Newsletter

VOLUME XII, NUMBER 4

A Message from the DFA Board

Greetings to all members of the Dickinson Family Association.   We hope that your summer has been enjoyable.   This fall newsletter gives us the opportunity to review some of the recent activities of the association and report some upcoming ones.

The 2015 reunion, held in Amherst Massachusetts on June19 & 20 went very well and was attended by 85 DFA members.  The Friday evening dinner at the Lord Jeffery Inn was a great time for about 30 of us to see old friends, meet new ones and spend some enjoyable time in conversation.  It was more time than anticipated, due to the slow service that evening, but only a few of the officers seemed overly concerned.

On Saturday, the Emily Dickinson Museum provided several opportunities for our members to view the two houses, both inside and out.  The current major project, restoration of Emily Dickinson’s bedroom, was nearing completion and it was fascinating to see that.  The major thing missing was the wallpaper which arrived and was installed in August, and in September the project was complete and has been delighting recent visitors.

Our own activities included a power point presentation by cousin Patricia Vitale from Maryland, a delicious buffet lunch catered by Amherst College, and our main speaker, Eric Johnson, representing the group of archaeologists who had recently completed a “field school” at the museum.  It was fascinating to hear what they had done, how they operated, and the information one can derive about the lives of the Dickinson family in the days when Emily lived.   Among other results, their work will help make possible one of the next major projects the museum will undertake, that of rebuilding the conservatory once attached to the south side of the east wing, in the front of the homestead.

The business meeting was conducted by president Andrew Dickinson and included the usual “counting of the cousins” and prizes to three attendees: the oldest, the youngest and the farthest travelled.  Our scholarship recipient was present and took a few minutes to tell us a little about herself and her college plans.  When it came time for election of officers however this year we were confronted with several vacancies due to the very recent resignations of our president, publications treasurer and secretary.   The remaining officers were elected and the board began plans for an October meeting and work on filling the vacancies.  It is anticipated that at that meeting there will be some “acting” officers appointed as well as a “transition team” to lead the association through the coming year.

During the past summer, plans for next year’s reunion have started to be formed.  You can read about them elsewhere in this newsletter.  On our website you can read more details on the 2015 reunion and a listing of the current executive board.   Sales of our publications have been temporarily suspended, but when a new or acting publications treasurer is in place they will resume, hopefully soon.

Thank you all for your patience and have a wonderful autumn!

Alan Dickinson,

for the DFA Board

REUNION 2016 The Old Connecticut Path The Old Connecticut Path was used by Nathaniel Dickinson, family and friends to reach their new home in Wethersfield, CT. The current plans are for the 2016 reunion to be held on Saturday, June 18 at a location in Connecticut at or near the path, perhaps South Windsor, CT. The exact location and details are being developed. Our speaker Jason Newton, a descendant of Connecticut settlers, researched and documented the Old Connecticut Path. There will be a gathering of cousins for dinner on Friday evening, June 17. Come, meet with your cousins, share your stories and learn about  Nathaniel’s travels to his new home. 
DICKINSON EVENTS IN ESSEX, CT           The Essex Historical Society is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a series of events related to the renowned E.E. Dickinson of Witch Hazel fame.  Two of these have already taken place by the time you receive this newsletter, although you should all have received notification by e-mail in late summer.          
SEPTEMBER 13, 2015          A “stroll” through 5 buildings formerly owned by the E.E. Dickinson company.  The famous white-columned home of E.E. himself plus three other buildings some of which have been converted to homes, were open to visitors, as well as the former office building of the company, now occupied by Wells Fargo Advisors.  There were society members in each building to answer questions and beverages and light refreshments were served.  The 4-7pm event was a benefit for the Essex Historical Society.          
OCTOBER 18, 2015     The annual antique auto show including a tour of Dickinson business and family sites.          
JANUARY 24, 2016      A program with speaker on the topic: Creating the E.E. Dickinson National Brand.  This will be held at the former Dickinson Corporate Offices, 31 North Main Street, Essex.          
MAY 15, 2016     Dedication of the refurbished Yellow Label Building with a tour of the Dickinson Witch Hazel Plant.          Read more at the website of the historical society, www.essexhistory.org or call (860) 767-0681. 
CORRECT ENGLISH ORIGINS OF NATHANIEL DICKINSON AVAILABLE * “The Correct English Origins of Nathaniel Dickinson and William Gull, Settlers of Wethersfield and Hadley” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 152, April 1998. Copies of the article can be ordered from the publication: New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116 

