Volume XVI, Number 2
A message from the DFA Board
Hello Cousins,
Plans for the 2019 reunion in Essex, CT have been confirmed. As discussed in the January newsletter, our reunion will commence at 3pm on Friday, June 21st with a walking tour in Essex Village led by Melissa Josefiak (Director of Essex Historical Society) who presented to us in 2010 regarding Wethersfield (see details on next page). The walking tour will be followed by an informal board meeting, social hour and dinner at “Brush Mill by the Waterfall” 129 W. Main Street, Chester, CT (see schedule below). Saturday’s events will be held at the Essex Steam Train’s “River Valley Junction” banquet hall (1 Railroad Ave. in Essex) located a short distance from CT Route 9, Exit 3 commencing at 9 am on Saturday, June 22nd, with a walking tour of the grounds (former EE Dickinson & Co. Headquarters and Witch Hazel Bottling Plant) also led by Melissa Josefiak. Saturday’s Walking Tour Cost is $5.00 per person to be paid on-site on Saturday. Tour is 45-60 minutes length. Some items that have been in storage for years are intended to be polished off and displayed for this tour.
We are pleased to welcome our main speaker, Brenda Milkofsky
(former director of CT River Museum and Wethersfield, CT Historical Society),
who will address the complex, well-timed marketing efforts of the E.E. Dickinson
Company, providing historical perspective on the local and national impact of
the company’s growth. A variety of Dickinson advertising and marketing artwork
will be highlighted along with images that illustrate the company office
environment and processes. On Sunday,
you may also consider taking a steam train and/or riverboat trip, make a visit
to the CT River Museum, go to the beach, or experience another local
attraction.
Enclosed with this newsletter is a reservation card and
return envelope. Please observe the
deadline of June 12 for returning this card.
Directions to the venues will appear in the June newsletter.
We continue to invite any interested DFA members to contact
one of the current board members and come join us at a board meeting. That board meeting is a less formal one, and
is always open to any DFA member who wishes to attend.
149th ANNUAL REUNION SCHEDULE
Friday, June 21
3:00 pm – Walking Tour in Essex Village (Essex Historical Society)
5:30 pm – Open Informal Board Meeting
6:00 pm – Social Hour
7:00 pm – Annual Reunion Dinner
Saturday, June 22
9:00am – Gathering of cousins: registration, exhibits, sales & refreshments
9:15am – Walking Tour of former EE Dickinson Company (Essex Steam Train)
11:15am – Counting of Cousins, Presentation of Gifts, and Group Photos
11:45pm – Lunch
12:45pm – Annual meeting
1:30pm – Main Speaker, Brenda Milkofsky, Topic: “Creating EE Dickinson Co. Branding”
2:30pm – Q&A Session and Concluding Ceremony ending by 3:00 pm
Note: Additional
details and any changes will be provided in the June Newsletter.
Ken Dickinson, President
Essex Village Walking Tour
A pleasant walking tour (approx. 4 blocks in length)
consisting of the original E.E. Dickinson Company headquarters, several family residences, church, school,
and other associated buildings will be offered at 3pm on Friday, June 21st.
Note: Our starting
point has changed to be at the Essex Historical Society (22 Prospect St.) also
known as the Hills Academy History Center (Thomas Newton Dickinson’s
school). Please use the adjacent Our
Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parking lot at 14 Prospect St., as there’s
limited on-street parking. Cost is $5.00
per person. Please reserve in advance
(see registration card) to ensure that we have enough guides for this very
informative tour. See photos from a
similar 2015 walking tour on our website “Scrapbook” section. A printable village map and more info can be
found at www.essexhistory.org or by calling 860-767-0681. We look forward to your attendance on Friday.
