http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/steinbeck_studies/v015/15.1perry.html Excerpt: They were preceded by another son, Philip Doddridge Dickson, who had gone there in July 1842 with his young wife, Susan, in order to teach the local inhabitants the basic principles of American farming. Philip Dickson became ill and died on 25 April 1853 (Richardson 7), and his wife decided to return to New England. She sailed to Boston and on her arrival there on October 21, she heard that her husband's family had left the city ten days earlier on their way to the country she had just left (Chamberlain 195-98). ==================================== Trying to find out if SUSAN MASON, dau of AARON, is the wife of PHILIP DICKSON. Knowing that PHILIP's widow's name was SUSAN, I checked for a SUSAN in the 1860 census and found one in Groton. The only one of the right age to have been married to PHILP. SEE items below: ====================================== 1850 United States Federal Census Record Name: Susan M Mason Age: 20 Estimated birth year: abt 1830 Birth place: Massachusetts Gender: Female Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts HOUSEHOLD: MASON, AARON age 50 occ: Carriage Maker b. NH MASON, SIBIL age 50 b. MA MASON, SUSAN M age 20 b. MA MASON, ELLEN A age 17 b. MA MASON, MARTHA M age 14 b. MA MASON, JOSEPH C age 13 b. NH =================================== 1860 United States Federal Census Record Name: Susan Dixon Age: 30 Birth Year: abt 1830 Birthplace: Massachusetts Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts Gender: Female Post Office: Shirley Household: Aaron Mason 60 Martha Mason 59 Susan Dixon 30 ============================== FTM CD#220 MA VITAL RECORDS DICKSON, PHILIP DODDRIDGE Event Type: Birth Event Date: 31-MAR-1827 Town of Record: Groton County of Record: Middlesex Comment: /S WALTER, JR. AND SARAH ==================================== 1850 United States Federal Census Record Name: Sarah Dixson Age: 50 Estimated birth year: abt 1800 Birth place: Massachusetts Gender: Female Home in 1850 Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts HOUSEHOLD: DIXSON, WALTER age 51 occ: Carpenter b. MA v-$1,300 (all in family b. MA) DIXSON, SARAH age 50 DIXSON, SARAH A age 24 DIXSON, PHILIP O age 23 occ: Farmer DIXSON, ALMIRA A age 21 DIXSON, MARY E age 17 DIXSON, HENRY A age 12 DIXSON, SAMUELTTE age 3 =============================================