Researching the Dickinson Family Home

Nathaniel Dickinson of New London was a mariner who died at sea in 1797 leaving his estate to his widow, Elisabeth, mother of their 6 small children.  My 4^th great grandparents, Nathaniel & Elisabeth Bill Dickinson lived in New London, Connecticut in the second half of the 1700’s.   In researching the lives of Nathaniel & Elisabeth, I discovered a couple of mentions about their home which led me to try and determine more about their property including specifically where it was located. 

The 1797 probate paperwork completed after the death of Capt Nathaniel Dickinson at sea directed that their present New London family home and possessions would be left to his widow, Elisabeth Bill Dickinson after all outstanding bills were settled.  The last page of the probate inventory for Nathaniel Dickinson’s estate mentions a "Mansion House & lot with a small Old Shop standing thereon situate on the Main Street north of the Bank".  The property was valued at 250 British pounds in the estate. 

There was also a mortgage loan on the home payable to William Stewart that was dated in 1794 for slightly more than 27 British pounds.  The note was paid off when Nathaniel Dickinson’s estate was probated in 1801.  The mortgage statement at the time shows that interim payments had mostly just covered the loan interest. 

One might assume that the home was either built or purchased by Nathaniel Dickinson in 1794, however the original loan amount was only slightly more than 10% of the value of the home.  Maybe the Dickinson home was built in 1794, but it could also have been built earlier and just used as collateral for the 1794 loan.  I wonder why the mortgage was not a bank loan but a loan from an individual; remember that the bank was right next door.  Maybe the mortgage note was actually a business loan for Nathaniel and the home was simply used for collateral.  In addition to being a seaman himself, Nathaniel also did business putting together crews and supplying ships in New London.    

It appears that Elisabeth lived in the Dickinson home for many more years after the death of Nathaniel.  I don’t have any record of Elisabeth’s death, however, I do know that the home was listed for rent in 1819, so she could have died prior to that event or possibly moved in with a family member.

When the Dickinson home was advertised “To Let” in 1819, it was described as “The Dwelling House lately occupied by Elizabeth Dickinson, situated on Main street, near New-London Bank, now under repairs …”

According to letters and notes that were written by Nathaniel & Elisabeth’s son, Capt David Bill Dickinson, he arranged for his brother-in-law, Benjamin Brown, to manage the property.  Benjamin Brown was a well-known businessman in New London; and David Bill Dickinson resided in Baltimore, Maryland spending much time at sea as a merchant ship’s captain.

Since both references to the Dickinson home describe that it was located on Main Street and near the New London Bank, I began to try and figure out the specific location in New London, and see if I could learn more about the home.  First I looked for an early map of New London, and the earliest that I found online was an 1876 chromolithograph map referred to as a “Bird’s-eye view of New London”.  1876, of course, was more than 50 years after Elisabeth moved out of the home.  I wasn’t even sure if the home would still be standing – but it looks to me like it was still there at that time.    

This 1876 pictorial map shows drawn detail for many of the buildings and also had a legend numbering system to denote the names and location for some of the significant commercial buildings.  The map legend noted seven different banks or financial institutions in New London at the time. 

Only one of the banks noted on the map is located on Main Street.  This location was near both the center of the city and also only 3 blocks from the dock area.  According to the map legend, and noted as building 27, the property on Main Street across from the intersection of Main and Masonic is the Savings Bank of New London.  And just to the right of the Bank (which would be north of the Bank as noted in the probate inventory mentioned above) is very possibly the Dickinson home with the small shop in the back. 

We know that Nathaniel was not only a seaman; he also had a shop and business providing goods and services for the ships that sailed from the area. You can tell from his estate inventory and settlement that it was an ongoing business. The lot circled above appears to run from Main Street all the way through to Bradley Street with possibly a 3-story home, an addition, and a small back building that could well be Nathaniel’s shop.  If so, then the Dickinson home stood for 50+ more years until this map was created after Elisabeth moved out in 1819.

Today, when looking at Google Maps, I find that several of the New London street names have changed:  Main Street is now called Eugene O’Neill Drive, and John Street and Bradley Street are now known as Atlantic Street.  But you can see that Masonic Street, State Street and Water Street are all still the same configuration as on the 1876 pictorial map.  As expected, the Dickinson family home no longer stands, and has probably been gone for quite some time.