                      A MESSAGE FROM OUR GENEALOGIST

Many, many thanks go out to our retiring Dickinson Genealogist Adrienne Weible for a good job, well done!    Please welcome Rebecca Passa as our new Dickinson Genealogist.  You may send your births, marriages and death announcements to Becky at rlpassa99@gmail.com

E-MAIL CHANGES REQUESTED We know e-mail addresses change frequently and it is easy to forget to update them.  So if you plan to change your e-mail address we would greatly appreciate your sending the new one to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at bethL0719@sbcglobal.netIf this newsletter was sent to an e-mail address that will soon be obsolete, please let us know.
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VOLUME XII, NUMBER 3

Annual Reunion, 2015
Emily Dickinson Museum
Amherst, MA

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

            5 PM               Open Board Meeting, Lord Jeffery Inn, Amherst MA

            6 PM               Social Hour, Lord Jeffery Inn

            7 PM               Dinner, Lord Jeffery Inn

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015

            9:00, 9:15, 10:00, 10:15 AM   Museum Tours (requires pre-registration)

            9:30 – 11:00    Gathering of the Cousins

            11:00 AM        Welcome; Patricia Vitale’s presentation; Counting of the Cousins

            12 Noon          Group Photo/Lunch

            1:15 PM          Annual Meeting/Reports of Board Members

            2:00 PM          Presentation by staff of UMass Archeological Field School

If you haven’t yet replied to our April mailing or should you need one,

a duplicate response form is provided below for your convenience.

Refer questions to Alan Dickinson, (413)596-9648,  anbdickinson@charter.net

______________________________________________________________________

LOCATIONS AND DIRECTIONS

TO THE LORD JEFFREY INN, AMHERST CENTER    FROM SOUTH: Take I-91 to exit 19 in Northampton. At the end of the ramp turn right onto Rte. 9.  Follow this (east)  6 mi. to the green in Amherst Center.    FROM WEST:  Take MassPike (I-90) to exit 4 and get on I-91 north.  Follow directions from the south above.  FROM NORTH:  Take I-91 to exit 20 in Northampton and follow signs to Rte. 9.  Take Rte. 9 east 6 mi to the green in Amherst Center.  FROM EAST:  Take MassPike (I-90) to exit 8.  Turn left after toll booth onto Rte. 32  At a fork, take a slight left onto High St. which eventually becomes Main St. in Three Rivers.  At the Sykes St intersection (traffic light) turn right and you will be on Rte. 181.  Follow that to Belchertown center where you pick up US 202 north.  At the junction with Rte. 9 (traffic light) turn left and follow Rte. 9 about 9 mi. to Amherst.  The Lord Jeff  is on the east side of the Amherst green at 30 Boltwood Ave.

TO THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM (280 Main St.)

Main Street is the north boundary of the town green.  Proceed east on Main St., past the Congregational Church, and the Museum is ahead on the left side of the street.

PARKING FOR THE MUSEUM

Metered parking is on the west-bound side of Main St., but side streets with blue reserved parking signs are available for (free) public parking in the summer.   The two marked handicapped parking spaces at the museum may NOT be used by DFA members as they must remain available for the public tours which will be in progress throughout the day.  Handicapped-authorized cars may drive up the driveway for a drop-off. 

General parking is available in the Alumni lot.  The lot is on Seelye Street, which is one block east of the town green and runs between College Street (Rte. 9) and Main St.  Walk up Seelye St. to Main St., turn right and the Homestead is ahead on your left. 

