The Dixon Genealogy Page

Part of the Jackson Family History Research

Updated 6 February 2009

I am grateful to Jean Dixon and Nigel Smedley for some of the information on this page.

Great Aunt Hannah was proving difficult to find in the 1901 Census, until my distant cousin, Chris Gash suggested looking on the 1901 Census website for Hannah in Greasbrough, Near Rotherham, Yorkshire.  Chris had been told that an Uncle, William Gash (born 1893), had visited her there when he was younger, and an Aunt had also mentioned that Hannah had had a large family and that the eldest boy was John Thomas - Chris was unsure whether this meant 'Thomas' as a surname or as a second forename.  Hannah Gash was the eldest daughter of my Great Grandparents, William and Mary Gash.  Please see the Gash Family page for information on the early life of Hannah.

This photograph was one of many sent to my brother in Canada by our 2nd Cousin Mary E Templeton nee Simms.  Written on the back Mary Emma wrote "Your Great Uncle Jack and Aunt Anna, they lived at the bungalow at the farm at Kilnhurst where your Uncle Bill and Aunt Beattie lived" - this was 'Lodge Farm' at Hooton Roberts, near Rotherham.  A few more photographs appear further down this page.

I decided to try the 1901 Census with just Hannah's first name, her birth year (+/- 2 year) and her birthplace; this brought just five results and the most obvious was the surname 'Dixon' living in Wombwell.  I then requested all the Dixon's living in Wombwell and found the rest of the family - I had no credit left on my voucher so could not purchase the full information.  Then thanks to Lincolnshire ENG-LINCSGEN-L@rootsweb.com emailing list I had more confirmation that this was the correct family - I had posted a general request regarding the Gash family and had included my surname interests which contained the new entry DIXON; Jean Dixon contacted me to see what my connection to the name 'Dixon' was and it turned out that Jean's husband, Alan, was a relative of the husband of Great Aunt Hannah - John Dixon. 

Jean sent me the details of the 1901 Census - they were living at 2 Lundhill Row, Wombwell:

I sent for the wedding certificate of John and Hannah to establish who their fathers were:

For some reason this was a Register Office marriage.  Another mystery is who were Jane Gash and George Henry Gash?

* A descendant of Thomas Dixon contacted me - Nigel Smedley, who informs me that the brother of John William Dixon, Thomas, married Lucy Garfitt (from Lundhill) in Hemmingfield and they are his 2 x Great Grandparents.  Thomas and Lucy later moved to Killamarsh where they ran a newsagents business.  Thomas had been a collier and a soldier and fought in the Boer War with the Yorks and Lancaster Regiment.

Nigel also wrote that John William Dixon was born Feb 1871 in Sibsey and died Feb 1954 in Killamarsh; buried in Killamarsh Churchyard along with his brother Thomas and Sister in law, Lucy (formerly Garfitt).  John lived the last 5 years of his life with his brother and sister in law, their daughter Elsie and her husband John Smedley - Nigel's grandparents; also in the household was Nigel's father, Brian.  The last two years of that period, John William Dixon was blind.    Many thanks to Nigel for sending these 4 great pictures of the Dixon family together with information about the family. 

Picture 1 - John William Dixon, husband of my Great Aunt Hannah Dixon nee Gash;

Picture 2 - John's brother, Thomas Dixon in 1968.  Thomas was born in Sibsey on 26 April 1878, he married Lucy on 25 December 1902 in Hemmingfield.  Thomas was a coal miner at Cortonwood, Darfield, Norwood, and Westhorpe collieries; Thomas died on 14 April 1973 age 95.

Picture 3 - Lucy Dixon nee Garfitt, wife of Thomas Dixon; Lucy was born on Lundhill Row near Wombwell. The following website has a photograph of Lundhill Row: http://www.wombwell-on-the-net.co.uk/STREETS/index.htm

Picture 4 - Brother of John and Thomas - Charles Dixon and his wife, Polly, taken just after the First World War. Charles born 1869, returned from WWI suffering from shell-shock which lasted all his life.  He lived with Polly and his children in Worksop in the 1920-30's, working at Shireoaks Colliery. Charles was born c1869. 