 

 

I believe that the property where the Dickinson home was located is very likely now part of the parcel where The Savings Bank of New London now sits at 63 Eugene O’Neill Drive; or the adjacent property at the address of 75 Eugene O’Neill Drive where there is now a modern building.

Next, I tried to find out more on the Savings Bank of New London building.  I found information that the Savings Bank building of today was supposedly built in 1852, and expanded with two wings in 1890.  And I am guessing the north wing of the Bank now stands on the former Dickinson home property.  By 1905, the building was completely enclosed by a new structure designed by the New London architect Dudley Saint Clair Donnelly.  

The Savings Bank of New London was incorporated in 1827.   So, it could have been a different bank at that location prior to 1827, or it is possible that it was the same bank but just it wasn’t incorporated until 1827.  Banks often move into locations where previous banks were located because the building typically has at least one large vault or safe.

The Savings Bank of New London failed in 1993 in the wake of a real estate bust when it was shut down by regulators.  The bank was then sold to Citizens Financial Group and operated as Citizens Bank for the next 15 years.  Citizens sold the building, and in 2019 moved their operation to a new facility.  I don’t know if the building is presently occupied, but it is considered a New London landmark building.  It is currently listed for almost $3 million and looks quite lovely inside https://www.uspropre.com/property/63-eugene-oneill-drive-new-london-ct-06320/

I found a small booklet that was printed in 1977 on the 150^th anniversary of the Savings Bank of New London and it had an early photo of the bank, date unknown but after the two wings were added in 1890. 

When I compare this corner of the street to the 1876 map image, it looks to me like the Dickinson home probably came down by the time that the Bank added the wing expansions in 1890.  If that is the case, then the two remaining buildings that are on the far left of the old photo would be in the location of the two buildings on the north side of the Dickinson home in the 1876 pictorial map.  There is a modern office building presently at that location on the corner just north of the Bank building.

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Key Individuals:

 

Nathaniel Dickinson (1749 – 1797)

Elisabeth Bill (~1760 – ~1818)

David Bill Dickinson (1787 – 1846)

           

Notes:

Several years ago I sent a letter to the New London City Hall, Land Records Department asking if there might be any deed information on the old Dickinson home or property.  I realize that this was a long shot since it has been over 200 years, and even the street and address names have changed.  The response indicated that there “might” be records, that office staff didn’t perform searches, and that I would need to hire a surveyor or landman to come in and search the old record files.  I tried to contact a person that they recommended, but he couldn’t do it because COVID had shut down visitors to the Land Records Department.  And after COVID lifted, that person no longer responded to my emails.

More recently, I sent an inquiry to the company that presently owns the bank property which now includes the adjacent property to the north as well, but still haven’t had any reply from them.

Maybe one day… as I would love to see copies of the original deed for the Dickinson home, if the paperwork still exists.  I wish I would have figured this all out when our daughter lived in that neck of the woods, and I could have looked into it then!

 – Jane Scribner McCrary

John Dickinson and the USS Constitution

I have written several blog posts about my early Dickinson family in New London, CT.  My 4^th great grandparents, Nathaniel Dickinson and Elisabeth Bill Dickinson, had seven children with one having died young.  My line comes down through their son, David Bill Dickinson, however I want to digress at bit and tell you about David Bill Dickinson’s younger brother, John. 

John Dickinson was born about 1792 and was the youngest son of Nathaniel and Elisabeth.  John was about 5 years old when his father died at sea in 1797.  Nathaniel had been a seaman, and the family lived close to the wharf/dock area of New London.  Times were probably very difficult for Elisabeth, a widow with six small children, and as you might expect the boys began working at a very early age.

Like their father, the Dickinson boys found work on the ships of New London.  David Bill Dickinson was documented as working in 1801 in New London in the Seamen’s Protection Certificate Register at 13 years of age.  And his brother, John Dickinson is also found in the Register in 1804 working at only 12 years of age.  