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VOLUME XII, NUMBER 2

A message from the President 
Hello Cousins, Our June 20, 2015 Reunion is fast approaching and we hope you will consider joining us. This years’ Reunion will be held at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst and features a presentation on recent archaeological work being done on the museum grounds. Special museum tours have been arranged just for us so we encourage you to sign up for these in advance. The staff of the museum will also be providing children’s activities so please bring the young ones. A Cousin from Maryland, Patricia Vitale, will present her research on her 3rd great-Grandfather, Elijah Dickinson of Vermont, in the morning part of the program. Our Association Dinner will take place the evening before at The Lord Jeffrey Inn Amherst. As if this all weren’t enough- we have a new project starting up. During the last several years I’ve been struck by the wealth of information and anecdote that our members have. It occurred to me that we could document this knowledge and history by a process of videotaping members stories. This could be as simple as describing one’s family and the things we were told by our parents and grandparents. These spoken histories can be preserved on DVD’s and other digital storage devices and excepts can be put on our website. Steve Unkles, of Audio-Visual Archives, will be covering our Reunion this year and will be available during the Reunion and at other times throughout the year to any brave Cousin who wishes to participate in our spoken histories project. Please send in your reservations promptly to help us plan this important Reunion. Thank you,Andrew Dickinson, President DFA 
145th ANNUAL REUNION SCHEDULE 
Friday, June 19, 2015 DFA Dinner at the Lord Jeffrey Inn, Amherst, MA.  
5 PM               Open Board Meeting            
6 PM               Social Hour            
7 PM               Dinner 
Saturday, June 20, 2015 at the Emily Dickinson Museum. Amherst, MA9:30AM-11:00AM Gathering of the Cousins, Museum Tours, Spoken History interviews11:00AM Welcome, Patricia Vitale’s presentation, Counting of the Cousins12:00 Noon Group Photo/Lunch1:15 Annual Meeting/Reports of Board Members/Children’s activities2:00 Presentation by Museum staff on recent archaeological work3:30 Goodbyes and singing God Bless America 
Please return your reservation form as soon as possible. Andrew Dickinson, President 

                               Tours Available on Reunion Day

The Emily Dickinson Museum staff will be providing three different tours on the morning of June 20th.

1.         A 90-minute tour, “Emily Dickinson’s World” which includes both the Homestead and Emily’s

brother Austin’s house, the Evergreens.  Tour starts at 9am, is limited to 10 visitors and is $11/person.

2.         A 45-minute exterior “Architecture Tour” on the museum grounds, also including both houses. 

            This tour has no limit and the fee is $9/person.

3.         A 15-minute guided  “Bedroom Visit” of the newly restored Emily Dickinson bedroom.  This is given

            twice: 9:15am and 10:15 am with a limit of 15 visitors for each.  The fee is $9/person.

If you are interested, indicate the number of people for each tour on the registration form and include

payment with your check for the reunion.  More information on the tours may be found on our website.

 2015 SCHOLARSHIP – LAST CALL Application forms are now available for the 2015 DFA scholarship.  Applicants must be descendants of Nathaniel Dickinson and must be accepted to a four-year college or university.  The deadline for submission is April 30, 2015.  Full information on requirements and an application form may be found on our website.  For additional information you may contact our scholarship chair, Jean Whitten, 9 Shepherd Rd, Manchester, NH 03104, jeanmblackmer@gmail.com.
 A MESSAGE FROM OUR GENEALOGIST Please send your births, marriages and death announcements to Dickinson Genealogist Rebecca Passa at rlpassa99@gmail.com or 17 Pine St, Easthampton, MA 01207. Please welcome Becky Passa as our new Genealogist. Our former Genealogist Adrienne Weibleretired from the position when she moved to Delaware.  Many, many thanks to Adrienne for her contributions as the Dickinson Genealogist!
 MISSING COUSINS Diana Roberts Anderson of Hulett, NY, Marion Hubbard Cook of Webster, NY, Lynne Cresutello, Barbara Dickinson of Roswell, MN, Betty Dickinson, Brad Dickinson, George S. Dickinson of Fairfield, CT, Michael Dickinson of Bradenton, FL, Philip C. Dickinson of Roseville, MI, Thomas S. Dickinson, Paul Oliver Dickinson Jr. of Vernon, FL, Mary Jane Dickinson Graham, Tom Guettler, George Hawksley of Bridgeport, CT, Elsie Hayden of Westfield, MA, Barbara Dickinson Hilton of Lumberton, NC, Debbi Jackson of Dunnelson, FL, Sue Shepard Jaques of Skillman, NJ, William Lundin of North Canton, OH, Frank Mallalieu of Oro Valley, AZ, Elwin Mauer of Evergreen, CO, Lora L. Pallatto of San Mateo, CA, Autumn Rader, Kate Sanders of Old Saybrook, CT.   If you have a mailing address for any of these cousins please send to Beth Landolina at BethL0719@sbcglobal.net. Thank you!
 ADDRESS & E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGES REQUESTED Please send your address and e-mail address changes to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at BethL0719@sbcglobal.net.
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VOLUME XII, NUMBER 1

