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UNSOLVED #10
Rebeccah
DICKENS (of
1830 Sumner Co., TN)
Wife of Jeremiah Dickens
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On
October 12, 1802 Jeremiah Dickens married Rebeccah
Dickens in Caswell Co., NC, and Jeremiah's
brother-in-law: Gower Whittamore was the bondsman.
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DISCUSSION:
Jeremiah was the son of the Henry Dickens of Bute
(Warren) Co., NC who migrated to Caswell Co., NC between
March of 1786 - December 1789, and from there migrated
to Smith Co., TN sometime between November 1804 and
November 1808. A Sumner Co., TN Tax Record along with
a Deed for the purchase of Land on the East Fork of
Station Camp Creek, show that Jeremiah had traveled to
Tennessee by 1798. Jeremiah's marriage to Rebeccah shows
that he had returned to North Carolina by 1802, and
another deed in Sumner County indicates that Jeremiah
had once again returned to Station Camp Creek in Sumner
Co., Tennessee by May 1803. At the time of Jeremiah's
marriage to Rebeccah, other than Jeremiah's siblings and
his mother and father (Henry Dickens) - there were NO
other "Dickens" families remaining in Caswell Co., NC.
In fact, the nearest "Dickens" family other than Henry
Dickens' family was that of Col. Robert Dickens in
Person Co., NC. The question is: "Who
was Rebeccah Dickens?"
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Rebeccah's age as it is enumerated
in the Census Data is inconsistent. The last time she
appears in the census, she is enumerated as 75 years old
(a widow)
born in NC, living in her son Bryant's household in
Jackson Co., TN in 1850 - therefore born in 1775. In the
1820 Jackson Co., TN Census she was 26-45 and thusly
born between 1775 -1794 and between 8-27 when married in
1802; in the 1830 Smith Co., TN Census she was 30-40 and
thusly born between 1790-1800 and between 2-12 when
married in 1802; in the 1840 Smith Co., TN Census she
was 50-60 and thusly born between 1780-1790 and between
12-22 when married in 1802.
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POSSIBILITIES:
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1. Daughter of James Dickens of
Caswell Co., NC: I believe
this to be the most likely scenario.
James vacated Caswell Co., NC and migrated to the area
of Tennessee that became Wilson County sometime between
1795 and 1799, and I believe that Jeremiah accompanied
him which is why Jeremiah purchased land in Sumner Co.,
TN in 1798 just a few miles North of where James settled
in Wilson Co., TN.
In the 1784 - 1787 North Carolina
State Census, there were two females in James' household
in Caswell Co., NC; one obviously was a daughter, the
other his wife. Henry Dickens and family were still in
Warren Co., NC at the time of this census - but migrated
to Caswell sometime between March 1786 and December
1789. James married in 1781, and therefore, his daughter
in the census would have been born between 1782 - 1787.
Rebeccah's enumerated age range
fits into this census data.
2.
Daughter of William Dickens of Wilkes Co., NC:
In the 1790
Wilkes County census, there was a William Dickens with 3
males under 16, and 5 females in his household. While I
have personally not found the physical proof, a
contemporary of mine believes that this William Dickens
was originally from Bute Co., NC and had migrated to
Wilkes along with the "Gilreaths" who were in fact from
Bute (Warren) Co., NC. (I have long believed that this
William Dickens of Wilkes, along with the James Dickens
of Caswell are all related to my Henry Dickens - but to
date, I have not found definitive proof).
When Jeremiah traveled between
Caswell Co., NC and Sumner Co., TN - it can be safely
said that he probably passed through Wilkes County.
Thus, it is possible that Rebeccah was a daughter of
William Dickens of Wilkes Co., NC. Furthermore if true,
she may even have been Jeremiah's cousin.
3. Daughter of Col. Robert
Dickens of Person Co., NC:
Based on a
book written by Mary W. B. Hicks (b: Nov 1811) who was a
granddaughter of Col. Robert Dickens, titled: "A History
of the Dickens Family of Panola County Mississippi"
dated 1860; and likewise, based on Mary W. B. Hicks'
bible records now in the possession of: Mrs. M. W.
Reeves of Dallas, TX (as of 1988) - we can be
about 99% certain
that Rebeccah was NOT
a daughter of Col. Robert Dickens.
However, it should be noted that
there are two large gaps in the ages of Col. Roberts
Dickens known children that is not accounted for in
either reference I have cited above:
1)
there is a 4 year gap between the births of Jesse and
Elizabeth, and 2)
there is a 7 year gap between the births of William and
Samuel. Rebeccah's enumerated age range fits into the
later.
4. Also, see
Unsolved #11:
Henry Dickens Jr. ???
5. Lastly:
Rebeccah
Dickens could have been a widow of another Unidentified
Dickens yet to be discovered.
ELIMINATED:
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Rebeccah is NOT a daughter of Joseph Dickens of
Halifax Co., NC
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Rebeccah is NOT a daughter of William Dickens of
Halifax Co., NC
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Rebeccah is NOT a daughter of Benjamin Dickens Sr.
of Halifax Co., NC
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Rebeccah is NOT a daughter of Reverend John Dickens
of Halifax Co., NC and Philadelphia
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