The Dixon’s Move to Jacksonville in 1892!

Say what?

I was obviously shocked to see this report claiming Joseph Dixon had announced he was selling out and “removing” to Jacksonville. I thought I was the first Dixon to become a Floridian! And was this Joseph (Sr.) or Joseph (Jr.)... and why?

I made a lucky guess as it turns out and discovered that there is a Jacksonville in Illinois too. And it turns out to be the home of the Illinois School for the Deaf and Blind. So it gets even more interesting.

A couple of hours of scanning and a couple of months in 1892 time and I found that that Joseph asked the newspaper to forward his newspaper (so he was a subscriber, after all!) to his Jacksonville address. However, he would not move until after the election as he didn’t plan to miss voting for Indiana’s Ben Harrison. Joseph was very proud of the fact that he had voted for the Republican Party candidate in every election since the first (loser) Republican John Fremont. One mystery solved. Joseph Dixon (Jr.) is not old enough to vote yet. So did Joseph Dixon (Sr.) have a child that was deaf or blind? Did my grandfather George have an aunt or uncle who was deaf or blind?

Scan further and walla! In December 1892 we find...“Mr. Joseph Dixon left last week for Jacksonville, Illinois, to join his family. Their stay there will probably be only temporary, the removal being for the purpose of being with their blind daughter while she is attending school there.” So says the Grayville News. Reprinted in The Albion Journal.

And that means the child was indeed Mary E. Dixon, my grandpa’s aunt. She was 11 years old. The census reports you recently read show that she was still single and living with her sister and brother-in-law when she was 38 and they were in their late 50’s.

There is more to come as we find out eventually when they return. After all, my grandpa George was born and raised in Dixon Precinct, And did Joe (Jr.) and his family move or just Joe (Sr.) and wife Grace?

We also know that if we could ever get our hands on old copies of the Grayville News, we would find out more about our ancestors. This is not the first time that The Albion Journal has reprinted news about the Dixon’s from the Grayville paper. They essentially live halfway between the two towns.