John Dickinson was noted in the Seamen’s Protection Register as having been born in New London, age 12, with light complexion, height at 4’7”, with a scar on the “left elbow joint of the little finger of left hand” and pock marks.  In 1796, Congress passed an act to protect American merchant seamen from impressment. The certificates were used to verify the identity and nationality of American seamen traveling abroad.  Seamen were issued a one page Protection Certificate as proof of their American citizenship.

Our John Dickinson was mentioned in letters written in 1835 by his brother, David Bill Dickinson.  David wrote that his “youngest Brother, John, was also in the Service of his Country during the Late War, and was on board the United States Ship Constitution with Commodores Hull and Bainbridge, in the Battles and Capture of Guerriere and Java – since the War he was in the United States Service at New Orleans, where he lost his life while on Duty…”

David’s mention of the “Late War” referred to the War of 1812.  And of course, I decided to try and find out more about John and his time aboard the USS Constitution.  There is a very good website for the Constitution at https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/ where they include a list of the crew, and it includes John Dickinson.

A little bit about the USS Constitution – this ship is a three-masted wooden hulled heavy frigate, and the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy that is still afloat.  It is usually berthed in Boston Harbor at the Naval History and Heritage Command.  The Constitution occasionally sails in the Boston harbor, down the coast to the Charleston Navy Yard for servicing, and for special celebrations.  While docked in Boston, it is also sometimes available for tours.

A couple of the ship’s most famous sea battles came during the War of 1812 when it defeated British war ships and garnered the nickname “Old Ironsides” because the ship’s strong oak hull seemed impenetrable.  According to the USS Constitution Museum, our John Dickinson was a crew member during the time of the most famous of battles in the War of 1812 with the British ships, the HMS Guerriere and the HMS Java at a time when he was about 20 years old.

The record of John Dickinson’s service that is provided by the USS Constitution Museum:

Ship’s Crew:   John Dickinson

Rank:  Able Seaman

Dates of Service:  8/4/1811 – 2/17/1813

Early Life:  Dickinson’s place and date of birth are unknown. 

Early Experience:  Dickinson served as a seaman on board the USS Essex prior to August 1811.

Aboard the USS Constitution:  Dickinson joined Constitution’s crew as an able seaman on August 4, 1811.  He was discharged at Boston, Massachusetts sometime after February 17, 1813.

Battles and Engagements:  During 1811 and early 1812, the ship patrolled the American coast enforcing US trade laws and carried out a diplomatic mission to France and Holland.  Dickinson participated in the battle with HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812 and with HMS Java on December 29, 1812.  During the battle with HMS Java, Dickinson helped pass empty cartridge boxes to the magazine by way of the steerage hatch.  He received $42.62 ½ and $42.30 as his share of the prize money for the two victories.

Other:  Ledgers show that Dickinson reported to sick bay aboard the Constitution on May 25, 1812 with a severe pain in the liver.  Dr Amos Evans administered several doses of ipecac and castor oil.  After three days he returned to duty.

An able seaman was an important member of the crew.  Having sailed for years on vessels, he would have worked his way up through the ranks in the navy.  Officers relied on able seamen for the smooth operation of the ship.  The traditional requirements for a seaman in John Dickinson’s time were that he be able to hand (furl or take in a sail), reef (reduce a sail's area), and steer, but these were in fact the minimum requirements for the seaman rating.  In addition, they were expected to be familiar with nearly all aspects of shipboard labor.  He had to be able to cast the sounding lead, be able to sew a sail with a palm and needle, understand all parts of the rigging and the stowage of the hold.  Furthermore, he had to know how to fight, as part of a gun crew or with small arms.  An able seaman made about $12 per month during the War of 1812.

Below is a painting of the battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere.  The battle took place south of Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1812 and demonstrated that the Americans could stand up to the world’s greatest sea power.  The Constitution suffered losses:  7 seamen died and 7 were wounded.  And on the Guerriere:  15 men were killed and 78 wounded.  The Americans captured 257 prisoners before the Guerriere sank.

USS Constitution also engaged with the HMS Java late in 1812 with John Dickinson still among the crew.  The battle took place near Portugal, when the Java started the battle even though the Constitution was a superior vessel.  The Constitution suffered losses:  9 seamen died and 47 were wounded.  And on the Java:  22 men were killed including the captain, and 102 were wounded.  The HMS Java typically had a crew of about 275, but she had about 425 aboard at the time of her engagement with the Constitution.