Nigel said that John William and Thomas Dixon moved from Lincolnshire to Lundhill, near Barnsley in 1892 to work at Cortonwood Colliery; they followed their uncle, Robert Akred (husband of Ellen Dixon).  At that time Robert was Colliery Foreman at Cortonwood. Their brother Charles was also in the area working as a coalminer. 

Thomas talked about seeing his father's coffin being taken away by horse and cart when he was very young - this would have been December 1882 as Joseph died on 1st December. 

John William Dixon was a good horseman and made things out of leather.  He and Hannah lived in Kilnhurst and had three children, Elizabeth, John King and Frank.  However no one can remember Elizabeth, and it is thought that she probably died in infancy.  There is a death recorded at Barnsley of an Elizabeth Dixon, age one in Apr/June 1901; and as can be seen from the above 1901 Census, the Dixons were living in Barnsley at that time.  Nigel's Great Aunt, and daughter of Thomas Dixon, Mary Elizabeth South nee Dixon, was born in 1904 and lived in Lundhill Row until 1910, just a few doors away from John William and Hannah Dixon.

When the 1911 came on line - this proved Nigel's theory that Elizabeth had died:

Their address was given as 14 New Street, Hemmingfield, Barnsley - the surprise was that John William had given up working on the land to go down the pit. The couple had been married 15 years and there were 2 sons. Looking for more information on Freebmd, I found:

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In the 1891 Census, Nigel Smedley's 2 x Great Grandmother, Lucy, was living with her parents, Amos and Mary Garfitt at 11 Lundhill, near Wombwell, Barnsley:

I can't find Lucy in the 1901 Census - she married Thomas Dixon in 1902; registered in Barnsley Dec 1902 vol 9c page 398.   Lucy was born Lundhill, Barnsley in 1879. 

Lucy and Thomas Dixon had married on 25 December 1902 and in the 1911 Census they are shown living in Darton  on Fountain Row:

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Looking for information on the earlier life of the Dixon brothers, I searched the Census records -

The 1871 Census shows John Wm Dixon aged 7 months living with parents Joseph and Elizabeth Dixon at Lower Fenside, Sibsey:

Jean Dixon's information gave the date of Joseph's marriage to Elizabeth King as 15 May 1867.

As recorded in the 1881 Census the Family were still living at Fenside, Sibsey;  Joseph's entry showed that life was becoming difficult as their family increased in size, he was "on the parish" and Elizabeth was working as a Charwoman:

Joseph died on 1st December 1882 at the age of 36; Elizabeth's second husband was Burton Holmes.

The 1891 Census shows them living in Sibsey on the "Turnpike Side" -

John William Dixon had left home and the most likely entries I found were a John William Dixon, age 20 working as a Farm servant in Carlton in Lindrick, Notts at Farm House working as a Farm Servant for Farmer, James Sargent - this John William Dixon was transcribed as being born Lincolns, Lumby or Sumby?. 

Another possibility was a John Dixon, age 20, born Spilsby, Lincolnshire working at Revesby in Lincolnshire as a Farm Servant for Farmer Jonathan Donaby - the address/place given as "No Man's Friend"  My thanks to Donald Roberts who emailed me  - he wrote "I was brought up around Tumby Woodside, where my family came from, I suspect that the 'no-mans friend" you are looking for is the road between Tumby Woodside and Moorhouses - I walked down it many times.  I now live in Sibsey.  'No-mans Friend' is about four miles from Revesby on the old cart track"  Donald went on to explain that he had asked around the village, but no one currently living in Sibsey knew the Dixon family. 

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Nigel Smedley provided the following information regarding Joseph and Elizabeth Dixon's children -

Frank joined the army but deserted at the time of the Boer War and was not heard from again, although they believed he might have gone to live in Hull.

