VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 3

A message from the President

Greetings Dickinson Cousins!

I hope this autumn finds you all healthy and prosperous. A big “Thank You” to everyone who came to our 2011 June Reunion at the Emily Dickinson Museum. It was good to see old friends as well as many new faces. Jane Wald gave an excellent and informative talk on the Museum’s programs and my son, Andrew, Jr., enjoyed being “Gilbert” in the Masque performance arranged by the Museum staff. We may be returning to the Emily Dickinson Museum for another Reunion in the not too distant future.

We are beginning work on ideas for the next year’s Reunion. A music themed program has been waiting in the wings as well as an interest in our correct English origins. Additionally, our genealogist, Adrienne Weible, will give a presentation on how the female lines CD is organized and how to use it. Historian and Webmaster, Alan Dickinson, has just finished and printed his monograph on the history of the Dickinson Family Association Reunions and we will likely present this at the 2012 Reunion. There is no lack of things to keep your hard-working board members busy.

Our increasing awareness of our correct English origins has already had an effect. A new cousin, Kathleen Schultz, called me up this week to discuss her family research and join our association. She and family members will tour Ireland and England to visit places linked to her history. Based on over 100 years of our “Wharton” early English genealogy, Kathleen was headed to Ely, England. After a discussion of the Clifford Stott article* she now plans to visit Billingborough, Lincolnshire.

Thank you all for your continued interest and participation in our Association.

* “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

Andrew Dickinson, President

 MONOGRAPH NO. 2 NOW AVAILABLE At the annual meeting in June, The Research and Publications Committee approved the printing of the second monograph and it will very soon be available for purchase.  The title is: A HISTORY OF THE ANNUAL REUNIONS OF THE DICKINSON FAMILY ASSOCIATION.  Refer to the Books page of the DFA website, or call Andrew Dickinson for more information.  
 NEWSLETTER ALERT      The DFA newsletter typically goes out in January, April, June and October 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 the Oct 2011 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@comcast.net 
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VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 3

Annual Reunion, 2011
Emily Dickinson museum
Amherst, MA

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011

            5 PM               Board Meeting, Wiggins Tavern, Northampton, MA

            6 PM               Social Hour, Wiggins Tavern

            7 PM               Dinner, Wiggins Tavern

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2011

            9:00 AM          Gathering of Cousins, Dickinson Homestead, Amherst, MA

            9:00 – 11:00    Open House at the Emily Dickinson Museum,

                                             the Homestead and the Evergreens

            11:30 AM        Welcome and Dickinson “Mask-erade” with group participation

            12 Noon          Lunch, Group Photo

            1:15 PM          Annual Meeting

            1:15 PM          Supervised activities and crafts for children

            2 PM               Main Speaker:  Jane Wald

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

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VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 2

Hello Cousins:

As you make your Summer plans and the calendar fills up, we hope you will remember your Dickinson Family Association and a very special date, June 25, 2011. This is the day our annual Reunion will be held on the grounds of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. Jane Wald, Executive Director of the Emily Dickinson Museum, will give a presentation entitled, “The News, like Squirrels, ran” in which she will detail the many recent changes at the museum.

For those of you coming to our Association Dinner the evening before the Reunion, we have had a change of venue. The dinner on the evening of June 24 will now take place at Wiggins Tavern at The Hotel Northampton. We have met there before and it will prove a fine place for our open meeting,social hour and dinner.

The Emily Dickinson Museum will have children’s activities for this year’s Reunion- so bring the young ones!

