Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 303
WILLIAM DICKINSON

William DICKINSON, a farmer of section 6, Union Township, has been a resident of Harrison County since the spring of 1865. He was born in Clark County, Ohio, and remained there until eight years of age, when he accompanied his parents to Southern Michigan, where he helped his father clear up a farm from out the big woods, and among other impressive incidents was the time when he was bitten by a rattlesnake, which came near causing his death. He was confined to his room for about six months, and so delirious was he that a part of the time he did not know his own mother. He remained in the Wolverine State until 1865, when he came to Iowa. He is a son of Richard and Saphrona DICKINSON, whose personal sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Our subject was one of four children�William, James, Amanda and Isaiah.

Our subject was married in the autumn of 1861 to Lina CARRIER, the daughter of Elias and Rosetta CARRIER, who had eight children, of whom our subject's wife was the fourth. The children were in the following order: Frank, Charles, Rosetta, deceased, Lina, Albert, Mary, deceased, Edwin, Salina. The parents were natives of New York.

Mr. and Mrs. DICKINSON are the parents of four children � Saphona, deceased, born in 1862; Charles, October 31, 1864; Frank, June 26, 1869; Lillie, February 21, 1875.

Upon coming to this county our subject commenced housekeeping in a small log cabin, fashioned by his own ingenuity, the same being provided with a rough board floor, one-half of the roof being covered with shingles, while the other was covered with boards. In this pioneer castle he lived for five years. His first place consisted of thirty three acres, which he finally sold to his brother, and bought a forty acre tract on section 19, but afterwards traded with his brother and obtained his old place, to which he has since added forty acres, which makes his present farm contain one hundred and seventeen acres, eighty-two of which are improved, while the remainder is in timber. The farm is all fenced, and contains good buildings. In 1885 a hailstorm injured his entire crop, but it was at a time of the year when corn was very small, so that it matured into about one-half of a crop.

Politically, our worthy subject believes in the great principles of the Democratic party; he exercises his right of franchise by casting his ballot with this political party.

In religious matters he and his estimable wife believe in the generally accepted faith of the Christian Church.

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