A message from the President

Hello Cousins,

Hoping you had a wonderful holiday season with your family.  Your Dickinson Family Association is meeting in January to work on details of the June Reunion.

As mentioned in our recent e-newsletter our Reunion for 2015 will be at the Emily Dickinson Museum on June 20 with Cindy Dickinson, curator and historian, as our speaker. Our Association Dinner will be held the night before at the Lord Jeffrey Inn. One of our cherished traditions at our reunions is the “counting of the cousins” to see how many attendees are related to which son or daughter of Nathaniel. I was so pleased that a single intrepid descendant of Thomas attended last year. However, many years go by without a member of Hannah’s line visiting. Recently, persons of Hannah’s line have been in contact with our Cousin and Historian Alan Dickinson. I encourage you all to read Alan’s account of this activity in this newsletter.

Andrew Dickinson, President

2015 SCHOLARSHIP FORMS AVAILABLE      Application forms are now available for the 2015 DFA scholarship.  Applicants must be descendants of Nathaniel Dickinson and must be accepted to a four-year college or university.  The deadline for submission is April 30, 2015.  Full information on requirements and an application form may be found on our website.  For additional information you may contact our scholarship chair, Jean Whitten, 9 Shepherd Road, Manchester, NH 03104, jeanmblackmer@gmail.com. If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form.      As always, we rely on contributions from DFA members to sustain and increase the scholarship fund.  If you are able, we would appreciate your help.  Indicate “scholarship fund” on the January Survey form if you wish to make a donation. 
1883 – 2015 June 19 / 20, 2015 is the date to save for the 133nd anniversary of the reunion of 1883.  The 1883 meeting took place on the campus of Amherst College in Amherst, MA. This year the reunion will be in Amherst at the Emily Dickinson Homestead, adjacent to Amherst College.
DESCENDANTS OF HANNAHRecently we were delighted to be contacted by some descendants of Nathaniel’s daughter, Hannah. Hannah married John Clary and all her Clary descendants can be listed in our main genealogy, but after the 7th generation our information tapers off dramatically.  We very rarely see any descendants of Hannah at our reunions.  Only one of the last 12 reunions included descendants of Hannah.  So we are happy to add Richard Brown, his son, Hugh (Rob), and daughter-in-law Renee to our membership list. Renee is the family genealogist and has sent us a great deal of information which we have not previously had.  In addition, she and Rob have recently recorded a segment for the PBS show, Genealogy Roadshow.  It will air on January 27, 2015, at 8pm.  Genealogy Roadshow has also done some research on Nathaniel Dickinson’s descendants which we hope eventually to see. Meanwhile, we may have some names under Hannah on our “sign-in” poster at an upcoming reunion! 
ANNUAL JANUARY SURVEY      Enclosed with this newsletter is a response card on which you can indicate your tentative intention to attend this year’s reunion.  It also gives you an opportunity to offer your help to the association.  Some of the volunteer work requires that you be able to attend board meetings (usually 3 per year) which currently are held in W. Springfield and Sturbridge, MA.  Distance exempts many of you from this, but we do have a large number of members who live close enough.  We really hope you will give favorable consideration to helping us out.  The association can’t exist without these volunteers.     Also this is the time we ask you to consider a monetary gift to the association.  As you know, we rely on contributions from members for our operating expenses and also to support and build up our scholarship fund.  Please return the response card in the envelope provided, together with your check, if you are able, made out to The Dickinson Family Association. 

