DAD, WHERE DID WE COME FROM?
A STORY OF THE
DIXON FAMILY
David W. Dixon March, 1997
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INTRODUCTION
In early 1989 my son Ken made the astute observation that he knew very little of our ancestral history and wondered out loud, "Dad, where did we come from"? Rather disconcertedly I had to plead a degree of ignorance. However the question sparked a challenge for which I promised to find some answers.
That exchange has developed into a most interesting, rewarding and sometimes frustrating adventure that has occupied a good deal of my retired life. The pursuit has followed two primary but interconnecting themes; firstly to search out as many of my Dixon ancestors as possible and to denote the relationship of each into an overall plan, termed a pedigree; and secondly to identify those kin with their dates of birth, marriage and death, often referred to as vital statistics.
Commencing to determine the various sources of information it soon became apparent that there is an endless supply from which to extract data. One obvious reason is due to the multitude of like-minded researchers who have an insatiable appetite for genealogical knowledge. This demand has resulted in documents that have been previously stored in obscure locations gradually being made more readily available as well as being re-recorded into accessible formats.
After the locations of data have been resolved, such as archives and genealogical libraries, it then becomes a task to learn the procedures necessary to ferret out the desired information. It sometimes requires perseverance to decipher the often complex system used to travel the steps from initial index to final results.
One must recognize that not all data can be considered truthful and authentic. The decision to believe or not often hinges on the source. For example, the date of death in a newspaper obituary will very likely be correct. But if the same announcement also denotes the date of birth of the deceased then the researcher would be advised to file that knowledge away until it can be verified.
The results of my investigations are shown in the pedigrees accompanying this document and reference should be made to them rather closely. While guarantees can not be offered, a very sincere effort has been made toward authenticity. It is truly believed that the following account and pedigrees are factual, except in those instances denoted otherwise. I would appreciate being advised if errors are observed.
In attempting to locate names of relatives and their vital statistics it follows that other information surfaced which was of interest and may likewise be attractive to the reader. A purpose of this document is to record those facts, anecdotes and samples of human interest.
Families expand forever and sprout as branches on a tree. Just as growth continues, so there cannot be a situation of arriving at a completed kindred search. The following is only a start. It is my wish that, as time evolves, this work will be expanded and additions made by persons having a similar genealogical curiosity.
From the interest shared by my children – Marion Douglas and Kenneth – I feel assured they will value this ancestral history, as will our extended family.
Appreciation is given to my family who have patiently answered questions and provided valuable information, documents and photographs. A few of those persons are: -
Bess Dixon
Betty Doughty
Dorothy Dutnall
Doris Hamilton
Marjorie Miale
Dorothy Sutherland
And others
Dixon Family History Continued…… >
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