Ives Family History Blog

Dickerman Ancestry, Additum for Thomas (___-1657) Part Two - by David Allen Lower

This is a continuation of the work of David Allen Lower on Thomas Dickerman. Part One was posted yesterday.

Thomas Dickerman - Marriages and Children

While Thomas is a reasonably common name in England in the 16th and 17th Centuries, the surname Dickerman is exceptional by its absence from almost every record now in existence. Four marriage and christening entries for Thomas Dickerman are found in various repositories, two in London and one in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. In chronological order:

Marriage to Elizabeth Simms :
Thomas Dickerman m. Elizabeth Simms
Parrish: St. George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey
Date: 14 Jun 1613
No further entries.
[Note: Searched St. George the Martyr records from 1602 (earliest known to exist) thru 1635 Marriages, Christenings and Burials finding only one entry for a DICKERMAN: the marriage of Thomas to Elizabeth Sims 14 Jun 1613. Also found no Hannah XXX christened 1620 - 1623 having an identified father; however, there were Hannahs without family name entry.]

Marriage to Marie Eustaire or Eustice :
Thomas Dickerman m. Marie Eustaire or Eustace
Parish: Saint Clement Danes, London, ENGLAND
Date: 3 Nov 1622
[note: • Spelling of the last name in the marriage record is difficult to discern even though the recording is in good condition and written in a large hand.]

Marriage to Elenor Whittington :
“marriage - Anno 1631 The 20th of October wed Thomas DICKERMAN & Elenor WHITTINGTON”
Parish: Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, ENGLAND
Date: 20 Oct 1631
[note: Little Missendon, Buckinghamshire [was shown original ink on velum] Parish Record entry viewed at County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP20 1UA, England by DAL [15 Nov 1996] found:
• Curiously another marriage the same day (there were only about 3 marriages that year at Little Missendon) showing Nathaniel Dell and Jane Britnel.
• The original record is in poor condition and bound such that the right ends of the entries are difficult to read. A photostat of the microfilm copy is in DAL library.

Thomas Dickerman - Early Life

I have not yet verified by direct access the original documents for the following two leads:

A. web source: < http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mbfriedlander/tanner.html>
THOMAS1 DICKERMAN was christened at Mears Shelby School, Norwich, Norfolkshire, England, 11 March 1605, and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts 3 February 1658. ………”

And B.
A lead to George Dickerman, the probable father of Thomas Dickerman, and an (adopted?) brother, Abraham, is found in the work of Paul W, Prindle: Ancestry of Elizabeth Barrett Gillespie [hereinafter Gillespie]. The following is a reproduction of part of [Gillespie], page 108:
“DICKERMAN
1. GEORGE DICKERMAN of Marston Morteyne, Bedfordshire, England, died about 1615, leaving a widow named Alice [possibly SAUNDERS] George Dickerman was called “deceased, cook” in a 1619 pleading by his widow and Thomas Dickerman, their “natural son”. At that time the term “natural son” was used in the sense of “by nature or blood” as opposed to “adopted son” (Public Records Office, Court of Requests, James I, XXXII, Part 2). George and Alice Dickerman had two known children:
i. Thomas Dickerman, eldest son. ii. Abraham Dickerman. In 1620 he was living in a section known as “Streetside west from the Axe Gate” in the parish of St. eorge, Southwark, Surrey (Public Records Office, Lay Subsidy, 186/407). Southwark is across the River Thames from London.

2. THOMAS DICKERMAN, son of George (1) Dickerman and his wife, Alice, was apprenticed to a London tailor. On 20 October 1631 Thomas Dickerman and Elinor Whittington were married, the ceremony being recorded in the parish register at Little Missendon, Buckinghamshire, the county west of and contiguous with Bedfordshire.