                                                 ADDRESSES – POSTAL & E-MAIL

We know e-mail addresses change frequently and it is easy to forget to update them.  So if your e-mail address and/or your postal address changes we would greatly appreciate your sending the new one to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at bethL0719@sbcglobal.net

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 4

A message from the President

Greetings Cousins,

This year we are sending out an e-newsletter for the Fall rather than a physical “snail-mail” mailing. This reduces our workload and expenses considerably. There will be a traditional newsletter in the Winter and Spring. I thought we had a spirited and intimate Reunion this year in Agawam. Bob Magovern gave a carefully researched presentation on the Dickinson’s involvement in the French and Indian Wars in the Connecticut Valley. Many Cousins were descendants of Dickinsons killed during the generations long conflict. Bob put it all in the context of religious movements and political events in Europe. Thank you, Bob. We were also extremely lucky to have our Cousins from Australia, Wayne and Linda, visit and give a presentation on their family. It was very interesting to hear how a prospector gold hunting Dickinson followed the trail of the yellow metal all the way to Australia and settled there. Wayne is a Granby, MA descendant and I told him how there is a large Dickinson Farm operating there today. Linda is from Glasgow, Scotland and you all know how my son plays bagpipes because of my Scottish maternal side. Suffice it to say- they’re our kind of people. I was also happy to see our Cousins from Texas who were so enthusiastic.

Your Dickinson Family Association board met in October and hammered out many details of next year’s Reunion. The date is June 20, 2015 at the Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, MA where friend and curator/historian Cindy Dickinson will give a talk. I told her she can choose any subject which interests her which should make it interesting. Our Friday evening dinner, June 19, ahead of the Reunion will be at The Lord Jeffrey Inn, Amherst- within spitting distance of the Emily Dickinson Museum.

That’s all for now- you all take care of yourselves.

Andrew Dickinson, president

NEWSLETTER ALERT ADD YOUR PICTURES TO OUR WEBSITE DFA members who have pictures or other items that would be appropriate for our website are invited to send them digitally to our webmaster, Alan Dickinson, at anbdickinson@charter.net.  He will do his best to post them on our “Scrapbook” page. 
2015 DFA SCHOLARSHIP ALERT One of the most important functions of the Dickinson Family Association is the awarding of our annual scholarship.  The deadline for applications for this year’s DFA scholarship is end of April.  Anyone interested in applying should print out the form from our website and submit it with all other required material to the scholarship chair, Jean Whitten, 9 Shepherd Road, Manchester, NH 03104, jeanmblackmer@gmail.com.  If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form. 
CORRECT ENGLISH ORIGINS OF NATHANIEL DICKINSON AVAILABLE * “The Correct English Origins of Nathaniel Dickinson and William Gull, Settlers of Wethersfield and Hadley” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 152, April 1998. Copies of the article can be ordered from the publication: New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116 

                     A MESSAGE FROM OUR GENEALOGIST

Many, many thanks go out to our retiring Dickinson Genealogist Adrienne Weible for a good job, well done!  Please welcome Rebecca Passa as our new Dickinson Genealogist. You may send your births, marriages and death announcements to Becky at rlpassa99@gmail.com.

E-MAIL CHANGES REQUESTED We know e-mail addresses change frequently and it is easy to forget to update them.  So if you plan to change your e-mail address we would greatly appreciate your sending the new one to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at bethL0719@sbcglobal.netIf this newsletter was sent to an e-mail address that will soon be obsolete, please let us know.
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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 3

Annual reunion, 2014
Agawam Baptist Church
Agawam, MA

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014

Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave. West Springfield, MA

5 PM               Open Board Meeting, Storrowton Tavern, West Springfield, MA
6 PM               Social Hour, Storrowton Tavern, West Springfield, MA
7 PM               Dinner, Storrowton Tavern, West Springfield, MA

SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2014

Agawam Baptist Church, 760 Main St., Agawam, MA

9:30 – 11:00    Gathering of Cousins, Historical Displays, Book and t-shirt sales
11:00               Welcome, Counting of Cousins, gifts and The Australian Report
12:00               Group Photo and Lunch
1:15                 Annual Meeting and Reports of Board Members
2:00                 Main Speaker:  Bob Magovern, Indian Wars of the Connecticut River Valley
3:30                 Goodbyes and singing of God Bless America

If you haven’t yet replied to our April mailing or should you need one, a duplicate response form is provided below for your convenience.

