Dickson, William R.

DICKSON

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/28/2021 at 23:52:25

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.684

WILLIAM R. DICKSON
W. R Dickson, residing within half a mile of the village of Norwalk, is one of the prominent farmers, stock-raisers and public men of Greenfield Township, having resided in this county since 1864 and on his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres since 1897. He was born in Scotland on the 11th of August, 1851 the son of Robert and Isabelle (Robertson) Dickson, both of whom were natives of Scotland, where they lived for some years after their marriage. They came to America in 1857 or 1858, and the father sought work on a farm near Toronto, Canada. There they remained for seven years, but, ever ambitious of owning a home of their own, in 1864 they removed to Warren County, Iowa, where Robert Dickson bought fifty acres of land, which he converted into a good farm and here he spent the remainder of his life, passing away in 1898, at the age of seventy-two years. The mother of our subject died in 1894, aged sixty-eight years. They were the parents of seven children, four of whom reached the years of maturity.
W. R. Dickson spent the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof up to the time when he was eighteen years of age, when he branched out for himself. For four years he worked on farms by the month. He then went to eastern California, where he engaged in cutting cordwood, remaining there for about three and a half years. Not satisfied, however, to make that his permanent home he returned to Warren County, where he bought eighty acres of land in Linn Township.
On March 1, 1877, he was married to Miss Margaret Pilmer, daughter of David Pilmer and a native of this county. The young couple made their home on the above eighty, residing there continuously for eleven years. At the expiration of this period they sold their home place, and Mr. Dickson took charge of a farm of four hundred and twenty acres in Greenfield Township, belonging to his wife's father. He operated this farm for eight years and then bought his present home, consisting of one hundred acres at first, but since he has bought sixty acres additional, so that he now owns one hundred and sixty acres of good land, on which he has erected a new house, two good barns and all the necessary buildings for the shelter of his grain and stock. The place is well fenced and well tiled, Mr. Dickson being among the first to put in tile, which very much enhanced the value of his farm. In addition to general farming he feeds and raises cattle, shipping four or five carloads a year. He also raises some hogs.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dickson have been born two children: Margie, the first born, is the wife of J. A. Wright, a contractor residing at Odessa, Washington. They have one child, Alice M. John Pilmer, the second child, died at the age of four years.
Mr. Dickson takes quite an active and prominent part in public affairs and has served as trustee of Greenfield Township for four terms and is now serving his second term as township committeeman. In national politics he votes the Republican ticket, but in the affairs of local government he is independent, supporting the men and measures which he deems most worthy of support. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Norwalk, in which lodge he holds the office of noble grand. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and has held various offices in that order. He is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, of Summerset, Scotch Ridge. It will be seen from the foregoing sketch that Mr. Dickson has spent nearly his whole life in this county, where he has watched with keen interest the improvements going on about him and has had the satisfaction of knowing that he has contributed in no small degree to the growth and prosperity of the community. He enjoys an extensive acquaintanceship throughout the county, as well as in Indianola, Norwalk and Des Moines.