This note, which had accompanied a tea pot at one time, was shared by my cousin, Marge, granddaughter of Harry Dickinson. The teapot had been given to her daughter, Lorrie., probably by Marge's mother, Ruth, or her Uncle John. While the whereabouts of the actual teapot is unknown (sorry - the photo shown here is a stock photo), the note provides some clues about our ancestor, which has been assumed is referring to William Dickinson, since he was Lorrie's 3rd Great-Grandfather, and his wife. It read as follows:
"This tea pot which houses this family tree write-up, belonged to your Great, Great, Great Grandmother, on the Dickinson side. From conversations which were passed down it seems, that this grandmother had a boyfriend, who may have been a seafaring man. He brought her this tea pot from the Orient when she was 18 years and he later became her husband. It is presumed that his family name was Dickinson. They had three sons; John Dickinson, William Dickinson & a third son, who later on embarked to New Zealand or Australia to make his fortune."
The teapot could have been from a grandmother on another branch of the tree, however. Aside from William & Ann Dickinson, other 3rd great-grandparents on Lorrie's Dickinson branch were:
1) the parents of Elizabeth Reynolds,
2) the parents of George Robinson, and
3) the parents of Emma Griffith.
Perhaps someday we will find a ship record for one of these ancestors who sailed to the Orient. Until then, this mysterious memory clings by a thread in the annals of the Dickinson family.
Click here to learn more about the Dickinson branch of my family tree.