William Dickers - born 1824-1827

[Michael ONeil]

Not much to go on I'm afraid but I'm looking for possible UK origins of a William Dickers. I have the following New York City info for him:

1847 Directory - Seaman at 88 James Street.
1850 Directory - Rigger at 5 Lewis Street.
1850 Census - Age 26, Rigger, born England. Married to Ellen (born 1830, NY).
1860 Census - Age 33, Rigger, born England. Married to Catherine (born 1837, IRE) maiden name Beechinor. With a son Joseph (born 1856, NY) who could have been the son of Ellen or Catherine.

So birth from the above between 1824-27. Birth location of England in the US sense could be the whole of the British Isles (Ireland included). Died 26 October 1865 NYC. Obituary states Cork and California papers copy but that is most likely to be connected with his Beechinor in-laws.

His arrival and marriage in New York must be prior to 1850 but no more on this. If Ellen was age 16 when they married then 1846 is the earliest date for this.

Can't find any manifest info for his arrival in the USA to give me any clues regarding where from in the UK but given his occupation then a possible maritime connection?

Maybe the name of his son Joseph (E.) could somehow link to a father for William.

Does anyone have a William Dickers in their ancestry who seems to go missing sometime 1847-50 might be linked?

[Milliepede]

Hi
There's a christening record for a William Loads Dickers 5 May 1824 Yarmouth Norfolk England.
Father Joseph mother Ann.
Also an Edward Loads Dickers 24 May 1822.

[Michael ONeil]

Hi Milliepede - thanks for that.

I've already got a few possibilities including that one which seemed to tick a few boxes -  name, age, maritime link, father's name, etc. I couldn't get any further corroborating info from the 1831, 41 and 51 census however. Unusual middle name Loads is probably mother's maiden name as I've seen that before.

Was hoping that someone might have a William who went off the radar sometime.

[Milliepede]

There's a Joseph Dickers/Ann Ball or Bell marriage 26 July 1811 Gt Yarmouth who could be the parents.

There is one entry on a passenger list New York 1820-1850 for a William Dickers * which would cover the time period you are after but I can't view the details to see when he left England.

Hopefully someone will be able to view it.

* Plus an entry on US Naturalisation Record Index William Dickers birthplace England court district New York date 1 April 1854.

[avm228]

There is one entry on a passenger list New York 1820-1850 for a William Dickers * which would cover the time period you are after but I can't view the details to see when he left England.

This William Dickers arrived, aged 21, in New York on 8 May 1848 on the Constitution, port of departure Belfast.

[Michael ONeil]

Hi folks - thanks for the replies.

Have got the Constitution record plus an 1836 manifest for William Dickerson aboard the St Mark. Was part of a family from what looks like Yorkshire - right age and there's nothing to say he didn't go earlier. Anyway I can't nail anything down for sure.

Naturalisation is for him - address was in-laws Beechinor's address too. Nothing on the certificate - name and address - that's it - abjuring all allegiances to foreign princes, etc, particularly the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland!!! Wonder why they emphasised that one?

Not sure about the marriage only because as I said earlier I've not a lot to go on in the UK - in fact I've got nothing other than date span for year of birth!

[shellyesq]

The naturalization certificate would have emphasized the Queen because he was formerly a British citizen. 

US Census records list both England and Ireland as places of birth.  Towards the bottom of this page - http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0029/tab04.html  - you can see the places of birth for people on the 1850 & 1860 census.  England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland are all listed as separate options for those years.

[Michael ONeil]

Cheers for that shellesq - I've got quite a few naturalisation certificates for various family members including my GG Grandfather's and it always made me laugh how they emphasised the Queen of the UK, etc as opposed just some foreign prince or government. All the certificates are the same regardless of previous nationality so maybe they wanted to make a distinction.

[ShaunJ]

Michael, I saw your post earlier today (re the William Dickers death look-up in NYC) and got interested in the mystery of his origins.

Noting that his year of birth was confirmed by the death announcement as circa 1827, and that the most likely candidate in passenger lists was the 21 year old William Dickers who arrived in New York from Ireland in 1848, I wondered if there was a trail to be found in Ireland for this Englishman.

I discovered that Dickers was an extremely unusual name in Ireland but that there was an Edwin Dickers who joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1846. So I had a look for him and found that some contemporary references (court records etc) had his name as Dicker.

Then I found that Edwin Dicker in the 1901 Dublin census in Mountjoy Street and it seems he was born in London circa 1822 http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003689509/

I found  Edwin Dicker's baptism in Westminster, London in 1822. Father Joseph Dicker of Vincent Street, a "musician 3 Guards" -  a soldier. Mother Margaret Dicker.

A couple with the same names, Joseph Dicker a musician and Margaret Dicker, had a son baptised on 7 March 1827 in Lambeth: William Baylis Dicker. Residence: New Street.

A possibility ?

Postscript:  there is a marriage in Southwark (Christ Church) on 19 August 1824 - Joseph Dicker and Margaret Bayliss