Refer questions to Andrew Dickinson, President (413 )634-2169 dickinsonbooks@verizon.net

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 2

A message from the President 
Greeting Cousins, We are pleased to announce that this years’ Reunion will feature speaker Bob Magovern, DFA Historian and Past President.  He will give a presentation on the complex and fascinating history of the French and Indian Wars of the Connecticut River Valley in the early 18th Century.  This conflict was critical to the survival and development of the Dickinsons.  Our common ancestor, Nathanial Dickinson, lost sons in the long-running struggle.  In just the last year or so, a Cousin sent us information which led to the re-discovery of a French-Indian War monument in Northfield, Ma.  This Cousin had an original program of an 1872 dedication ceremony for Nathanial Dickinson (1698-1748) who was killed and scalped along with his friend on July 23, 1748.  In 1872 they gathered to remember and look back and this June we will gather also to remember and look back.Our Reunion will be on Saturday, June 21, 2014, at the First Baptist Church in Agawam, MA. Our Association Dinner will be held the evening before on Friday, June 20, 2014, at the Storrowtown Tavern in West Springfield, MA.  We hope that you can attend this year and participate in the fellowship and important work carried on by your Association.  In an ever-changing world- the pride of being a Dickinson is something that endures.  Also, we have an Australian Cousin who hopes to attend the Reunion this year and give us a report on the doings of the Dickinsons in Australia. 

144th ANNUAL REUNION SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014 at the Storrowtown Tavern, West Springfield, MA          
5 PM             Open Board Meeting          
6 PM             Social Hour          
7 PM             Dinner 

SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2014 at the First Baptist Church, 760 Main St., Agawam, MA          
9:30-11;00 Gathering of Cousins            Historical Displays, Book and t-shirt sales            
11:00 Welcome, Counting of the Cousins, gifts and The Australian Report            
12:00 Group Photo and Lunch            
1:15 Annual Meeting and Reports of Board Members          
2:00 Main Speaker Bob MaGovern            
3:30 Goodbyes and singing of God Bless America 

Please return your reservation card as soon as possible. 

Andrew Dickinson, President 
2014 SCHOLARSHIP – LAST CALL Application forms are now available for the 2014 DFA scholarship.  Applicants must be descendants of Nathaniel Dickinson and must be accepted to a four-year college or university.  The deadline for submission is April 30, 2014.  Full information on requirements and an application form may be found on our website.  For additional information you may contact our scholarship chair, Jean Whitten, 9 Shepherd Rd, Manchester, NH 03104, jeanmblackmer@gmail.com. 
A MESSAGE FROM OUR GENEALOGIST Please send your births, marriages and death announcements to Dickinson Genealogist Adrienne Weibleat alw48@aol.com. Please welcome Rebecca Passa as our new Genealogist.  Adrienne is planning on retiring from the position when she moves to Delaware.  Many, many thanks to Adrienne for her contributions as the Dickinson Genealogist! 
MISSING COUSINS Daniel S. Dickinson, Jr., Binghampton, NY 13901-1538; Michael Dickinson, Bradenton, FL 34205-2942; George Hawksley, Bridgeport, CT; Debbi Jackson, Dunnellon, FL 34431-5539; Andrew and Kristin Dickinson, Evergreen CO 80439-7658; Elwin E. Mauer, Evergreen CO 80439-7658; George S. Dickinson, Fairfield CT 06430-6936; Barbara Dickinson Hilton, Lumberton, NC 28358; Kathy Sanders, Old Saybrook, CT 06475; Frank A. Mallalieu, Oro Valley, AZ 85737; Philip C. Dickinson, Roseville, MI 48066-2127; Barbara Dickinson, Roseville, MI 48066-2127; Elsie S. Hayden, Westfield, MA;Marion Hubbard Cook, Webster, NY; Lynne Cresutello; Antony Roy Dickinson; Betty Dickinson; Brad Dickinson; Thomas S. Dickinson; Mary Jane Dickinson Graham; Lora L. Pallatto; Autumn Rader; Paul W. Toelken  If anyone has information regarding mailing or email addresses for any of the above cousins please email me at BethL0719@sbcglobal.net.  Thanks! 
ADDRESS & E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGES REQUESTED Please send your address and e-mail address changes to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at BethL0719@sbcglobal.net.
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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 1

2014 SCHOLARSHIP FORMS AVAILABLE      Application forms are now available for the 2014 DFA scholarship.  Applicants must be descendants of Nathaniel Dickinson and must be accepted to a four-year college or university.  The deadline for submission is April 30, 2014.  Full information on requirements and an application form may be found on our website.  For additional information you may contact our scholarship chair, Jean Whitten, 9 Shepherd Road, Manchester, NH 03104, jeanmblackmer@gmail.com. If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form.      