Andrew Dickinson, president

 141th ANNUAL REUNION SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011          
5 PM                 Board Meeting, Wiggins Tavern, Northampton, MA            
6 PM                 Social Hour, Wiggins Tavern            
7 PM                 Dinner, Wiggins TavernSATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2011            
9:30-11:30AM  Gathering of Cousins,  Emily Dickinson Museum & Homestead Amherst, MA            
11:30 AM        Welcome & Opening Presentations            
12 noon           Group Photo and Lunch            
1:15 PM          Annual Meeting            
2:00 PM          Main Speaker: Jane Wald, Executive Director of the Emily Dickinson Museum
Please return your reservation card as soon as possible.Driving directions will appear in the June newsletter. 
 2011 DFA SCHOLARSHIP ALERT – LAST CALL 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 April 30.  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 Blackmer, 61 Sever St., Worcester, MA 01609.  If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form.
 EMILY DICKINSON’S LINEAGE The poet, Emily Dickinson, was in the eighth generation of Dickinsons in America.  Since this June’s reunion will be held at her home, it was decided to print her lineage in a newsletter, so here is an abbreviated version taken from our new genealogy:   Nathaniel1bp. 3 May 1600 Billingborough, Lincolnshire, England, d. 16 Jun 1676 Hadley MA;   Samuel2, b. 15 Jul 1638 Wethersfield CT, d. 30 Nov 1711 Hatfield MA;  Ebenezer3, b. 2 Feb 1681 Hatfield MA, d. there 16 Mar 1730;  Nathan4, b. 30 May 1712 Hatfield MA, d. 7 Aug 1796 Amherst MA;  Nathan5, b. 19 Oct 1735 Amherst MA, d. 3 Aug 1825 Amherst MA;  Samuel Fowler6, b. 9 Oct 1775 Amherst MA, d. 22 Apr 1838 Hudson OH;  Edward7, b. 1 Jan 1803 Amherst MA, d. 16 Jun 1874 Boston MA;  Emily Elizabeth8, b. 10 Dec 1830 Amherst MA, d. 15 May 1886 Amherst MA. 
 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 the Nov 2010 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@comcast.net 
 MISSING COUSINS      Our Membership Clerk, Beth Landolina, has reported the names of several of our members for whom we no longer have valid postal and email addresses.  The list, which in most cases includes the last known place of residence, is as follows: Marion Hubbard Cook, Webster, NY; Anthony Roy Dickinson; Brad Dickinson; James Dickinson; James L and  Mardalee B. Dickinson; Thomas S. Dickinson; Marie Gauthier, West Suffield, CT; Mary Jane Dickinson Graham; Thomas A. Haven; George Hawksley, Bridgeport, CT; Elsie S. Hayden, Westfield, MA; Stacy and Trevor Holmes; Cheyenne Huffor, Northbridge, MA; Ruloff F Kip, Mt. Vernon, NY; Lora L. Pallatto; Stephan Rante, Winston-Salem, SC; Kathy Sanders, Old Saybrook, CT; Paul Toelken; Frances Wackerbarth, Granville, MA     If you can help us reconnect with any of these people please contact Beth Landolina at 82 Evergreen Dr., Tolland, CT 06084; (860)870-0339; BethL0719@sbcglobal.net 
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VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 1

A message from the President about the 141st Reunion

Hello Cousins,

Plans for the 2011 Reunion are developing nicely. The Reunion will be held at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA on Saturday, June 25th with a dinner on Friday, June 24th. Our main speaker will be Jane Wald of the Emily Dickinson Museum speaking on recent changes at the museum. There is an open house at the museum for the Dickinson Family Association from 9-11 A.M. Also after the meeting members are welcome to take guided or unguided tours of the museum and grounds.

Children’s activities provided by the museum are also planned. For those who wish to join us for thedinner the night before the Reunion it will be in downtown Amherst at the Bistro 63. I hope this whets your appetite!

Due to the popular demand for the 3rd edition of the “Descendants of Nathaniel Dickinson” the book has been reprinted and is available online at www.dickinsonfamilyassociation.org . The book will also be available at the Reunion on June 25th.

Andrew Dickinson, president

Dickason/in/er/enson/Dixon DNA StudyA worldwide Dickason/in/er/enson/Dixon DNA study is looking for 1-2 men with the surname of Dickinson who can trace their line back to Nathaniel to participate in the study in corroborate the current results.  The cost is $149.00 for each test kit, and the results will be made available to the entire study group and the DFA.  Many individuals have chosen to identify themselves to the study, but you do not have to identify anything but your lineage for the study.Three interesting results so far:1)  There appear to be four distinct lineages with the surname, plus many individuals with no matches to anyone else.2) Nathaniel’s line is not related to the Dickinsons of Long Island some of whom later moved to New Jersey.3) We are related to a family of Dickasons in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina who trace their lineage back to Necton, Norfolk, England.  Their first known ancestor is Jorge (d. 1728), who’s first child was born in 1683. Information on the family and the family trees for this line can be seen at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/richard.dickason/Trees.htm Any family with a male with the surname Dickinson who is not sure of their lineage is also invited to participate. Contact Karen Sims at 860-442-3925 or karensims@gmail.com for more information. 
2011 SCHOLARSHIP FORMS AVAILABLE      Application forms are now available for the 2011 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, 2011.  Full information on requirements and an application form may be found on our website.  For additional information you may contact our scholarship chair, Jean Blackmer, 61 Sever St., Worcester MA 01609, Jean.Blackmer@becker.edu
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. 
DICKINSON FAMILY COOKBOOK      Our cookbook, Family Fare, is still available.  You may now order it from Andrew Dickinson using our online book order form, or as before from our cookbook editor, Sara Pinkham Jones.  Sara’s address is  278 Reitman Court, Rochester Hills, MI 48307.  The cost is $14 which includes postage, and the check should be 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 (Nov. 2008) 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@comcast.net.
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Volume VII Number 4