Two of America’s most eminent genealogists, Donald Lines Jacobus and Col. Charles E. Banks, had no doubt that the Thomas Dickerman of this 1631 marriage was the one of that name who later settled at Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony; and Col. Banks considered Elinor to have probably been the daughter of John Whittington and Margaret Hill, who were married 12 October 1601 at Amersham, only a few miles from Little Missendon (The American Genealogist, 26:165-7). ………”

Notes

10 Banks, Charles Edward, TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY of 2885 ENGLISH EMIGRANTS, Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co., 1957, pg. 168; original publication much earlier

11 notes and manuscripts are held by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA

12 Saint George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey, ENGLAND, Parish Records on microfilm at London Metropolitan Archives (formerly Greater London Record Office), 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HB, viewed by DAL 20-11-1996

13 Saint Clement Danes, Westminster, London, ENGLAND; Parish Records microfilm reviewed by DAL at Westminster Archives, Address: City of Westminster Archives Centre, 10 St Ann's Street, London SW1P 2DE (11-11-1996) found:
1) marriage to Marie EUSTAIRE [spelling uncertain] on 3 November 1622, and
2) christening 27 Apr 1623 of Thomas DICKERMAN son of Tho and Marie [original corrected by early hand from Susan before microfilming] his wife.

14 Little Missendon, Buckinghamshire [was shown original ink on velum] Parish Record entry viewed at County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP20 1UA, England by DAL [15 Nov 1996]

15 Paul W. Prindle, Ancestry of Elizabeth Barrett Gillespie, New York, New York Public Library, 1976 (copy at Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse, NY – photocopy in DAL files)

Dickerman Ancestry, Additum for Thomas (___-1657) Part One - by David Allen Lower

Here is some excellent research on the Dickerman family produced by David Allen Lower of Baldwinsville, NY. The follwoing is copyrighted in his name and appears here by permission of the author. Part Two appears tomorrow.

Abstract

The "Dickerman Ancestry", published in 1897, is an excellent genealogical work chronicling many of the descendents of Thomas Dickerman (___-1657), immigrant to Dorchester, Massachusetts from England about 1635. Recently uncovered English archives add substantially to the birth, marriage and family record of Thomas.

This additum to the Dickerman Ancestry indicates two wives taken by Thomas in England prior to his known wife and immigrant companion Elenor or Ellen (Whittington). We find his first child, a daughter Hannah not previously connected with Thomas, born of his first wife Elizabeth Sims. We confirm his first son, Thomas (Jr.), was born of his second wife, Marie Eustaire. The last three sons, Abraham, Isaac and John, are then confirmed to be born of Elenor. Hannah, not mentioned in the Dickerman Ancestry, is first found at New Haven, CT, married 1st to William Ives and 2nd .to Dr. William Bassett. These revelations begin to untangle a multitude of improper notations in the greater genealogical database with respect to Thomas Dickerman and his immediate family.

Further evidence is put forth that while Thomas Dickerman was "of St. Georges Parish, Southwark, Surrey" (as stated by Banks), he was married (1st ) at St. Georges, married (2nd ) and son Thomas christened at Saint Clements Danes, London (across London Bridge from St. Georges), and married (3rd ) at Little Missendon, Buckinghamshire. He may have been the son of George Dickerman "of Marston Morteyne, Bedfordshire", and may have had a younger brother Abraham living in St. Georges, Southwark about 1620. He also may have been christened at the Mears Shelby School, Norwich, Norfolkshire, in 1605.

Accepted Genealogical Information

The Dickerman Ancestry of 1897 is the earliest and best-known assemblage of genealogical information on Thomas Dickerman (___-1657). The authors, E. D. and G. S. Dickerman, neither knew nor speculated on Thomas's birth or early life, and stated they had "……diligently searched, both in this country and in England, but without success." They did opine on the origin of the sirname Dickerman, suggesting it to be "German" , but offered no proof.

The earliest fact found and recorded by E. D. and G. S. Dickerman was dated January 1637, wherein Thomas is shown to be at Dorchester, one of one hundred and four names listed for apportioned lands. On the "Seaventh day of the Twelfth monthe in the yeare 1641" Thomas Dickerman's signature was entered among seventy-one signers conveying land to the town of Dorchester. It is interesting to note the replicated signature and the author's remark on its clarity and large size; this signature will later prove nearly the same as those which were found in signed documents with earlier dates.