As always, we rely on contributions from DFA members to sustain and increase the scholarship fund.  If you are able, we would appreciate your help.  Indicate “scholarship fund” on the January Survey form if you wish to make a donation. 
1883 – 2014 June 20 / 21, 2014 is the date to save for the 132nd anniversary of the reunion of 1883.  The 1883 meeting took place on the campus of Amherst College in Amherst, MA.  
ANNUAL JANUARY SURVEY      Enclosed with this newsletter is a response card on which you can indicate your tentative intention to attend this year’s reunion.  It also gives you an opportunity to offer your help to the association.  Some of the volunteer work requires that you be able to attend board meetings (usually 3 per year) which currently are held in W. Springfield and Sturbridge, MA.  Distance exempts many of you from this, but we do have a large number of members who live close enough.  We really hope you will give favorable consideration to helping us out.  The association can’t exist without these volunteers.     Also this is the time we ask you to consider a monetary gift to the association.  As you know, we rely on contributions from members for our operating expenses and also to support and build up our scholarship fund.  Please return the response card in the envelope provided, together with your check, if you are able, made out to The Dickinson Family Association. 
NEWSLETTER ALERT      The DFA newsletter typically goes out in January, April, June and November of each year.  The June and November newsletters go out by e-mail to those who are able and willing to receive it this way, and it does save the association time and money.  If you received your last newsletter (Oct. 2013) by postal mail, that means either you have indicated you don’t wish to receive the newsletters electronically, or we do not have a valid e-mail address for you.     We know e-mail addresses change frequently and it is easy to forget to update them.  So if you change your e-mail address we would greatly appreciate your sending the new one to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at bethL0719@sbcglobal.net

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VOLUME X, NUMBER 4

A message from the President  
Greetings Cousins, Another Summer has come and gone as the leaves start to fall here in New England. In late October the Board of Directors of your Association meet to iron out some business and plan next year’s Reunion. This years Reunion of 2013 was truly special. Our Cousin and featured speaker, Clifford Stott, gave a thoughtful and substantive presentation on our early English origins. His research in New York City, Utah and the United Kingdom has redirected our focus from Ely, England to Billingborough/Lincolnshire. We now have an ancestor, Walter/Waters, from the early 1500’s to call our own. Longtime DFA genealogist and 3rd edition author, Margaret “Bucky” Buckridge Bock was on hand to make sure we got it right. This coming year’s Reunion of 2014 will also feature a Cousin of ours…someone many of you know…who will give a talk on a fascinating historical subject which we have waited years to present- but we’ll keep their identity secret for now to make sure you all read the next newsletter. Andrew Dickinson, president 
 NEWSLETTER ALERT ADD YOUR PICTURES TO OUR WEBSITE DFA members who have pictures or other items that would be appropriate for our website are invited to send them digitally to our webmaster, Alan Dickinson, at anbdickinson@charter.net.  He will do his best to post them on our “Scrapbook” page.  
  2014 DFA SCHOLARSHIP ALERT One of the most important functions of the Dickinson Family Association is the awarding of our annual scholarship.  The deadline for applications for this year’s DFA scholarship is end of April.  Anyone interested in applying should print out the form from our website and submit it with all other required material to the scholarship chair, Jean Whitten, 9 Shepherd Road, Manchester, NH 03104.  If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form.  
 CORRECT ENGLISH ORIGINS OF NATHANIEL DICKINSON AVAILABLE * “The Correct English Origins of Nathaniel Dickinson and William Gull, Settlers of Wethersfield and Hadley” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 152, April 1998. Copies of the article can be ordered from the publication: New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116 
 NEWSLETTER ALERT      The DFA newsletter typically goes out in January, April, June and October of each year.  The June and October newsletters go out by e-mail to those who are able and willing to receive it this way, and it does save the association time and money.  If you received this Oct 2013 newsletter by postal mail, that means either you have indicated you don’t wish to receive the newsletters electronically, or we do not have a valid e-mail address for you.     We know e-mail addresses change frequently and it is easy to forget to update them.  So if you change your e-mail address we would greatly appreciate your sending the new one to our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, at bethL0719@sbcglobal.net
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VOLUME X, NUMBER 3