2020 150th Reunion Early Planning
We are in the early stages of planning for this special
date! Our 150th Reunion will most likely
be held at Historic Deerfield or in Northampton, MA. Historic Deerfield now offers an indoor
community center for family reunions. Both
Historic Deerfield and the adjacent PVMA Memorial Hall Museum have significant
holdings, furniture, books, documents, exhibits, and own buildings related to
our family’s history. More than a dozen
lots along Main Street were owned by various Dickinson Families spanning three
centuries, including the Frary House (1765) / Barnard Tavern (1795) which is
currently in the late stages of a renovation project, and Capt. Thomas
Dickinson Homestead (1764). Professional guides and curators will offer tours
and provide speakers. Another 150th
Reunion option or future reunion will be held in Northampton, MA with focus on
the formation of Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Smith Charities and their ties
to our family in Hatfield. Main speakers
in consideration are Marla Miller (UMASS professor, author, and director of the
UMASS public history program) and W. Michael Ryan (trustee of Historic
Northampton).
2019 SCHOLARSHIP – LAST CALL
Application forms are available for the 2019 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, 2019. Full
information on requirements and an application form may be found on our
website. For additional information you
may contact our scholarship chair, Lisa Butler, 12 Cove St. Noank, CT 06340,
dickinsonfamilyassociation@gmail.com.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR
GENEALOGIST
Assistant Genealogist needed. Please contact Becky Passa,
Ken Dickinson or another executive board member.
Please send your births, marriages and death announcements
to Dickinson Genealogist, Rebecca Passa at
dickinsonassociation@gmail.com or 17 Pine St, Easthampton, MA 01207.
ADDRESS & E-MAIL ADDRESS 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.net
MISSING COUSINS
Diana Roberts Anderson NY, Stanley J. & Audree Dickinson
Ayres WI, Marcia L. Calvin MA, Helen Condict Case, Gertrude M.Corey OH, Brian
Dickinson Crangle NY, Ruth Crespi CT, Shirley Daniels CA, Andrew L. Dickinson
NY, Barbara Dickinson NM, Betsy and Roy Dickinson CT, Christina L Dickinson,
Cynthia L. Dickinson MA, Lemuel Dickinson NJ, Mark Edward Dickinson CT, Paul
Dickinson, Mary M. Dickinson MA, Robert H. Dickinson FL, William and Jean
Dickinson MA, Paul Oliver Dickinson, Jr. FL,Gloria Emick PA, John A. Estes FL,
Margaret Ann Dickinson Gaetani ME, Marelda Hart SC, Phyllis Howe MA, Sue
Shepard Jaques NJ, Sharon Kaples NY, Harold James Kempffer MN, Lois E. King NE,
Robert & Muriel D. Leslie MA, William Lundin OH, Stephen R. Martin FL,
Joyce Murdock AZ, Thomas R. Shepard, Jr. CT, Barry Smith, Bernard W. Smith CT,
Kim Dickinson Testa NY, William Wamester CT, Meredith Gray, Robie Spector
Addendum to Newsletter
— Reservation Card
The Dickinson Family Association, 17 Iroquois Dr.,
Northborough, MA 01532
Dear Cousin,
We hope you will join us for the 2019 Reunion to be held
June 22nd at the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat banquet facility, River Valley
Junction, in Essex, CT. Please complete
and return this card as soon as possible.
Our deadline is June 12.
On Friday night June 21, we will be having dinner at
Brushmill by the Waterfall in Chester, CT.
We will gather at 6:00 pm and dinner will be served at 7:00 pm. An informal board meeting at 5:30 pm is open
to all.
YES I would like to
join you for dinner at Brushmill by the Waterfall.
Number in party _____
@ $48 each.
Number for each choice:
____ Prime Rib; ____
Salmon; ____ Pork Chop; ____ Vegetarian Total $______
On Saturday June 22 reunion activities will start at 9:00am, with lunch served at 11:45am.
YES I will be attending.
____ Adults @ $46; ____ Students
@ $10; ___ Children under 5 (free). Total $_______
I would like to take the guided walking tour of Essex on
Friday at 3:00pm. ____ @$5. Total $_______
NAME ______________________________________________
Total enclosed: $ ________
Checks should be made payable to The Dickinson Family
Association and mailed to the address above.
Questions, call Dale Williams, treasurer: (508) 393-2082
Web site:
www.dickinsonfamilyassociation.org
Newsletter editor:
Dale Williams