DICKSON FAMILY MIGRATION TO HANCOCK COUNTY, GEORGIA

The focus of my personal research into the Dickson Family is in Hancock County, Georgia relating to the household of Jacob Duckworth and nearby Dickson households. Several printed sources maintain that Jacob Duckworth married Mary Elizabeth Dickson. These printed sources do not cite any primary record to prove this marriage. Jacob Duckworth lived in the southeast part of present day Hancock County on Dry Creek, near Little Ogeechee River and Town Creek. John Dickson and Thomas Dickson lived nearby. They were all of about the same age. Thus, it is logical to assume Mary Elizabeth Dickson might be the sister of John Dickson and Thomas Dickson. Unfortunately this does not arise to even a minimal level of proof.

This area of Hancock County came out of Washington County in 1793. Washington County was an original county formed in 1784. Alas, most of the early records of Washington County have been destroyed. Thus, it is hard to determine exactly when the Dicksons moved into the area.

The Dickson Family of Hancock County were true frontier people as evidenced by their migration. They are found in the newly formed Lunenburg Co., VA 1748-1750. They may have been in its predecessor county Brunswick, VA, but I have not checked that as yet. They may also have records in Halifax Co. and Mecklenburg Co., VA which have also not been checked.

By 1753 they were living in newly formed Orange Co, NC which had just been formed from Granville Co., NC. Many remained there when the area they lived in became part of Caswell Co., NC in 1777. They lived in present day Person Co., NC and the eastern part of present day Caswell Co., NC

It is also clear that some of the family migrated directly to Georgia as a part of the mass migration that took place after the end of the Revolutionary War. What is not readily apparent is that one branch of the family migrated from North Carolina to Pre-Revolutionary War Colonial Georgia settling along the Ogeechee River in present day Effingham, Screven and Burke Counties. Determining who migrated up the Ogeechee River basin and specifically who traveled overland from NC is a formidable if not impossible task.