Other than the information shared in David Bill Dickinson’s letter, and the information gathered from the Museum of the Constitution, I haven’t found much else about John Dickinson.  I don’t know if he ever married, but it is doubtful.  And I don’t know when he died, only that David’s reference letter indicates that he died after the War of 1812, aboard a United States naval ship that was in service somewhere near New Orleans.

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Key Individuals:

 

Nathaniel Dickinson  (1749 – 1797)

Elizabeth Bill Dickinson   (~1760/1766 – 1819)

Nathaniel Dickinson (1780-1781) died in infancy

Elizabeth Dickinson (1782-1862)

Martha Dickinson (1782-1862)

Jerome (Jereme or Jeremiah) Chapman Dickinson (1785-1817)

David Bill Dickinson (1787 – 1846) my 3^rd great grandfather

John Dickinson (~1792-aft 1813)

Sally Brooks Dickinson (bef 1797 - ?)

– Jane Scribner McCrary

The Bill Family & Elisabeth Bill

John & Dorothy Bill, my 9^th great grandparents, were the earliest members of the Bill family in America and were first recorded in Boston in 1638.  However, it is thought that they actually arrived from England with their 3 oldest sons prior to 1635.  Unfortunately, John died in 1638, leaving Dorothy a widow. About that same time a man named Richard Tuttle also arrived in Boston having brought the 2 youngest Bill children with him from England aboard the ship Planter.  It is believed that Richard Tuttle was Dorothy’s brother as he became responsible for the Bill family. 

Our ancestor, Philip Bill, was the third son of John & Dorothy and by 1668 Philip was living in New London and Groton, Connecticut where land deeds show that he owned real estate.  In the summer of 1689, an epidemic claimed the life of Philip and one of his daughters on the same day leaving behind his widow, Hannah Bill, and several children.

Samuel Bill, the second son of Philip Bill was born about 1665 near Boston, and came to Groton (then part of New London) with his parents in 1669.  He married Mercy Haughton, daughter of Richard Haughton.    

Our family then descends through four more generations of the Bill line, all with men named Samuel Bill.  Many accountings of the Bill family at this point only have 3 successive generations of Samuel Bill’s.  But when I found one that showed 4 generations of Samuel Bill – the puzzle pieces finally fell into place for our Bill line which had eluded me for many years. It can be very hard to separate the generations in historical accounts of the time. To explain, I will flip to where I was struggling to make our Bill connection.

Elisabeth Bill married Nathaniel Dickinson in 1778 in New London [for more on Nathaniel Dickinson, see the blog Aboard a Prison Ship in the Revolution posted on 27 June 2020].  Their son, David Bill Dickinson was my 3^rd great grandfather and a mariner who enjoyed an illustrious career at sea [for more on David Bill Dickinson, see the blog A Career with the Midas of Baltimore posted on 17 October 2020].  Nathaniel died when David Bill Dickinson was only 10 years old.  David Bill Dickinson wrote several letters that have survived and they reveal small details and information about his family. 

In David Bill Dickinson’s writings, he states that he had an uncle named David Bill that was “the Son of Samuel Bill of New London [and] was I believe a Lieutenant on board of the Frigate Trumbull of 36 guns Commanded by Capt Samuel Nicholson, in his action with the British Ship Watt, in which action the said Bill was killed.”  This tells me that David Bill was a brother of his mother, Elisabeth Bill; and that the father of both David and Elisabeth was Samuel Bill.  It is known that the Trumball/Watt battle took place in June of 1780, thus David Bill died in June of 1780.   I have also found several references to verify that fact.

Another clue provided in David Bill Dickinson’s letters was several references to “My Uncle Jonathan Brooks” (referring to Jonathan Brooks Jr) and even a letter written in 1835 from Jonathan Jr to David Bill Dickinson.  Brooks’ letter also notes that David Bill was an uncle of David Bill Dickinson and “from whom he was named David Bill".  Comparing information in David Bill Dickinson’s writings with early New London marriage and baptism records helped me to piece together the Bill line for his mother, Elisabeth Bill Dickinson. 

