Charles William Simpson

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 8395

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 8393

Robert married Louise Catherine Dickenson. Louise (daughter of Dr. Samuel Burling Dickinson and Caroline Elizabeth Kinnison) was born on 13 Jul 1851 in Dewitt County, Texas; died on 1 Oct 1932 in Stonewall County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• FSID: LH19-JYJ
• Reference Number: 8381
• Residence: 1880, Fisher, Texas, United States

Other Events:

• FSID: KJ43-RKG
• Reference Number: 6677

Notes:

Birth: Sep. 23, 1804
New York, USA
Death: Nov. 9, 1881
DeWitt County
Texas, USA

DICKINSON. Dr. Samuel Burling Dickinson was a resident of DeWitt County sometime in the Republic years prior to 1842. He was a descendant of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley came over on the Mayflower, born in central New York State and educated as a medical doctor there at Fairfield University. His predominantly Quaker family had resided at Oyster Bay on Long Island for nearly 200 years. In search of adventure as a young man, he came all the way down the Mississippi from New York State to the Fayette county area of Mississippi in the early 1830's to practice medicine among the planter gentry in that region. At 6 feet 3 inches tall, he met his bride, Caroline Kinnison, who was only 4 feet 10 inche, the daughter of a plantation owner who had settled there during Spanish rule.. Dr. Sam resided in the vicinity of the Homochitto River near Natchez when he encountered the widely reported passions of the Texians in the Mississippi Valley. Free Texas land was advertised in handbills for those who would serve the revolution. Though his young wife was with child in 1835, he signed onto a schooner at New Orleans headed to Texas to offer his services to the cause of Texian independence. The letter that he penned aboard the schooner Lively was reminiscent of his ancestors compact concerning their intentions in the new world.

Upon arrival at Brazoria, Dr. Sam met with Stephen F. Austin, William Wharton and Branch Archer who decided to send him and a Mr. J.M. Wolfe back east to raise funds for the independence effort. Dickinson was apparently the secretary of the group, and was one of the first medical doctors to reach Velasco in December 1835. Dr. Sam met with Austin in Philadelphia and perhaps again in New York. He is believed to have recruited men for Fannin's army in New Orleans and brought them back to Texas to fight signing a pact with them on board ship to fight for the Republic. It is unclear how successful he was as a fundraiser, but in early 1836 he was granted a parcel of land in Brazoria. However, he moved to the southern Dewitt colony/Lavaca county area between old Clinton on the Guadalupe River and Sweet Home/Hallettsville. When the Native war whoop came down the Guadalupe Valley in 1842 and with the threat of a new Mexican invasion, he took Caroline and his family to Austin County where he bought 400 acres of land from Jared Groce near Hempstead. He soon pulled up stakes and moved to east Texas at Marshall where he bought land and helped found the First Methodist Church. He hired attorney Isaac Van Zandt to try to recover his promised expenses from Texas for his fundraising travels back east. H may have gotten some compensation ($300) about 1856 from the State. After returning to DeWitt County in about 1847, he lived around Sweet Home and Hallettsville into the late 1850's when he purchased a ranch between Terryville and Yoakum. He was a circuit rider preacher and may have run for political office in the late 1850's. Dr. Sam died about 1881 and was buried at the Hebron cemetery at old Terryville. His wife, Caroline, lived until 1926 and being the oldest person in Texas when she died at age 107 and was buried at the County Line Cemetery (north of Terryville) on land donated by the Dickinsons. The old Dickinson ranch immediately east of the County Line cemetery was still owned by the Dickinson family in the mid 1990's. The Dickinsons had more than 10 children and left many descendants. At Terryville, the Goodes, Hargroves, Greenes, Davises and many other old families were among kinfolk and friends. Dr. Sam's son, Preston buried at Hebron served in the Confederate service at Fort Esperanza south of Port Lavaca and then moved to action in Galveston when the Yankees advanced up the coast. He contracted pneumonia and lasted only a couple of years after the war. Information from Jim Skelton, 2nd greatgrandson of Preston Dickinson.

Samuel married Caroline Elizabeth Kinnison in 1840 in of Austin,, Texas. Caroline (daughter of Nathaniel Kinnson and Lidia Stots) was born on 7 Nov 1818 in Jefferson County, Mississippi; died on 29 Apr 1926 in Terryville, DeWitt, Texas, United States; was buried in County Line Cemetery, DeWitt, Texas, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• FSID: KJ43-RTW
• Reference Number: 6686

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 6693

Nathaniel married Lidia Stots on 1 Oct 1817 in Franklin, Mississippi. Lidia (daughter of Sylvester Stotts) was born on 20 Oct 1800 in Wilkinson, Mississippi; died on 22 Mar 1867 in Mt Carmel Ceme, Hamburg, , Mississippi. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 6694