A message from the President

Greetings Cousins,

I want to thank everyone who attended our Reunion at Mount Holyoke College this year. It was an inspiring event held in a beautiful setting. It was especially nice to have our friend and Past Genealogist Bucky (Margaret Buckridge Bock) in attendance. We were able to have our Wethersfield Dickinson presentation which had been postponed from 2009 due to a tornado. The lecture on Emily Association Reunion.

The 2011 Reunion will take place Saturday, June 25th, on the grounds of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. This will be preceded by an informal dinner Friday evening, June 24th.  We are fortunate indeed to be able to hold our event at the museum. Our keynote speaker will be Jane Wald who will speak on the many changes at the Museum among other topics. I hope everyone will make a special effort to attend this exciting event. Watch for our future newsletters for more details as they develop.

If Nature smiles- the Mother must
I’m sure, at many a whim
Of Her eccentric Family
Is She so much to blame?

(Emily Dickinson, poem 1085, c. 1866, first published in “Further Poems”, 1929)

Andrew Dickinson, president

2011 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 April 30.  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 Blackmer, 61 Sever St., Worcester, MA 01609.  If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form. 
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VOLUME VII Number 3

FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2010

            5 PM               Board Meeting, Yarde House Restaurant, So. Hadley, MA

            6 PM               Social Hour, Yarde House

            7 PM               Dinner, Yarde House

SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2010

            9:30 AM          Gathering of Cousins, Morrison Room, Willits Hallowell Center, Mt. Holyoke College

            11:30 AM        Welcome and Presentation by Wethersfield Historical Society

            12 Noon          Group Photo and Lunch

            1:15 PM          Annual Meeting

            2 PM               Main Speaker:  Dr. Martha Ackmann

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

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VOLUME VII, NUMBER 2

A message from the President

We are anticipating a delightful reunion this year in South Hadley, MA, on the campus of Mount Holyoke College.  The school looks very different today than it did in 1847-48 when our famous cousin Emily attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.  Our speaker, Martha Ackmann, will take us back to those days for a glimpse into Emily’s life at this institution.  We also have confirmed a visit from the Wethersfield Historical Society for the presentation on early Wethersfield that was cancelled last year.

f you’ve never been to Mount Holyoke, you are sure to enjoy the beauty of this campus.  The conference center where our meeting will occur is a very attractive facility and has a patio overlooking a brook which we can use for meeting and chatting with each other during our morning social period.  That activity was so enjoyable last year that we hope you will all come early and take advantage of the time.  Of course we will also have exhibits and publications on display and more Dickinson T-shirts!

On a personal note, it occurred to me recently that I have been president of this association for five years, which is more than half of the total time I have been a member.  It has given me an opportunity to get to know many of you, some in person, some through e-mail or other communications.  I think this is a unique and wonderful organization and that we do some important and good things.  The real character of the DFA, however, emerges annually at our reunions, and we hope the spirit of the reunion of 2009 will be seen again each year.  If you have never attended a reunion, make an effort to come this year and hopefully you’ll catch this spirit too.

