Dix Family History by Eloise Kelly Diehr
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Dix Family By Eloise Kelly Diehr, courtesy of Eloise Lavin (Editor’s note: I have copied this file as created by Eloise Diehr. Any changes are noted. As explained in the first paragraph, some of this account is derived from family tradition, so its accuracy has not been verified.) This story told to Christian James Kelly by his grandmother Sarah Dix Steers and his mother Sarah Ann Steers Kelly—in turn told to me by my father, C.J. Kelly when I was twelve years old when I wrote it down. The story, together with information furnished by Francis F. Steers, N.Y.C., Edward Dicks of Plymouth, Mich, Lewis Young of Sanford, Mich, verified and added to by extensive historical research, documents on hand and vital statistics. Detroit Riverfront 1819 Scant information of the early history of the Dix family. Jacob Dix family originated in Alsace Lorraine, then a part of France lying on the German border. Johanna of German descent—her family name not spoken of, or if she was born in Germany. Not know when Jacob came to America or if any of his family came with him. He lived in Boston, Mass. or close vicinity, married Johanna and when they started west they had a son John, then six years old, the year 1781. This would establish John born in 1775—they would have been married no later than 1773 or 1774. Due to the ever changing Governors sent from England to govern the colonies—and fighting over their boundaries, there was constant wars between them—resulting in the homes being burned and lands confiscated—these families who were the victims began to look for other places to settle where they could keep their lands. General Wayne had trouble with his soldiers after his victory at Stony Point, N.Y. in 1779, and while this was being settled he was assigned to recruit an army of replacements for Fort Stephenson at Sandusky, Ohio1, where the army had been depleted by the constant war with the Indians under General St. Clair. Many families hearing an army was going there began to follow it—for the protection it gave them traveling by wagons and pack horses. The year was 1781. When they reached Lake Erie there were some seventy five families assembled, among whom were Jacob and Johanna Dix and six year old son John. Here the horses and wagons were sold or traded for flatboats on which to transport their families and possessions across the water to Sandusky, Ohio and a new life. Jacob and Johanna remained in Sandusky until the fall of 1784, and while there, two more children were born, Jacob in 1781, the year they arrived, and Polly (Mary) in 1783, when they and several other families again took to their flatboats and began their journey for 1 Fort Stephenson was not established until June of 1812. Detroit, Michigan. They navigated the lake by skirting the shoreline, poling, rowing and dragging by day and tying up to shore at night. Before they reached the mouth of the Detroit River, the weather turned cold and stormy, making their progress slow and hazardous, so when they reached Grosse Ile in the Detroit River it was bitter cold and snowing. Johanna was again with child, so Jacob decided to land and spend the winter there. A few weeks later the child Sarah was born in a tent Jan. 12, 1785. In 1776 Lieut. Governor Hamilton gave William Macomb permission to occupy the land of Grosse Ile Territory land, and he moved his family there, and as the Ile contained some 6,000 acres he influenced some of his prominent friends to move their families there, divided the land among them and had tenants to clear and work the lands. At this same time his brother-in-law, Lewis Cass was given the occupancy of Hog Island, which was later named Belle Isle for his wife Belle. In an article in “The American State Papers” an Edward McCarty, who had done some surveying for Mr. Macomb, in testimony given, mentioned Jacob Dix as being a tenant, on Lot # 14 as of 1785, one of ten tenants of William Macomb. Three more children were born there, Rachel in 1786, Betsey (Elizabeth) in 1787 and Johanna in 1789. Editor’s note: The map and tenant list above was found in “Images of Grosse Ile; Grosse Ile Historical Society, 2007, p.11. This verifies the information Eloise quotes in the narrative above. July 9, 1793 Lieut. Governor Simcoe extended the occupancy of both islands and Jacob must have moved inland before this date as he is not mentioned. Sarah Dix said they had lived in the Settlement over twelve years before her father died, and he may have left Grosse Ile just after Johanna was born, in 1789. Jacob took up claim #41 for 249.20 acres of land situated near the Arbor Matlaches (River Rouge) about seven miles west of Detroit. There were some 30 families which had taken up land in the area and when Jacob settled there he organized a community government consisting of a committee of citizens, to make rules, to settle disputes and protective measures against the British and marauding Indians, and they named the community Dix Settlement and the road leading to Detroit Dix Rd. All citizens lived in the Settlement, which evidently was within a stockade—and no one was allowed to go outside alone to work his land. Groups were sent with some of them acting as lookouts—and a man posted at the Settlement to sound the alarm if he heard shooting so the men inside could go to their assistance. One such time during an attack the men of the settlement went to help those working outside, leaving the women and children alone; one of the men returning for more ammunition heard the women and children screaming and upon going to them saw an Indian in the process of scalping a young girl. He shot the Indian and helped bind her wounds—this girl was Sarah Dix and she carried the scar at the hairline the rest of her life. In 1796 General Wayne returned to Detroit and recovered Mackinac and Detroit from the British, and General Hull was made the first Governor. Michigan then became a part of the Northwest Territory and while there he began organizing the County of Wayne. In “Documents relating to the Erection of Wayne County” is the following: Petition for the erection of Wayne County, signed Jacob Dix, John Dicks, Jacob Dix Jr. and Felix Mette, 1796. In 1797 the first election roll was made and Jacob’s name appears on it, some of the others were Chouin, Beaufait, Audrain, Cissne, John Burbank, James Baby and Pierre Dumany. Sarah Dix said her father was over 90 years old when he died in 1805, the patriarch of the Settlement. His property confirmed to his widow Johanna Dix administrator and executor Oct 24, 1805, (will filed in Probate Court) Estate valued $1000. Beneficiaries John, Polly (Mary), Sally (Sarah), Rachel, Betsey (Elizabeth), confirmed to the widow Johanna July 22, 1807. The name was spelled both Dix-Dicks which makes research difficult as both names were used in the records. Most of the descendants use the Dicks spelling. Children of Jacob and Johanna Dix: 1. John Dix, b. ca 1775, d. 1842; m. June 25, 1810 Archange Riopelle, b. May 25, 1784, d. 1827. 2. Jacob Dix (Dicks) b. 1781, d. 1848; m. 1818 Susanne Mette, b. June 4, 1797, d. Aug 20, 1863. 3. Polly (Mary) Dix, b. 1783 4. Sarah (Sally) Dix, b. Jan 12, 1785; m. Dec. 15, 1804, Captain William Steers 5. Rachel Dix, b. 1786, d. 1856; m. July 26, 1807 Benjamin Woodworth, b. Jan 13, 1785, d. 1874 6. Elizabeth (Betsy) Dix, b. 1787 7. Johanna Dix, b. 1789, d. April 2, 1813; m. 1805 William Cissne, b. ?, d. 1808; m. 2nd 1810: John Burbank .