I have no date of their marriage. Their children, all born in Westerly, are as follows:
c. 1684 Charity
c. 1695 John
1697 Peter
1724 Samuel, our ancestor
James
Reuben
a daughter
Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. Above is a photo of one of the beaches of today in Westerly,
"Peter took the oath of allegiance in Westerly 17 May 1679: was a Freeman in 1681; deputy from 1699-1704; Justice of Peace and Lieut. of Militias and was an important man of his time." said John C. Crandall in his book, "Crandall Genealogy" published in 1949.
This week I have been reading and taking notes from a special Rhode Island volume that I found at my local genealogy society called, "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island" by compiler, John Osborne Austin, published in 1982. Mr. Austin lived in Providence, RI all of his life, was a genealogist and compiler of genealogical information. Many of our Rhode Island ancestors are listed and written about in this fine compilation. Therefore, I feel better equipped to share what I am learning from this compiler who had ready access to the Rhode Island records.
Mr. Austin tells of 1)Peter Crandall's deed: " On May 9, 1692, Peter deeded his son-in-law, George Brown, about 60 acres, house, etc. (that he bought of Joe Babcock) reserving to own use for life, mowing grass and orchard."
2) On Oct 14, 1700, Peter was chosen to be the Moderator of the Town Meeting. On the 23rd of October, he was chosen Town Sealer.
3) On Oct 2,1711, Peter, with 33 others, bought 5,300 acres of the vacant lands in Narragansett.
4) On Mar 14, 1715, Peter sold his brother, Joseph, of Kings Town, 30 acres in Westerly.
Peter died in 1734. Mr. Austin wrote that Peter's wife, Mary, was the administrator of Peter's will and she inherited some money, his silver buttons, buckles, seal, wearing apparel, beds, spinning wheel, cards, warming pan, mare, cow, 5 swine, 6 bee hives, etc.
PETER CRANDALL
BORN: c. 1655 in Westerly, Kings, RI
DIED: 1734 in Westerly, Kings, RI
MARY BABCOCK
BORN: 1670 in Westerly, Kings, RI
DIED: 1735 in Westerly, Kings, RI
SOURCES:WFT#1088,vol.5. about Peter's birth; "Genealogy of Elder John Crandall", Pg 14 regarding Peter's becoming a freeman and his occupation as deputy; Elda Esch, " The Descendants of Benoni Dickinson", 1998; researcher,Leon Stiles, papers about the lineage of Robert Shepard; WFT1088,vol.5.discussion of the marriage of Peter and Mary; A.P.Crandall Book, page 14 re Mary Babcock's death; American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI); Birth year: 1654; Birth city: Newport; Birth state: RI, from Family Data Collection re Peter's birth data, individual records; Source number: 1938.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: GRG from U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900; Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA; Volume Title: New England Marriages Prior to 1700 from U. S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700; John Osborne Austin, " Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island", 1982.
Charles Dickinson was evidently proud of his title, "Vestryman" because he used it in the records that he left behind. A Vestryman is not a member of the clergy but is a member of the church council. Charles was born in 1666 in Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Narragansett is a beautiful seaside town with splendid natural assets. The Town of Narragansett, of course, is the namesake of the Indian tribe of the area. At the beginning of the English colonization, the town site was merely part of a much larger territory called “Narragansett Country.” Most likely, the town simply adopted the name to distinguish itself from surrounding areas and villages, which had earlier selected appellations recalling their English heritage. (The Native American word “Narragansett” translates roughly into English as “people of the small point”.) Narragansett had existed for almost two centuries primarily as a simple farming and fishing community.
Below is a photo of a beach in the Town of Narragansett in 2018. Scarborough Beach is Rhode Island’s most popular and well known beach. Located 35 miles south of Providence on Ocean Road in Narragansett, it is a 26 acre facility with 2,325 feet of beach frontage.
Charles married four times to: Hester Gilbert in 1685; Phillippa Greene in 1691; Sarah______?, and Mary Winterton c. 1714. We have a list of Charles' and Mary's children as follows, all born in Rhode Island:
1714 Ann
1716 Charles
1718 Phillip
1718 Phillis
1720 Phebe
1723 Sarah
1726 Thomas, our ancestor
CHARLES DICKINSON
BORN: 1666 in Narragansett, Washington, RI
MARRIED: 1714 in Atteboro, Bristol, MA
DIED: 14 Sep 1740 in Narragansett, RI
MARY WINTERTON
BORN: abt 1698 in RI
DIED: unknown
SOURCES: World Family Tree Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Brøderbund Software, Inc., Release date: November 29, 1995, Page number: Tree #4543, Mary's birth; "Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8QN-TRV : 10 February 2018), Mary in entry for son, Charles Dickinson, 27 Feb 1716; citing SOUTH KINGSTON,WASHINGTON,RHODE ISLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 908,271;Paul M. Gifford, "The English Ancestry of Charles Dickinson (1658-1740) of South Kingstown, Rhode Island," The American Genealogist, Vol. 89, No. 2 (April 2017): pages 152, 154.
