DICKINSON FAMILY ASSOCIATION

VOLUME XXI NO. 2

Hello Cousins,

Plans for our reunion have been progressing nicely.  Please find a few location changes below regarding our plans are as follows: 

The 2024 Dickinson Family Reunion will be Saturday, June 29 with a Friday night gathering of cousins on June 28.

All events on both Friday and Saturday (with the exception of tours of the Emily Dickinson Museum) will be held inside at Amherst College’s “Valentine Dining Hall”, 59 College Street, Amherst, MA 01002

Amherst, MA is located (22 miles North of Springfield, MA) nearby Interstate Route 91 and US Routes 9 and 116.

On Saturday, June 29^th at 9am, a guided open house of the newly restored Emily Dickinson Museum (including both the “Homestead” and “The Evergreens” will be offered at 9am, prior to its opening to the public.

Our morning speaker will be Megan Ramsey, Collections Manager of the Emily Dickinson Museum.  The Emily Dickinson Museum’s collection is the largest and most diverse assemblage of objects associated with Emily Dickinson and her family to be found anywhere. The museum’s collection had remained largely undocumented and inaccessible until a major grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services funded the documentation and baseline cataloging of the entire collection for the very first time. Completed in 2023, this project has improved collection care and, through this database, public access has strengthened the museum’s interpretation, and opened promising new research opportunities. Megan Ramsey will share more about the online database, interesting objects in the collection, and the future of preservation and research at the museum.

To register for the reunion please click on the following link: https://dickinsonfamilyassociation.org/2024-reunion-registration/

Please observe our deadline of June 14 for registering for the reunion.

Our main performance will be a mini-version of a musical entitled “The Celtification of Emily Dickinson”, a journey through time that explores the relationship between the Dickinson Family and Margaret Maher, their Irish maid for over 30 years from 1850’s-1890’s. Directed and performed by Rosie Caine (harpist), Moe McElligott (actress), Stephanie Carlson (actress) and others.

We look forward to your attendance!

For more information on the Emily Dickinson Museum see following website link:  https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org  and their collections database: https://emilydickinsonmuseum.catalogaccess.com/

For more information on the Amherst Historical Society and Museum visit:  https://amhersthistory.org/

For more information on Amherst College visit:  https://www.amherst.edu/admission/visit

Ken Dickinson, President

153^rd ANNUAL REUNION SCHEDULE

Friday, June 23

4:30 pm           Informal tour of “Captain Walter Mason Dickinson Memorial” plaque.

  Location:  Masonic Hall (Pacific Lodge) 99 Main St. Amherst. 

5:30 pm           Social Hour

6:30 pm           Annual Reunion Dinner

Saturday, June 24

8:00 am            Gathering of cousins: registration, exhibits, sales & refreshments

9:00-10 am      Guided open house at the Emily Dickinson Museum.

10:45 am         Visual Presentation by Megan Ramsey; Collections Manager

Topic:  “Emily Dickinson Museum Collections Inventory and Renovation Project”

11:15 am         Group Photos / Counting of Cousins / Chaplain Prayer

12:00 pm         Lunch

1:00 pm           Annual meeting and Presentation of Gifts

1:45-2:45 pm   “Celtification of Emily Dickinson” performance by Rosie Caine,

Moe McElligott, and others (musical play)

 2:45 pm           Q&A Session/Encore and Concluding Ceremony ending by 3:00 pm

A MESSAGE FROM OUR GENEALOGIST

Please send your births, marriages, and death announcements to:  dickinsonfamilyassociation@gmail.com

Roxbury, CT History Museum Renovation

Ken Dickinson recently visited Roxbury, CT to discover that their Historical Society is actively pursuing grants to renovate their history museum.  Several Dickinson families who are all related to Henry H. Dickinson (1841-1926) resided in Roxbury or the adjacent town of Bridgewater.  Please contact the Roxbury, CT Historical Society if you would like to contribute any photos or other items of local interest.  There is also an active Facebook page entitled “Roxbury, CT Memories and More” for history enthusiasts.

MISSING COUSINS

Dale Parker Anderson, Siena Rose Caddle (MA), Margaret and Edward Dempsey (CA), Donald L. Dickinson (FL), Robert P. Dickinson (NY), Beverly Joyce Avery Franke (CA), James and Judy Franz (CA), Lynn and Claire Julian (CT), Elizabeth Helene Lord (UT), Barbara Spink (CA), Beverly Joyce Avery Franke (CA)

If you have a mailing address for any of these cousins please send to: membership@dickinsonfamilyassociation.org

Web site:  www.dickinsonfamilyassociation.org

Newsletter editor:  Dale Williams