Annual reunion, 2013

Mt. Holyoke college

South Hadley, ma

FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2013

Yarde Tavern Restaurant, So. Hadley, MA

          5 PM               Open Board Meeting

            6 PM               Social Hour

            7 PM               Dinner

SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013

Morrison Room, Willits Hallowell Center, Mt. Holyoke College

            9:30 AM          Gathering of Cousins, historical display, genealogy table,

book and t-shirt sales

            11:30 AM        Group Photo, Counting of the Cousins, Gifts

            12 Noon          Lunch

            1:15 PM          143rd Annual Meeting of the Dickinson Family Association

            2 PM               Main Speaker:  Clifford Stott

            ~3:30 PM        Singing of “God Bless America”

If you haven’t yet replied to our April mailing or should you need one,

a duplicate response form is provided below for your convenience.

Refer questions to Andrew Dickinson, (413)634-2169,

______________________________________________________________________

The Dickinson Family Association, PO Box 2, Whately, MA 01093

TOWN OF SOUTH HADLEY

Aside from the beautiful Mt. Holyoke College campus, South Hadley has many other sites you might want to explore for their historic, cultural, natural or educational value.  Several beautiful old homes, some restored and preserved, can be found on Woodbridge street (Rte.116) just north of the green.  The Firehouse Museum is in the south part of town known as South Hadley Falls.  It tells much of the history of the town as well as exhibits firefighting artifacts.  Heading west from the green on Hadley Street (Rte. 47) and turning left on Ferry Street will bring you down to the river and Brunelle’s Marina.  There is the Dockside restaurant with a beautiful view and a river boat, the “Lady B,” if you’d like to take a cruise, conditions permitting.

     There are two excellent museums on the Mt. Holyoke campus, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and the Joseph Allen Skinner Museum.  The latter is named after an early Holyoke industrialist and features Skinner’s collection of decorative arts, furniture and geological specimens.  The Skinner State Park, accessed further up Rte. 47, just past the Hadley town line, has a road that leads up to one of the peaks on the Mt. Holyoke Range, and spectacular views.

     More information can be found at http://southhadleyma.virtualtownhall.net .

DIRECTIONS TO REUNION VENUES

Mt Holyoke College and Willitts-Hallowell Center

From the South: Travel north on I-91.  Take exit 16 (Rte. 202)  Follow rte. 202 north through Holyoke, across the Connecticut River, and enter rotary, taking second right (staying on rte. 202).  Take the exit marked South Hadley Center/Amherst, Rte. 116 north.  The college is approx. 2.5 miles from the exit.  Pass the main gate of the college on the right, take the next right onto Church Street; take third right into the Willits-Hallowell Center main parking lot.*

From the North:  Travel south on I-91.  Take exit 16.  At the end of the ramp take a left and follow Rte. 202 as above.

From the Mass. Pike (east or west): Take exit 5.  After toll, bear right.  At the end of ramp turn left onto Rte 33 for five miles to Rte. 116.  Turn right onto Rte 116 and drive approx. 1.5 miles north to the college.  See above.

*Lower level parking for Willits, more accessible to our reunion space can be reached by following the above directions except take the second right off Church street (Lower Lake Rd.) then the first left.  Over a small bridge, look for signs to Willits-Hallowell Center.  A walkway by the river brings you to the patio/entrance.

Yarde Tavern Restaurant

Follow above directions to So. Hadley center.  The Yarde Tavern is on Hadley St (rte.47), at the north end of the town green, next to the Post Office.  The restaurant has no parking lot but there is some street parking near the restaurant, especially on Woodbridge St (which is Rte 116 north).  A large parking lot is close by, behind the Village Commons shops, on the west side of the green.

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