At the time of the Dickerman Ancestry publication, 1897/Supl.1922, hard genealogical data for Thomas was slim . The time and place of Thomas's marriage was unknown, as was his parentage and that of his (as it turns out - 3rd) wife. No prior wives were known. No daughter (first child) was known. For his early named children, their birth, marriage and spousal information was lacking.

E. D. and G. S. Dickerman struggled most with Thomas (Jr.) son of Thomas Dickerman. They could find no direct link to Thomas and noted that Thomas (Jr.) was consistently identified with Malden, Massachusetts in the materials available to them. They do note, however, that the name of Dickerman is "too unusual, not only in the colonies, but in England, to think of……different families." They did find one deposition of 1658 which lists Thomas (Jr.) as "aged about 35" . This would suggest Thomas (Jr.) was born about 1623. As we will see below, this corresponds well with a record of Thomas (Jr.)'s christening on 27 Apr 1623 at St. Clement Danes, Westminster with Thomas recorded as his father.

Research by Col. Charles Edward Banks in the 1930's is of interest; Thomas Dickerman is cited in his table of 2885 emigrants along with some limited information. The listing contains only the name, Thomas Dickerman, the parish from which he emigrated - St. Georges, Southwark, the year in which he emigrated - 1620, and his destination - New York. The year and destination is of great interest to me in that Thomas could have first taken a voyage in 1620 as reported by Banks, and could have previewed New York for the later voyage that year of the Pilgrims, subsequently blown off course while set for New York and landing in Massachusetts.

This set of entries prompted my search in and around London for Thomas Dickerman, leading to the revelations detailed below. Sources for Bank's entries are not disclosed and I have yet to review directly his manuscripts and notes , which may yield other original documents.

Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants, Banks, Charles Edward, reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1957; the complete entry is-
From: SURREY
Passenger Name: Thomas DICKERMAN
Ships Name: none
English Parish Name: Southwark (S.George)
New England Town: Dorchester
Various Ref: Charles E. Banks Mss. in Library of Congress
[Note: this no longer refers to New York as destination, or the year 1620.]

Notes

(1) Dickerman, Edward Dwight and Dickerman, George Sherwood, FAMILIES OF DICKERMAN ANCESTRY Descendants of THOMAS DICKERMAN an early settler of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Hardcover, 650 pages, published New Haven, The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Press, 1897
And (2) Supplement of same author and title, Papercover, 47 pages + charts, published New Haven, The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Press, 1922.

2 Ibid Dickerman, page 4.

3 Ibid Dickerman, page 4, para 2.

4 Ibid Dickerman, page 5, para 4.

5 All dates are presented as recorded in the original, referenced document. No correction is made even when apparent.

6 Ibid Dickerman, page 6, para 6.

7 Ibid Dickerman, page 17, para 1.

8 Ibid Dickerman, page 13, para 2.

9 Ibid Dickerman, page 13, para 3.

Continued Tomorrow in Part Two.

Updates on Thomas Dickerman (1597? – 1657)

I recently received from David Allen Lower of Baldwinsville, New York, some well researched notes on Thomas Dickerman (1597? - 1657), father of Abraham Dickerman (1634 - 1711). His work is published in two parts over the next two days. Here are the links to Dickerman Ancestry, Additum for Thomas (___-1657)Part One and Part Two. His work clarifies a number of things. First, Thomas married three times, and Ellen Whittington was his third wife. His first son, Thomas, was born in his second marriage to Marie Eustaire or Eustice. This explains why there was no record of Thomas in Little Missenden where Thomas married Ellen Whittington. The work of Daviod Allen Lower on the Dickermans follows in the next two posts. He was kind enough to allow the full document to be posted on this blog which is much appreciated.

