SOURCE: Portrait and biographical album of Johnson and Pawnee counties, Nebraska
http://archive.org/stream/portraitbiographjpc00chap#page/530/mode/2up

"H. S. DICKINSON. The subject of this memoir found his way to Nebraska in 1884, and settled upon the farm which he now occupies, and which comprises 240 acres of good land on sections 16 and 21, Clay Precinct. He has a family history which is of more than usual interest, and which we will append after dealing with the more immediate events of his life.
Mr. Dickinson was born in Randolph, Portage Co., Ohio, Aug. 5, 1820, and removed to Henry County, Ill., in 1855. He had up to this time remained a bachelor, but he now met his fate in the person of Jane A. Baker, to whom he was married Sept. 14, 1857. Mrs. Dickinson was a native of the same State as her husband, born in Washington County, Sept. 25, 1831. They spent the first years of their married life in the Prairie State, and became the parents of four children. Their eldest, Ida E., was born Sept. 19, 1859, and married John McCall; John M. was born Jan. 3, 1861; Charles T., Oct. 28, 1862, and Julia A., Dec. 23,1866.
Mr. Dickinson while in Illinois was connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he officiated as Steward a number of years. He was in early manhood a member of the Republican party, but his warm interest in the temperance cause has led him to array himself with the Prohibitionists. He is now, with his family, a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1851 he sought the Pacific Slope and engaged in mining in California for four years. Then returning to Illinois, he sojourned there until his removal to this county. He is regarded as a thorough and skillful farmer, and each year sees something added to the value of his property. He has a good set of buildings and farm machinery, an has planted an orchard of apple trees, besides gathering about the dwelling various other comforts and conveniences. He is a man who attends strictly to his own concerns, makes very little stir in the world, but entertains decided views and opinions, and keeps himself posted upon matters of general interest to the intelligent citizen.
Our subject is the son of Jesse and Roxie (Chapman) Dickinson, the latter of whom died when a young woman of about twenty-nine years, in February 1821, less than a year after the birth of her son H. S. Jesse Dickinson departed this life Feb. 19, 1878, at his home in Illinois. The paternal grandfather was Oliver Dickinson, who spent his last years in Ohio.
From an article written some time since in the Cleveland Herald, we gather the following facts in relation to this family, which traces its lineage back almost to the lauding of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock: The earliest authentic record is of Nathaniel Dickinson, who lived in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1634. From him descended successively Thomas, David, Richard and Oliver, the latter being the grandfather of our subject. He (Oliver) migrated to East Granville, Mass., where he followed the trade of blacksmith. He secured four or five acres of land, and made for himself and family a comfortable living, and to him were horn Oliver, Walter; Jesse, the father of our subject, and Alpheus.
Grandfather Dickinson finally had an opportunity to trade his little home for wild land in what was then called New Connecticut, but is now the Western Reserve of Ohio. This land was located in Randolph Township, and was owned by Lemuel Storrs, who had been sole proprietor of the whole township. Oliver Dickinson started West to view his contemplated purchase, and had a large tract from which to make his selection of 660 acres. His first choice was lot 66, and upon a portion of this now stands Randolph Center. A few people had come into this region to make settlement. Mr. D. returned to Massachusetts and the following year started with his family and all his earthly possessions, stowed away in a large two-horse wagon, to which were attached three yoke of oxen and one horse as a leader of the band. For forty-eight long and weary days they journeyed toward the setting sun, through Pennsylvania, over the Alleghany Mountains, little occurring to break the monotony until they reached their journey's end, and found themselves the eighth family to settle in Randolph Township.
The history of the early settlement of Ohio abounds with thrilling incidents, and Mr. Dickinson had his full share of privation, difficulty and danger. They had to journey a long distance to mill, following bridle-paths, and frequently being disappointed in getting their grist. When the miller was away and could not be reached, the mother put the corn in a mortar or hulled it, and the family waited patiently, although sometimes very hungry, until it was baked on a board or in the old iron kettle. Oliver Dickinson lived on lot 66 until his death, which occurred in 1842. He left a competency for his children. During the War of 1812 a draft was ordered in Randolph Township, and of the six or seven men thus selected for military duty four (sic) were the sons of Oliver Dickinson. Oliver C. and Alpheus were sent to Lower Sandusky, now Fremont; Walter was already serving as teamster in the army, and was excused; Jesse, the father of our subject, went to Ravenna to be mustered into the service, but was sent home and told to hold himself in readiness at a moment's call. He was, however, never called upon. At the end of seventy days the father hired a substitute for his youngest son, then nineteen years old, and he came home.
Lovejoy, the wife of Oliver Dickinson, died many years before her husband, in 1818. Oliver C., his son, died in 1854; Walter in 1855, and Comfort, the remaining daughter, who came with the family from Massachusetts, in 1877, in Kansas, when very old; Jesse, the father of our subject, removed to Illinois about 1856, and is now deceased. In 1821 he united with the Congregational Church, remaining from that time on a regular communicant, and finally becoming its oldest living member in Wellsfield, Ill."