Joseph and Sarah DICKERSON

[bedfordshire boy]

I'll send you a detailed personal message in the morning, setting out what you need to do on the Cambs FHS site. Unfortunately I can't manage it tonight as we have a Spanish festival in town this week, and I have scheduled appointments with a number of barmen, the first of which is in 40 mins, and being prudent I thought it advisable to walk, rather than take the car, so I'll be leaving in a few minutes!

A demain

David

[moghouse]

Thanks David.

I have been trying to check back where I got Thomas and Sarah's wedding from, I think it was from the distant relative who told me about the Deskrson misprint. I am sure I would have verified it before moving on to trace further back but all attempts I have made this afternoon have met with no result.

As I think I have mentioned before the Haslingfield Scotts are totally unco-operative. I have a cousin who's father was apprenticed to Thomas as a young butcher lad, but I have not been able to contact him. There must have been some special connection as my uncle was christened Thomas Scott Standen. Thomas Scott and Sarah lived to a ripe old age and when he retired as a butcher they were the licencees of the local hostelry - The Red Lion.

But I must not keep a chap from an appointment with a barman - Geat Uncle Tom would not approve.

[bedfordshire boy]

Despite the IGI saying Toft marriages up to 1878 have been extracted, they only go up to 1780, which fooled me completely.

Fortunately they're on the BVRI, and include the following

2 Oct 1809 Joseph Dickerson and Sarah Merry
21 July 1834 James Payne and Mary Dickerson
29 March 1841 Prior Pain, father John, and Martha Dickerson father Joseph

I think we're getting there slowly!

More in the morning when brain gets back into gear

David

[bedfordshire boy]

In 1871 living in Bassingbourn Cambs were Thomas Scott head married 40 butcher b Haslingfield, wife Sarah 36 b Toft and children Rosa 5; Ann 3, Flora 1 all b Bassingbourn.

In 1861 Thomas unmarried 33 was already living in Bassingbourn as the publican of the Red Lion public house.

So a marriage between 1861 and 1866 seems likely. Using FreeBMD at
http://freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
searching for Thomas Scott and Sarah 1861-71 throws up a blank for a marriage in Cambs. Searching “All counties” though gives an interesting marriage in St Pancras in the March quarter 1864 where two of the parties on the page are Thomas Scott and Sarah Paine. Could they have jumped on a train to London and married there? I have found similar marriages in London where the two parties were both living in Hunts prior to the marriage. You’ll have to invest another £7 to get full details – you can reduce the cost in the event that it’s the wrong couple by adding as reference point that Thomas’s father should be David. This marriage is on the IGI (extracted) on 1 Feb 1864 at Old Church, St Pancras, but unfortunately fathers’ names aren’t added.

I don't think the Lam name in 1851 is anything to do with yokel accents. It's a mistranscription - you can see some of the penstrokes are very weak, but are legible. See below

David

[moghouse]

Thank you for your efforts, David.

I am rather traumatised at the moment - I was abducted from my pit of sloth at 5.30 yesterday morning, carted off and sat in a field in the middle of nowhere. People I did not know came all the morning and gave me money to take away the rubbish I would have sent to the dump. This is called a Boot Sale. Although it has certain attractions (mostly pecuniary) the physical effort involved for a poor old git like me was excessive.

I think the whole Dickerson situation will have to be reviewed in the light of what you have turned up. Little of what talents I once had remain but as a one time calligrapher I agree that is not Lam and seems to be Pain.

I had no idea that Old Tom Scott had the Red Lion so early. It could mean that his father David was a publican rather than a butcher. By the time I remember the butchers shop in Bassingbourn, the business was in the hands of the Playles. I am surprised in some ways that my grandfather hadn't bought it - he ran nearly every other business in the village!

I will come back when I have recovered from my exertions and tried to make sense of the Dickerson Scotts.

[moghouse]

After a great deal of checking, double checking and triple checking I am happy that the correct version is: James Paine 1816 married Mary Dickerson 1816 (Jo the blacksmith's daughter) in 1834 and Sarah was born the same year.

Prior Paine married Martha Dickerson. There were at least 3 Dickerson family units in Toft. Prior Paine's family came from Bassingbourn and before that Meldreth. The Paines had more than one family unit in the Toft area. Both Paines and Dickersons still have family in Bassingbourn today.

Joseph and Sarah Merry had a daughter Sarah in 1816 ish and she died in infancy - I can't find her past 4 months old.

Is anybody going to give me any information that contradicts any of this or can I try for the next piece of the puzzle now?

Thank you to all those who have contributed info both on this site and others - even if a lot of it did conflict!

[bedfordshire boy]

Yes.  I don't agree that Sarah died in infancy. The Cambs FHS website - Burial Index - has a burial in Toft of Sarah aged 19 in 1835

The baptism index on the same site has baptisms of children of Joseph & Sarah as follows ; Joseph 1810, John 1812; Mary 1813, Sarah 1816; Martha 1821; Susan & Chandler 1823

There was a Joseph and Martha baptising children in the early 1800s in Toft and a Martha was buried in 1807. Was Joseph a widower on marriage to Sarah Merry? Joseph Dickenson married Martha Badcock on 14 Feb 1797 at Toft.

David

Any contradictions seem to have been as a result of the duff gen given you by your distant relative!

[moghouse]

Yes, I have been searching back and I found the information he gave me. The dates he had varied enormously. What he had done, I think, was to assume that ALL the children belonged to the one family.

I had been wondering about Joseph as his age did not seem quite right. I have not been able to verify his date of birth beyond doubt. Of course there is no reason why older men should not marry younger women..... but sometimes I think we might make assumptions based on patterns when there is always someone (specially in my family) who will buck the trend.

Interesting that you should have Chandler... I was beginning to think that he might be a "wrong family" child as I can't trace him ... maybe another died young. So inconsiderate of these people to all use the same names for their kids!

[moghouse]

I have made little progress in the verifying of Dickerson details. This is due in no small part to the fact that in Cambs alone there are no fwer than ELEVEN different spellings of the name in the records. This must be some kind of record itself.
 
Notwithstanding this difficulty, another member of clan Dickerson has been in touch to say he has been having trouble verifying facts beyond doubt despite visits to view the records in person and thinks Thomas Dickerson rather than Joseph made the move from Gamlingay to Toft and had two more childen after the move, who were recorded under the name of Dickenson - I had not even counted versions of that name in my eleven variations!

In addition, I have been in touch with a cousin from this side of the family who I have not seen for many years and he is coming to see me to talk about family history as he heard it from his father. From our phone conversation, his details are very different from mine - could be an interesting meeting!

I would still be most grateful for any light anybody can shed.