Alan C. Dickinson, president

2010 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 April 30.  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 Blackmer, 61 Sever St., Worcester, MA 01609.  If you don’t have access to the internet, contact Jean and she will send you the form.
REPORT ON JANUARY SURVEY      As of mid-March thirty-five people had returned the survey cards sent out in the January mailing.  Although this represent less than 10% of the cards we mailed out, they indicated that thirty four people were planning to attend this year’s reunion.  Most of the returns included a donation to either the general or scholarship fund or both, and we are very grateful to those of you who contributed.     We do hope a good number of the other 90+% of you will eventually decide to attend the reunion and will return the response card enclosed with this mailing.  If you have not already made a donation, you can do so with the reunion response card, or at any time for that matter.
IDEAS FROM ELIZABETH WILKINS             One of our cousins, Elizabeth Wilkins from Crofton MD, who has attended recent reunions, has sent some great and creative ideas to us.  Most of these came to us last summer after the unusual reunion in Wethersfield and we apologize for only now getting them out to the membership.            It was Elizabeth’s idea to take pictures of reunion attendees by line of descendancy in addition to the usual full group picture.  Last year, of course, we had the time to do that and those pictures will hopefully be on our website by the time you read this.  She also suggested that a record be kept of attendees from each reunion arranged by these lines and posted on the web.  Another web-related thought was to have geographic links to find out where the Dickinsons are currently located.  This would allow us to see who lives near us and might prompt some get-togethers or “mini-reunions.”            Elizabeth also mentioned possibly organizing a Dickinson trip to a place like Disney, which has a deal in late summer for groups of 8 or more.  At a recent board meeting another idea was suggested, namely a Dickinson group cruise.            Your webmaster hopes to act soon on some of Elizabeth’s ideas and we would welcome help from any of our members.  Also if you have ideas of your own, let us hear from you.  Our e-mail addresses are, webmaster (Alan Dickinson): anbdickinson@charter.net and Elizabeth: ewilkins4@hotmail.com .
MISSING COUSINS      Our Membership Clerk, Beth Landolina, has reported the names of several of our members for whom we no longer have valid postal and email addresses.  The list, which in most cases includes the last known place of residence, is as follows:  Scott Counsell, Waverly MA; Doris F Dickinson, Vernon VT; Edward M. Dickinson, N.S.W. Australia; James Dickinson, San Francisco, CA; James L and Mardalee B Dickinson, ?; Jean Dickinson, ?; Percy A Dickinson, Ancram, NY; Thomas S Dickinson, Pasadena, CA; William E Dickinson, Kansas City, MO; Jose Fernandez Dickinson, ?; Marie Gauthier, W. Suffield, CT; Mary Jane Dickinson Graham, Rossaville, GA; Thomas A Haven, ?;  George Hawksley, Bridgeport, CT; Elsie S Hayden, Westfield, MA; Stacy and Trevor Holmes, Chicago, IL; Cheyenne Huffor, Northbridge, MA; Lorna Hyland, Waverly, MA; Russell Hyland, Dedham, MA; Belinda West Mulliken, Belmont, MA; Alton E Paddock, Royersford, PA; Lora L Pallatto, Foster City, CA; Kathy Sanders, Old Saybrook, CT; Paul W Toelken, Prescott Valley, AZ; Frances Wackerbarth, Granville, MA.    If you can help us reconnect with any of these people please contact Beth Landolina at 82 Evergreen Dr., Tolland, CT 06084; (860)870-0339; BethL0719@sbcglobal.net.
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VOLUME VII, NUMBER 1

A message from the President

Greetings to you all as we begin a new year and a new decade.  Last month I had an opportunity to do some looking back in time when I paid a visit to our vice president, Andrew Dickinson, and we perused some of the contents of the Dickinson Family Association files.  My main purpose was research on past Dickinson reunions which I’m compiling for a future monograph.  But it was easy to get side-tracked by the extensive handwritten notes taken at some of the reunions from the early 20th century or the many fascinating newspaper clippings in some large scrapbooks.  One can follow the appearance and disappearance of certain Dickinsons and those with other surnames whose families were very active in the organization for a period of years.  Also the gradual coming together of different Dickinson lines as the association we know today evolved over time.  Traditions came and went – basket lunches, travelogues, musical performances all were prevalent for several years each. 

A personal surprise for me was finding the signature of my grandfather on the sign-in list of several reunions in the 1930’s.

My “day in the files” brought to mind the mission of our Research and Publications Committee since these files are a great resource for anyone interested in following some thread or theme throughout our history.  We are hoping some of you will be inspired to do some research that will help bring to life people and events from the past.  Or perhaps you might get started on a long-postponed project recording what you know or can find out about your own recent ancestors.  The New Year is a great time to resolve todo something which will document and preserve your family history.  Let us hear from you!