I started with the fact that both David Bill and Jonathan Brooks Jr were uncles of our David Bill Dickinson.  Church records show that Jonathan Brooks Sr was married to Mercy Bill of New London in 1766.  And a Brooks Family lineage book tells us that Jonathan married “Mercy Bill, daughter of James Chapman of New London, Dec 3, 1766.”  A search of New London church records also documents that “Mercy Chapman of New London, married Samuel Bill on Nov 8, 1759”. 

The scenario was that Mercy Chapman married 1^st Samuel Bill in 1759 and had David and our Elisabeth.  Mercy’s husband, Samuel Bill died young as Mercy Chapman Bill later married Jonathan Brooks Sr in December of 1766.  Mercy had at least 5 more children with Jonathan, including Jonathan Brooks Jr.  Thus, both David Bill (Elisabeth’s brother) and Jonathan Brooks Jr (Elisabeth’s half-brother) were children of Mercy – and uncles of my David Bill Dickinson, the son of Elisabeth Bill Dickinson.

As for the Samuel Bill that was Mercy’s 1st husband, church records show that Samuel Bill Jr & Martha Wheeler had a son named Samuel Bill born on April 12, 1739.   I believe that this Samuel Bill was the 1^st husband of Mercy Chapman. They both would have been about 20 years old when they married.  This Samuel Bill would have died young, before he was 27 years old, leaving his widow, Mercy, and children, David and Elisabeth.  Mercy next married Jonathan Brooks Sr in 1766.

I first backed into figuring out the relationship between Elizabeth Bill Dickinson and the Brooks family with the “my uncle” references in David Bill Dickinson’s letters.  More recently, I have found confirmation for my conclusions in the Will and Probate paperwork for the Estate of James Chapman (1709-1784), the father of Mercy Chapman. 

In his Will, James Chapman left his estate to his children which included Mercy.  The estate probate paperwork wasn’t finalized until 1812, and by that time Mercy had died.  According to the final Court of Probate settlement, Mercy’s share of James Chapman’s estate was left to her remaining children:  Nathan Brooks, Jonathan Brooks [Jr] and Elizabeth Dickinson.  For more on the Chapman family, see my most recent blog post, James Chapman of New London.

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Key Individuals:

1 John Bill (? – 1638) m. Dorothy Tuttle (1592 – ?)

   2 Philip Bill (1620 – 1689) m. Hannah Waite (1624 – 1709)

      3 Samuel Bill (1665 – 1729) m. Mercy Haughton (1655 – ~1693)

         4 Samuel Bill (~1690 – 1753) m. Hannah ? (~1692 – 1740)

            5 Samuel Bill Jr (~1715 – 1779) m. Martha Wheeler (1717 – 1785)

               6 Samuel Bill (1739 – bef.1766) m. Mercy Chapman (1738 – 1806) & then

                  Mercy Chapman Bill (1738—1806) m. Jonathan Brooks (1735 – 1807)

                  7 Elisabeth Bill (~1760 – ~1818) m. Nathaniel Dickinson (1749 – 1797)

                     8 David Bill Dickinson (1787 – 1846) m. Mary B Rogers (1790-1875)

Notes:

1)  Most of the information on the early Bill family comes from the book titled the History of the Bill Family by Ledyard Bill, first published in 1867.

2)  There are at least two other documented references that I found for Elisabeth’s brother, David Bill, and his death aboard the Trumbull in June of 1780.  It was noted that David died instantly when he was hit in the head by langrage which is scrap iron shot into the ships’ sails to shred them in battle.  It is also noted in one historical accounting of the Trumbull’s engagement with the Watt that David Bill was a cousin of Gurdon Bill (1757-1815), a Captain of Marines.

3)  The youngest child of my 4^th great grandparents, Nathaniel Dickinson and Elisabeth Bill Dickinson, was born in 1797 and named Sally Brooks Dickinson, indicating yet another tie to the Brooks family.  I suspect that Sally was named after Elisabeth’s younger sister, Sarah/Sally Brooks (1771 – 1787) who was only 15 years old when she was struck by lightning and died.  During a storm in 1787, lightning struck the chimney of the Brooks home and jumped to Sally.  Several other members of the family were in the home at the time, but not hurt.

 – Jane Scribner McCrary