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- ENOS C. DICKINSON, an honored pioneer of 1840, residing on
- section 27, Harmony Township, is numbered among the leading
citizens of Rock County, of which he has witnessed almost the
entire growth and development. He is a native of Amherst, Mass.,
born Oct. 10, 1817, and the history of the family can be traced
back to ancestors who were natives of England. His father, Nathaniel
C. DICKINSON, was born in Amherst, in the year 1784, and died
in the city of his birth, March, 19, 1868, in the eighty-fifth
year of his age. His brother served in the War of 1812, but he
was deterred from entering the service as his aged parents needed
his help and care at home. He was one of the extensive and successful
farmers of Massachusetts, and in that State was united in marriage
with Submit SMITH,
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- who was born in Vermont in 1794, and died in the autumn of
1893, when forty-seven years of age. They were the parents of
eleven children, but with the exception of our subject all have
passed away.
- Until the age of nineteen Enos DICKINSON remained under the
parental roof, but at that time
- he went to Indiana for the purpose of recruiting his health,
and spent two years in the northern part of that State. He engaged
in teaching the last winter, after which he returned to his home,
spending two years in his father's family. In 1840, at the age
of twenty-three, he emigrated to the West, and became a resident
of Rock County, when it was almost an unbroken wilderness. During
the two succeeding winters he again followed the occupation of
teaching, when, his health having somewhat improved, he abandoned
that vocation, and began working for his brother upon a farm,
spending the winters in working at cabinet-making. During the
summer of 1845 he was employed at joiner's work, when he abandoned
the trade and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits.
He had previously purchased 200 acres of raw land upon which
were no improvements and in the summer of 1846, erected a house
thereon, doing all the carpenter work himself.
- Having secured a home, Mr. DICKINSON was united in marriage
with Miss Sarah A. GIBBS,
- but after a short time she was called to her final rest,
dying in 1848. One child had been born to them, Francis G., who
is now living in Nebraska. On the 29th day of June, 1850, Mr.
DICKINSON was again, married, Miss Sarah JEHU, a native of Wales,
and daughter of Hugh and Sarah (EVANS) JEHU, becoming his wife.
To her parents were born a family of nine children, namely: Ann,
wife of Thomas JEHU, a resident of Rutland, Dane Co., Wis.; Margaret,
who is the widow of John TURNER, and resides in Janesville; Sarah,
wife of our subject; Susan, deceased wife of James MENZIES; Edward,
deceased; Jane, widow of Stephen LITTLE, resides in Rutland,
Wis.; Elizabeth, who wedded John LACY, of Iowa; Griffith, who
also makes his home in Rutland; Hugh is located in Iowa. In 1839
Hugh JEHU left his native land for America, with a view of making
his home in the New World. He left his family behind, but becoming
satisfied that this country was the place for the man with ambition
to better his condition in life, the year following he sent for
them to come over. The good wife with her nine children, the
eldest of whom was but fifteen years of age, made the perilous
trip across the ocean, ending safely in New York, where she was
joined by her husband. They were four weeks upon the water. In
1846 the family came West and located in Rock County. Both are
now deceased.
- The union of Mr. and Mrs. DICKINSON has been blessed with
a family of nine children: Susan
- M., born July 31, 1851, now deceased; Edwin J., born Oct,
15, 1853, is at home; Ansel, born Jan. 24, 1855, is residing
in Delavan, Walworth County; Alfred E., born Dec. 3, 1856, died
Oct. 21, 1865; Henry H. born Aug. 18, 1858, is living in Omaha,
Neb.; Walter L., born Nov. 20, 1860, died May 7, 1864; Sarah
B., born April 3, 1862, died on the 10th day of August following;
Arthur N., born in February, 1865, died October 12th of the same
year; Evan, born Feb.. 10, 1869, is still with her parents.
- Mr. DICKSON is engaged in general farming and operates 170
acres of land. He also gives
- some attention to raising of cattle, horses and hogs, and
is one of the leading farmers of the township. In early life
he and his wife were both members of the Congregational Church,
but now holds membership with the Presbyterian Church. He has
always taken great interest in Church and Sunday-school work.
Politically, he was first an advocate of the Whig party, but
was always a strong anti-slavery man, and since the organization
of the Republican party, has fought under its banner. Under the
Territorial laws of Wisconsin, he served as a member of the Board
of School Commissioners, and in 1860, held the office of Town
Superintendent of the public schools. For almost a half a century
he has been a resident of Rock County, and has been an active
participant in the work of progress and development which place
it in the front rank in this great commonwealth. His influence
has even been given to the support of educational, social and
moral interests.
- As has already been stated, when Mr. DICKINSON first located
in Rock County the country
- was but a little better than a wilderness. But three or four
houses were in sight from any given point. The winter following
his arrival was comparatively mild, and in February, 1841, the
neighborhood was startled by the announcement that child was
lost. All who could turned out in the search, and about 9 p.m.
the little fellow was found upon the prairie unharmed.
- In the first years of his residence here, Mr. DICKSINSON
was compelled to go to Milwaukee
- for his mill stuff. Taking an ox-team, he would make the
tiresome and lonesome journey, which required several days, and
because of the scarcity of money, he usually camped out. The
present generation can little realize the hardships the pioneers
of those early days endured. There can be no comparison between
that and the present time. Today the railroads precede the pioneer,
and open up the way for him, carrying to him the lumber for his
house and food for his family. It was many long years before
the railroads came to the pioneers of Wisconsin, during which
time their grain had to be hauled in wagons many miles to market,
while their stock had to be driven over the same wary road, or
else killed during extremely cold weather and sold at a very
low price. But those hardships were cheerfully borne, and now,
in place of the log cabins and straw barns, elegant farm houses
and substantial frame or brick barns appear. To no one is more
credit due for the great changes that have been made, than to
Enos C. DICKSON, the subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears
upon another page.
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-
- Taken from "The Portrait and Biographical Album of
Rock County, Wis." (c)1889, pp. 233-234; lithograph from
same book.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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