Happy New Year,

Alan C. Dickinson, president

 REUNION 2010 UPDATE      The 140th reunion of the Dickinson Family Association will take place at the Willitts-Hallowell Center at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.  The date of the reunion is Saturday, June 26, 2010 and there will be a dinner on Friday, June 25, at the Yarde House restaurant, also in South Hadley.     We are very pleased that our main speaker for this year’s reunion will be Martha A. Ackmann, a professor at Mount Holyoke and also an expert on Emily Dickinson.  Dr. Ackmann is an internationally known speaker, columnist and author, mainly on issues relating to women.  Her latest book, The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight, has won awards and great acclaim.  She will speak to us on Emily Dickinson and her year at Mount Holyoke.  Professor Ackmann is a knowledgeable and engaging speaker whom you are sure to enjoy.     In addition, we hope to have Melissa Josefiak with us for her presentation on early Wethersfield which was cancelled last June due to the tornado.  Bob Magovern will also give us his postponed historical report on Nathaniel Dickinson and the Wethersfield exodus of 1659.     As always, if you plan to attend and need accommodations, it is wise to make arrangements early.  The Willits-Hallowell Center has 20 guest rooms and some of you may want to consider staying there.  More information at 413-538-2217or www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/willits.
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.
A DEAR FRIEND PASSES AWAY      On November 9, 2009, John Kennison Stene passed away.  John was a resident of South Deerfield, Massachusetts.  He was very active with the DFA having served on the scholarship committee as a founding member and chair.  John’s wife, Flora Manwell Stene, who died in 2003, was a secretary of the association.  A memorial service was held at the First Church of Deerfield on November 21st.  Our thoughts and condolences go to John’s family.  He will be greatly missed.
2010 SCHOLARSHIP FORMS AVAILABLE      Application forms are now available for the 2010 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, 2010.  Full information on requirements and an application form may be found on our website.  For additional information you may contact our scholarship chair, Jean Blackmer, 61 Sever St., Worcester MA 01609, Jean.Blackmer@becker.edu.
DICKINSON FAMILY COOKBOOK      Our cookbook, Family Fare, is still available.  You may now order it from Andrew Dickinson using our online book order form, or as before from our cookbook editor, Sara Pinkham Jones.  Sara’s address is  278 Reitman Court, Rochester Hills, MI 48307.  The cost is $14 which includes postage, and the check should be made out to The Dickinson Family Association.
NEW MEMBERS      From November 2008 to November 2009 twenty four new listings were added to our membership roster. We welcome the following people: Eddie Bishop, Lacey, WA; Norman and Mary Ann Byron, West Wardsboro, VT; Gregory Wayne Cockefair, Pompton Lakes, NJ; Antony Roy Dickinson; Brad Dickinson; Donald F. Dickinson, Plainville, CT; Leslie A. Dickinson, South Hadley, MA; Patrick A. Dickinson, Chatsworth, CA; Peter Romney Dickinson, LaVergne, TN; Vernon Dickinson, Mcloud, OK; Georgia Evans, The Villages, FL; Mary Goding, Rochester, VT; Philip Goding, Rochester, VT; Robert and Harriet Harrison, Southbury, CT; Mary Knox Humphrey, Skaneateles, NY; Katrinka Kip, Reno, NV; Nicholas H. Kip, Gahanna, OH; Stephanie Kip, Montclair, NJ; Kathy Latini, Bloomingdale, NJ; Mary-Elisabeth Monroe, Sarasota, FL; Rebecca L. Passa, Easthampton, MA; Patricia Ruggiero, Depew, NY; L. Steventon, Sunderland, MA; Margaret Zellinger, Bowdoinham, ME.     We are delighted to have these new “cousins” on our membership list and hope to see some of you at upcoming reunions so we can get to know you better.
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VOLUME VI, NUMBER 4