Second, it becomes possible that he might have had a daughter Hannah, by his first marriage to Elizabeth Simms but there is not proof. This early marriage just makes it possible that he had a daughter by that name who was old enough to marry William Ives.

I have written the following as part of my research report on who might be William Ives wife in my post, Who was William Ives' Wife? Part Six:

“The Dickerman genealogy authors could not find any information on Thomas and Ellen Dickerman in England; the only exception is the listing of the births of their two oldest sons in 1623 (Thomas) and 1634 (Abraham). The common assumption on many Web sites is that Thomas and Ellen were married in 1621. However, the church records in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire indicate that Thomas Dickerman and Ellen Whittington were married on October 10, 1631. This date is found in both the 1911 publication of marriages in Little Missenden and the original handwritten record (42). While the printed version of Little Missenden parish records only includes marriages, the original handwritten version also includes christenings and burials. However, the handwriting for the years 1620-1635 is much harder to read for christenings than marriages, and some of the pages are damaged.

It was not possible for me to determine with certainty if the christening of Thomas, Abraham, or Hannah is listed or not listed. However, if not listed here, they also could have been christened in another parish for a variety of reasons. It is also possible that the date for the birth of Thomas was actually 1633, not 1623 but there is no primary evidence for either date. The birth dates of his children (1653-1668), at least make this 1633 birth date plausible (43). Thomas, the younger, also could have been the child of a prior marriage or relationship for either Thomas or Ellen. The same could be said for Hannah, if she existed. What is clear is that Hannah Dickerman could not have been born during the 1631 marriage of Thomas and Ellen Dickerman and then produced the first child of William Ives in 1642.”

Thanks to the work of David Allen Lower we have some answers to these questions, especially about Thomas Dickerman, half brother of Abraham. It also provides some circumstantial evidence for Thomas having a daughter Hannah Dickerman by his first marriage as there were some Hannahs listed in the birth records without a family attribution in the right time and place. Here are the details that David found in church records:

Thomas Dickerman married. Elizabeth Simms
Parrish: St. George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey
Date: 14 Jun 1613
[Note: Searched St. George the Martyr records from 1602 (earliest known to exist) thru 1635 and found no Hannah XXX christened 1620 - 1623 having an identified father; however, there were Hannahs without family name entry.]

Thomas Dickerman married Marie Eustaire or Eustace
Parish: Saint Clement Danes, London, ENGLAND
Date: 3 Nov 1622 - and christening 27 Apr 1623 of Thomas DICKERMAN son of Thomas and Marie

Thomas Dickerman Elenor Whittington :
Parish: Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, ENGLAND
Date: 20 Oct 1631

I also found the last marriage in the original church records but first learned about the two marriages from David. This new information is much appreciated and is gathering information like this is one of the main reasons I started this blog.

Thomas Dickerman (1597 - 1657)

Thomas Dickerman was born about 1597, perhaps in Southwark, Surrey, England, son of Thomas Dickerman, born in Buckingham, England about 1571. He married Ellen Whittington on October 10, 1631, in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England. She was the daughter of John Whittington and Margaret Hill. Ellen was born on 1603 in England and died in Dorchester, MA. He first appears in the annuals of the Dorchester church in 1636.

Thomas is listed as a freeman in March 14, 1638/39. He is named in the 1637 division of land in Dorchester where he received on the neck: 3 acres, 1 quarter and 17 rods and on the cow pasture: 3 acres, 2 quarters and 17 rods. In April 1, 1640, he was formally given one and a half acre that had not been formally granted. In Dec. 7, 1641, the Dorchester settlers agreed to support a free public school through land conveyed to the town, the first town known to do so, and Thomas Dickerman was one of the 71 signers of this agreement. The town had tried to support the school through a direct tax in 1639 but this proved too difficult to collect.