Charles (see photo above) married Polly and lived in many areas and did many jobs.  Lived in Hull, at Lundhill and Maltby.  Was a soldier in the Boer War and WW1, a coalminer and a maltster at a Brewery.  Was a coalminer at Shireoaks in the 1920's.  He and Polly lived at Worksop near the Golden Ball Inn.  Charles died before Polly in about 1946.  Nigel thought that Charles and Polly had three children, Agnes, Charles and Nellie.

Harriet Ann married Herbert Wainfer and had three girls, Lucy Ann, Mary and one other.  Only Mary survived infancy - Mary was born 1912 in Bennington, near Sibsey and when Nigel emailed me she was 95 years of age.

Ellen married and lived at Nelson street, Boston but no more information is known.*

Thomas as previously mentioned married Lucy in 1902 at Hemmingfield; Thomas resident of Hemmingfield, Lucy of Lundhill.  Thomas's father was noted at Joseph, shoemaker.  Thomas and Lucy had five children, Mary Elizabeth 1904-87; Doris 1912; Thomas Amos 1916-43; Elsie 1918 and Joan 1924. Only Mary was born at Lundhill Row, the other children were all born at Killamarsh.

Nigel added that Elizabeth (mother of John William Dixon and the above children) died in 1925.  Nigel said that his father's family used to visit her by train from Killamarsh station to Sibsey station and that she lived within walking distance of the station.  It is thought that she lived in Sibsey all her life and that she out-lived her second husband.

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* Ellen Dixon married John H Simpson and here's their record in the 1901 Census, residing in Southwell's Lane, Friskney:

Ellen's great granddaughter, Vanessa Amos appeared on GenesReunited as a "hot match" and we made contact.  Vanessa's information was that John Henry Simpson was born in Little Gonerby, Lincolnshire on 5 February 1878.  John and Ellen's son George Albert Simpson was born in Kirton, Lincolnshire 16 August 1911. 

George married twice; Vanessa is unsure who his first wife was - possibly Rose or Doris, surname unknown.  I have found a possible marriage between a George Simpson and a Doris Bland which was registered Brentford in July 1938.  A birth was registered for this couple in Kettering in June 1939 - a George A. Simpson where the mother's maiden name was given as "Bland".  Vanessa has since sent for and received this birth certificate where the parents were George and Doris Simpson and her maiden name was given as "Bland".

George's second wife was Emma Brett and they were married in Ilford in 1948; their son Dennis Simpson is Vanessa's father.

Vanessa has sent me the following documents:

The above birth certificate and the following death certificate, both for John Henry Simpson:

 After John's death Ellen eventually married William Meads - she died in Kettering in 1955:

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Searching back to the earlier census records, John William Dixon's father, Joseph Dixon was living with his parents Thomas Whiting Dixon and his wife Sarah Dixon in Sibsey. Thomas Whiting Dixon was the son of Joseph Dixon and Mary Whiting who were married on 1 Jun 1818 in Bennington.  Freebmd shows a marriage for their son, Thomas Whiting Dixon, registered Boston, June 1842 with two possibilities Sarah Hare or Sarah Smithett

In 1851 they were found at Fensides:

and in 1861 at West Fen Allotment, Sibsey:

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According to Jean, The Dixon family had originated from Sutton St Nicholas, Lincolnshire.  The IGI records that brothers Joseph and William Dixon were the sons of John Dixon and Ann Hanson married 25 May 1795 at Fleet, Lincolnshire.  The IGI has the baptisms of four children:

There is a John and Ann Dixon in the 1841 Census, residing in Revesby Almshouse, Revesby - this is close to Sibsey, so these might be the parents of the above children:

Joseph Dixon married Mary Whiting on 1 June 1818 and their children were:

Joseph Dixon's widow, Mary Whiting Dixon appears on the 1841 Census in Sibsey, Lincolnshire as Mrs Edward Carey:

Joseph had died in Hobart, Tasmania in 1840

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(NOT YET COMPLETE)

Updated February 2009