A message from the President      
You might call it “the reunion that almost wasn’t”.  One of our members called it “the accidental reunion.”  In any case, the Dickinson Family Association reunion of 2009 was not what was planned.     
Friday afternoon six of us gathered at the Ancient Burying Ground in downtown Hartford for a very interesting tour lead by head guide Andrea Ader and some of her youth trainees.  It was a warm, sunny, pleasant afternoon.  As we concluded and headed toward Wethersfield, the sky was darkening.  By the time we reached Wethersfield for our 5 o’clock board meeting, the skies were overcast, the western sky was nearly black and a very brisk wind had come up.     
Inside Michael’s Tavern a few board members had arrived before 5pm and a few others came in just as the storm was starting.  The wind and rain were so strong they came through the cracks in the historic old building.  There was lightening, thunder and hail.  The power went off; emergency lighting came on.  Water had to be mopped up on the second floor where we were meeting.  The gale subsided as suddenly as it had come.  A few more board members climbed up the stairs, quite wet.  With chairs in a circle those who had assembled had a meeting by dim light.  Eventually the restaurant was closed and there was no word as to when power would be restored.  Most of the board members went across the street to a small pizza shop which had a generator, and was doing a brisk business.  After an hour of socializing and pizza we headed out to a calm evening with clear skies.     
The power did not come on all night.  The National Weather Service eventually came to Wethersfield and determined that a tornado had struck the town.  Saturday was a beautiful sunny day.  A massive cleanup effort was in progress and the Wethersfield police had issued a request that people not drive into town.  The church where our meeting was to be had no power and could not let us inside.  The caterer had to cancel our lunch, and the speaker who had prepared a power-point presentation was also cancelled.  A few people were notified that we couldn’t have a reunion, but many were already staying in the area or were on their way, and they came.  And they came!  We called the caterer to re-order our morning coffee etc., and found a picnic table in the church yard for it.  Andrew Dickinson started selling his books, and Virginia Allis sold the Dickinson T-shirts.  People refused to turn around – they parked, gathered and chatted.  Eventually the church provided us with some folding chairs and tables, and gave us access to restrooms.  Many cousins exchanged information with our genealogist, Adrienne Weible.  As lunch-time approached one attendee offered to go out in his car in search of a restaurant that could provide us with, you guessed it – pizza.      
After the pizza lunch we did have an abbreviated meeting.  We had a few reports, announced our scholarship winner, gave out prizes and elected officers.  We sang “God Bless America”, and we took  group pictures.  The meals and many events that had been planned for months in advance didn’t happen, but people had a chance to mingle and get to know the other cousins in attendance much better than they would have at a “regular” reunion.  We also learned that Dickinsons are not easily deterred!     
Although many huge trees fell in the beautiful old town green that Nathaniel Dickinson had helped create and some homes nearby suffered extensive damage, there were no human casualties in the storm, and the historic buildings in Old Wethersfield were preserved.  Next year we hope to avoid any violent storms, but perhaps our experience in Wethersfield taught us some lessons that can be put to use in future reunions. 
Alan C. Dickinson, president 
GOOD NEWS FROM THE GENEALOGIST! In answer to many requests, our genealogist, Adrienne Weible has compiled a new edition of our Female Lines CD.  The first edition contained information current to October, 2003.  This one goes through May of 2009.  The new disc made its first appearance at the June meeting and is now available for purchase through our website.  If you have no internet access, you may order the CD by sending a check for $25 (which includes postage), made out to Dickinson Family Association, to Andrew Dickinson, P.O. Box 308, Cummington, MA 01026. 
ANNUAL REUNION, 2010 Our next Reunion will be held at Mt. Holyoke College on June 26, 2010.  Our main speaker will be Dr. Martha Ackmann, a Mt. Holyoke professor who is an expert on Emily Dickinson.  The poet was a student at Mt. Holyoke during the 1847-48 academic year.  Also, we are happy to announce that this year’s speaker, whose talk was cancelled due to the storm, has agreed to come to Mt. Holyoke with her presentation next June.  Watch the website and future newsletters for more on the 2010 reunion. 
EXECUTIVE BOARD RE-ELECTED The executive board for 2009-2010, elected at the 2009 reunion, is as follows:  President: Alan Dickinson, Vice President & Publications Treasurer: Andrew Dickinson, Treasurer: Virginia Allis, Secretary: Karen Sims, Genealogist: Adrienne Weible, Membership Clerk: Beth Landolina, Historian & Past President: Bob Magovern, Scholarship Committee Chair: Jean Blackmer, Hospitality: Dale Williams. 
MEMBERSHIP NEWS      Our membership clerk, Beth Landolina, has reported that the DFA membership has surpassed 400.  This is a great milestone, and we hope to keep increasing.  If you have relatives who would like to be on our mailing list, send their names and addresses to Beth.  Also, please remember to notify Beth if either your postal or e-mail address changes.     This issue of the Newsletter is being sent electronically to all members whose e-mail address we have.  If you are receiving a paper copy and you do have e-mail we would appreciate your giving your e-mail address to Beth. Sending the November and June newsletters by e-mail saves us time and money, and often gets the Newsletter to you quicker.     Contact info:  Beth Landolina, 82 Evergreen Dr., Tolland CT 06084; BethL0719@sbcglobal.net . 
2009 SCHOLARSHIP Congratulations to Brittany Garand, this year’s winner of the DFA Scholarship.  Britanny is a junior at Westfield State College majoring in business. She has consistently been on the dean’s list at WSC and plans to pursue a career in business and conservation.  Britanny is a descendant of Samuel.  We wish her well as she continues her studies at Westfield State.
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