On March 1, 1646 he witnessed the will of John Pratt of Dorchester and he took the inventory of the estate with Will Clarke on Nov. 3, 1647. In 1651 the town granted Thomas seven shillings for timber used in the meeting house. Thomas died on June 11, 1657 in Dorchester, MA and was buried in Malden, MA. An inventory of his goods and estate was taken by John Capen and Will Clarke and is recorded in Suffolk County and deposed to his widow in Nov. 25, 1657. The list of goods suggest that he was a tailor and a farmer. His estate was valued at 235 pds, 11 shillings, 4 pence with land in Dorchester and Boston Neck.

The Dorchester property was on the west side of the highway just before it crossed Roxbury brook, the boundary between Dorchester and Roxbury, ground lying (in 1897 – as recorded in Dickerman genealogy) on Dudley Street between North Avenue and Brook Avenue. After Thomas died, Ellen married John Bullard. In July 14, 1663, the Dorchester church recorded her dismissal to go to the church of Medfield, the town of her new husband. Thomas and Ellen had four sons. There is also a claim by some that they had a daughter Hannah but there is no evidence for this.

1. Thomas born about 1623 (or 1633?) in England and he died in 1685 in Malden, MA. He first married Elizabeth Smith (1625-1671) by 1653 in Malden. They had at least four and perhaps seven children, the last three listed are not confirmed: Sarah (1653*-1654), Lydia (1655*-1680), Thomas (1657*-1658), Hannah (1659*-1706), Mary (1660-1737/38), John (1666-1729), Elizabeth (1668-). After Elizabeth died in 1671, he remarried and had one daughter: Anna (1674*-).

2. Abraham born 1634 in England and died Nov. 2, 1711 in Branford, CT and is buried there. Abraham married Mary Cooper on Dec. 2, 1658 in New Haven. She was born on Aug. 5, 1640 in New Haven, the daughter of John Cooper and Mary Woolen (see Cooper family), and died Jan. 4, 1705/06. They had nine children: Mary (1659 – 1728), Sarah (1661), Sarah (1663-1735), Hannah (1665 – 1708), Ruth (1668 – 1725), Abigail (1670 – 1752), Abraham (1673 – 1748), Issac (1677 – 1758), Rebeccah (1679 – 1757). All were born in New Haven. His son, Issac, was a deacon in the New Haven church and was also a captain in the militia (Hartley, 1959). His daughter, Mary, married Samuel Bassett (see Bassett family) on June 21, 1677.

3. Issac Dickerman, born Dec. 1637* in Dorchester, MA (baptism recorded in church records), died 1726 in Boston.

4. John Dickerman, born Oct. 29, 1644 in Dorchester, MA (baptism recorded in church records), died young.

Abraham Dickerman (1634 - 1711) Part Two

This continues the story of Abraham Dickerman started yesterday.

Some time before 1648, New Haven authorized an “ordinary” or authorized inn and made this the only place where wine or strong drink could be sold. The first manager, William Andrews found the inn unprofitable and gave it up to John Harriman who managed it from 1649 to 1671. John then declined to manage it any longer. The town wanted him to continue but he declined. So at the next town meeting on June 26, 1671, the town voted to have Abraham Dickerman manage the inn. He consented to on a trial basis but found the business unsatisfactory like the others. He gave notice to lay down the business in 1675 but then town could not find another person and his arrangement continued for five more years. The town meeting records states, “April 27, 1680, Abraham Dickerman did again give notice of his purpose to leave off keeping the ordinary, and did not see a course taken to settling of another in that work; but did desire it might not be offensive if he left it off, which he did intend to do.”

Abraham and Mary had nine children, all born in New Haven:

1. Mary, born about 1659, died in 1728. She married Samuel Bassett (see Bassett family for continuation of line). They had 10 children: Mary (1679-1751), Phebe (1681-), Abiah (1684-1760), Samuel (1685/86-1744), John (1689/90-1726), Abraham (1692-1755), Martha (1695-1756), Amos (1697-1751), Ebenezer (1700-1722), Thankful (1702-1787). (see Basset family for more on Abraham Bassett and his siblings)

2. Sarah (1661), died young.

3. Sarah, born on April 28, 1663*, died in 1735. She married Nathaniel Sperry (1656*-1735) on Oct. 2, 1683*. They had eleven children: Sarah (1685*-), Rachel (1688*-), Rebecca (1690*-), Lydia (1694*-), Nathaniel (1695*-1751*), Abram (?) (1698-died young), Caleb - twin (1700*-), Joshua - twin (1700*-1777), Hannah (1702*-1755), Enos (1705*-1756), Thankful (1708*-).

