Dykes - Peckett Family History |
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George DYKES (1838- )
| Name: | George DYKES 1 |
| Alt. Name: | George DIKES |
| Father: | John DYKES (1804-1878) |
| Mother: | Elizabeth BUTCHER (1808?-1882) |
Individual Events and Attributes
| Birth | Q2 1838 | Maldon, Essex, England 1 |
| Census (1) | 1841 (age 3) | England 2 |
| Residence (1) | 1841 (age 3) | Maldon, Essex, England 2 |
| Census (2) | 1851 (age 13) | England 3 |
| Residence (2) | 1851 (age 13) | Maldon, Essex, England 3 |
| Occupation | 1851 (age 13) | Agricultural Labourer 3 |
| Emigration | bef 1861 (age 22-23) | to America? 4 |
| Relationship | Gx2 Great Uncle |
Additional Information
| Residence (1) | High St. |
| Residence (2) | High St. |
| Emigration | Family verbal history suggests George settled in America |
Individual Note 1
A family story, passed to Margaret Ahlgren by John Stephenson, says that George was in the Royal Navy during the American Civil War. He was captured by the Unionists whilst trying to deliver supplied to the Confederates and given a choice between prison and the Union Army. He chose the latter! He apparently swore never to return to England (possibly because he would have been listed as a deserter) but did so in 1911 in the company of William and Margaret Stephenson. He allegedly lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in 1911.
Sadly, there is no evidence to back up this story. There were several George Dykes in the Union Army but all are traceable in the 1860 US Federal Census. Likewise, the only George Dykes to be found in Philadelphia between 1870 and 1910 is also traceable in the USA to before the civil war. Equally, however, there is no trace of George in England after his birth in 1838.
It is possible that George was living under an assumed name in America in order to protect himself from the wrath of the Royal Navy, from whom he could have expected little mercy as he would have either been flogged around the fleet or hung as a deserter unless he was very fortunate.5
Individual Note 2
Sources
| 1 | Civil Registration Index - Births 1837-1983. Apr-Jun 1838 p.190. Assessment:
Secondary evidence.
Text From Source: Maldon vol.12 p.139 |
| Ancestry.co.uk. Web: www.ancestry.co.uk. | |
| 2 | 1841 Census of England. HO107/345/2 fo.8 p.9. Assessment: Primary evidence. |
| 3 | 1851 Census of England. HO107/1778 Fo.515 p.12. Assessment: Primary evidence. |
| Ancestry.co.uk. Web: www.ancestry.co.uk. | |
| 4 | Bruce Dykes Peckett - Notes & Comments. Cit. Date: 23 October 2005. |
| 5 | Bruce Dykes Peckett - Notes & Comments. |