4. Hannah, March 5, 1665*, died in 1708. She married Caleb Chidsey (1661*-1712/13), on July 2, 1693* in New Haven, his second wife. They had four children: Daniel (1695*-1716), Caleb (1697*-1785), Abraham (1699*-1761), Mary (1701*-1770).

5. Ruth, born April 5, 1668*, died in 1725. She married Nathaniel Bradley (1660*-1743*) on 1687/88. After she died he married Mercy Mansfield (1667-1745), the widow of John Thompson. Ruth and Nathaniel had five children: James (1688*-1769*), Ruth (1690*-1717*), Abigail (1694*-1732*), Miriam (1698*-1741), Nathaniel (1701-1745/46*).

6. Abigail, born Sept. 26, 1670*, died in 1752. She married Ebenezer Sperry (1663*-1738) on Jan. 21, 1689*. They had nine children: Abigail (1690*-), Ebenezer (1692*-), Ruth (1695*-1773), Dennis (1697*-1762), Abraham (1701*-1750), Issac (1703*-1752), Jacob (1705*-1760), Amos (1708*-1798), Sarah (1712*-1798).

7. Abraham, born June 14, 1673*, died in 1748. He first married Elizabeth Glover (1676-1742) on Jan. 6, 1697/98* in New Haven, then he married Susannah Hotchkiss (1678-1766) (widow of Joseph Hotchkiss). Abraham and Elizabeth had eight children: Abraham (1698*-1743), John (1701*-1722), Mary (1703*-1760), Elizabeth (1706*-), Hannah (1709*-1777), Joseph (1712-1777), Sarah (1716*-1759), Daniel (1719*-).

8. Issac, born Nov. 7, 1677*, died in 1758. He first married Mary Atwater (1686*-1753), sister of Ruth, on June 30, 1709* in New Haven. Then he married Elizabeth Alling 1691*-1767) (widow of John Morris). Issac, was a deacon in the New Haven church and was also a captain in the militia (Hartley, 1959). Issac and Mary had ten children: Issac (1711*), Samuel (1712*), Ruth (1712*-1752), Issac (7114*-1740), Samuel (7116*-1760), Jonathan (1719*-1795), Stephen (1721*-1779), Mary (1723*-1807), Rebecca (1726*-1768), Abigail (1728*-1798).

9. Rebeccah, born Feb. 27, 1679*, died in 1757. She married Issac Foote (1672-1758), a medical doctor. It is unclear if they had children

Abraham Dickerman (1634 - 1711) Part One

Abraham Dickerman was the son of Thomas Dickerman (1597 - 1657). he was born about 1634 in England and died Nov. 2, 1711 in Branford, CT and is buried there. He came with his family as a two-three year old in 1636-1637 to Boston. Abraham married Mary Cooper on Dec. 2, 1658 in Dorchester, MA and they soon moved to New Haven. Mary was born on Aug. 5, 1640 in New Haven, the daughter of John Cooper and Mary Woolen (see Cooper family), and died Jan. 4, 1705/06.

Abraham and Mary established there home in New Haven and were given considerable property from her father. His dowry to them stated, “in consideration of my fatherly love and affection unto my loving daughter Mary Dickerman, have formerly sometime in or about a the year 1659 given, granted, and made over and do now by these presents, fully, freely and absolutely, by way of deed of gift in way of portion to my said daughter Mary Dickerman, give, grant…and confirm unto Lt. Abraham Dickerman of New Haven aforesaid, certain parcels of land all lieing within the township of the said New Haven…”

On Feb. 7, 1664, Abraham purchased three acres of land from Thomas Meeks that was formerly owned by Nathaniel Turner. Thomas Meeks had received it as part of his wife’s portion of the Turner estate. He attended the January 7, 1666 town meeting. On April 17, 1668, Abraham bought a house on the corner of Church and Elm Streets diagonally across from the green. In 1669 he made a selectman, along with his father-in-law. He held this role for the next thirty one years, with the exception of four years. In the Feb. 13, 1670 town meeting he was chosen “pounder,” along with John Cooper, for the Governor quarter and the Cooper quarter along with the corn field in between.

In September 9, 1678, the town meeting appointed him, along with William Peck and John Chidsey, to collect the minister’s maintenance fee for the year of three pence on the pound. He was granted 49 ¾ acres in the third division of land in 1680. In 1683 he was chosen deputy to the Connecticut General Assembly and re-elected until 1696. In October 1683, was made a Lieutenant of the New Haven militia under Moses Mansfield, Captain. He was selected, along with John Cooper and others to lay out the boundaries of the new settlement in Wallingford and in 1669 he was part of a committee that included John Humiston, to manage the affairs of the settlement. In June 10, 1685, was appointed member of a committee to obtain a patent on the bounds of New Haven which was granted in 1685 and renewed in 1704. Abraham is included in the list of freeman in New Haven in 1685, along with Joseph Ives and others (NEGHR, vol. 1, pp. 157–8).

Abraham was involved in a number of estates. He took the inventory of the estates of: Mary Alling (widow) on Sept. 11, 1683 with Moses Mansfield, John Davenport, his New Haven estate, on June 27, 1687 with Moses Mansfield, John Ponderson Sr. on March 15, 1680 with John Winston, Sr., Thomas Powell on Sept. 29, 1681 with John Cooper, James Russell on Feb 2, 1673 with William Bradley, Mary Russell (widow) on Sept. 9, 1674 with William Bradley, Thomas Yale, Sr. on May 7, 1683 with Moses Mansfield, Samuel Miles on Jan. 29, 1678 with John Chidesy,. He was also the overseer of the estate of William Bassett along with John Cooper. On Dec. 6, 1681 he witnessed the will of John Harriman, Sr. with John Ball and on June 30, 1687 he witnessed the will of John Nash with John Alling, Thomas Talmadge, and Joseph Mosse, on Mar. 25, 1686 he witnessed the will of Christopher Todd with John Cooper, Sr. Abraham is listed on May 23, 1659/60 as one of a number of people owed money by the estate of Mahalaleel Munnigs in Dorchester.

Part Two will post tomorrow and covers the rest of his life and his children.

Dickerman Family History in Early CT and MA

This post begins a series on Dickerman family genealogy. While there remains much uncertainty about the existence of Hannah Dickerman and her relationship to William Ives, it is well documented that Mary Dickerman (1659 – 1728) married Samuel Bassett (1654 – 1716), the grandfather of Hannah Bassett (1739 – 1803) who married Jeremiah Ives on June 7, 1768 in Hamden-New Haven area (see upcoming Bassett family posts and already posted Ives bios). So there is a definite connection between the Ives family and both the Dickerman and Bassett families in early New Haven.

After Jeremiah and Hannah moved to West Springfield, MA prior to 1790, the Dickerman family continued to live in the New Haven area. In the 1790 US Census, there were 10 male Dickermans listed as heads of households in Hamden, CT, along with 2 males as heads of household in New Haven town but none in North Haven. Prior to this, between 1647 and 1754 in the New Haven records there were forty-four births recorded in the Dickerman family in the New Haven area.

I will now look at Abraham and Thomas Dickerman who are related through marriage to Jeremiah Ives. They are thus ancesters to the descendents Jermiah and his wife Hannah Bassestt Ives. After the Dickermans I will look at the Yale family in New Haven and England