Renah Fearing Camalier (1890-1978)

From the Washington Evening Star, June 8, 1952.

  The Strangest Names In American Political History makes its second stop in the nation's capital for 2020 with a look at the life of Renah Fearing Camalier, who possesses an exotic-sounding name. Active in Democratic party circles in Washington, D.C., Camalier was an attorney who had served as secretary to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt and Senator Alva Adams of Colorado. Camalier later was retained as counsel for the Senate District Committee and in 1952 was appointed by President Truman as a member of the Washington, D.C. Board of Commissioners, a body that comprised three members who governed the district following the dissolve of the territorial government in 1874.

   A lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., Camalier was born in the district on October 8, 1890, the son of George Alexander (1848-1906) and Irene (Fearing) Camalier (1857-1941). His early education was obtained in the district's Abbott Elementary School, the Business High School, the Temple Secretarial School, and the Emerson Institute. He first entered into government service at the age of just sixteen, taking work as a clerk in the District Water Department. He later advanced to the position of chief of the water survey division, and for a time was a reporter and chief clerk to the district's Public Utilities Commission. Renah F. Camalier married on November 27, 1916 to Helen F. Edwards (1892-1975), to who he was wed for nearly sixty years. The couple would remain childless.

   Camalier's first experience in federal government service came in 1917 when a young Democratic politician, Franklin D. Roosevelt, assumed the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Wilson. Once confirmed, Roosevelt named Camalier as the department secretary, a role he would fill until September 1920. Camalier would also accompany Roosevelt on the latter's nationwide speaking tour in 1920 when he was nominated for Vice-President of the United States with presidential nominee James M. Cox.

   After leaving the naval department Camalier dabbled in real estate and in 1923 entered into the post of secretary in the office of U.S. Senator Alva B. Adams of Colorado. He turned his attention to law studies during this period, and in 1925 earned his degree from the National University. From 1925-26 Camalier served in the capacity of investigator for the Federal Trade Commission and in 1929 began service as an assistant U.S. Attorney, and would pursue "prohibition case persecutions".

  From 1930-33 Camalier engaged in private practice and again served under Alva B. Adams after the latter was reelected to the senate in 1933. Camalier would be appointed an assistant U.S. Attorney for Colorado and argued cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. He continued in federal government service with his appointment as clerk of the U.S. Senate Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation from 1935-37, and from 1937-40 was named clerk of the committee on Public Lands and Surveys. 

From the Washington Evening Star, November 9, 1952.

   By 1941 Camalier had advanced to the post of counsel for the Senate District Committee, and in the following year was named chairman of the Commissioner's Board of Visitors to Municipal Hospitals, where he served until 1951. During World War II Camalier was tapped to serve as a consultant to the District Office of Price Administration, where he was tasked "with solving a confused oil problem" on a volunteer basis.

 In addition to government service, Renah Camalier was long an active Mason in the district, serving as district Grand Master from 1952-53. He was named an honorary 33rd degree Mason, was a deputy of the Scottish Rite of the District of Columbia, and in 1949 served as Potentate of the Almas Temple Shriners. Camalier and his wife were parishioners of the Metropolitan United Methodist Church for many years and for over four decades he served as a member of its board of trustees. 

  A member of the law firm of Camalier and McDonald in the early 1950s, Camalier achieved his highest degree of public prominence in April 1952 when he was appointed by President Truman to the Washington, D.C. Board of Commissioners. A body that had first come into being in 1874 (following the dissolution of the territorial government of the District of Columbia), the Board of Commissioners became a three-man commission in 1878, with each of the members being appointed by the president. These men (one Republican, one Democrat, and one civil engineer with no political affiliation) would then choose one of their own as board president. This board also functioned as the city council during its existence.

  Succeeding outgoing board member John Russell Young, Camalier took his seat in June 1952. He would serve a three-year term and his service was:

"Marked by his efforts to increase welfare payments to the needy, to improve services at D.C. General Hospital and other health facilities, and his strong support for home rule for the District and representation for its residents in Congress."

Camalier during his service on the D.C. Board of Commissioners.

   During his term, Camalier was honored with the 1954 Deborah Humanitarian Award, due to his:

"Long and illustrious service and his devotion to the highest American ideals in behalf of less fortunate citizens regardless of race, color, creed or standing in society."

  Though wanting to reappointed to a second term on the board, Camalier was passed over by Republican president Dwight Eisenhower and left office in June 1955. He continued to reside in Washington, D.C., and from 1963-69 was a member of the American University Board of Trustees.  He also continued prominence in the masonic order and just months prior to his death Camalier was bestowed the Grand Master's Award at the Grand Lodge Banquet on December 21, 1977. Widowed in 1975, Renah Fearing Camalier died at his home in Washington on June 14, 1978, aged 87.  He was later interred at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Silver City, Maryland and one should also note that an alternate middle name for Camalier is given amongst the rolls of deceased district grandmasters, "Franzoni". 

From the April 16, 1952 edition of the Washington Evening Star.

Geter Crosby Shidle (1831-1889)

Portrait from the Proceedings of the Supreme Council, 1889.

   Prominent Pennsylvania masonic leader Geter Crosby Shidle receives a write-up today, and in addition to his being a leading figure in Pennsylvania masonry served as a member of his state's legislature for one term beginning in 1874. A lifelong resident of the Keystone State, Geter Crosby Shidle was born in Pittsburgh on October 14, 1831, being the eldest of six children born to James (1800-1879) and Elmira Crosby Shidle. 

   Little could be found in regards to Shidle's early life in Pittsburgh or his education. After "attaining his majority" he joined his father in the latter's wallpaper business, operating under the name of Jas. Shidle & Son. Their partnership continued until James Shidle died in 1878, whereafter Geter "carried on the business under his own name". In the early 1860s, Geter Shidle married to Annie Rachel Jackson (1839-1894). The couple were wed for nearly thirty years and had a total of six children: Henry B. (1862-1864), Hunt Mills Butler (died in infancy in 1867), Annie (1871-1875), Geter Crosby (died aged 4 months in 1875), William L. (1876-1878) and Geter Crosby (1879-1945).

   Joining the Masonic order in 1854, Geter C. Shidle became a member of the Milnor Lodge No. 287 in May of that year and would serve that lodge as both Worshipful Master and Secretary. He was Knighted into the Pittsburgh Commandery in 1859 and in that same year became a member of the Zerubabbel Royal Arch Chapter, No. 162, of which he would serve as treasurer. Shidle would continue his rise through the masonic ranks and in 1872 became Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Pennsylvania. Acknowledged as having a career "honorable to himself and useful to his fraternity", Shidle also held the post of President of the Masonic Veterans of Pennsylvania and was a trustee of the Masonic Fund Society.

   In addition to his wallpapering business, Shidle made headway into other areas of Pittsburgh public life, including being a charter member of the Masonic Deposit Savings Bank of Pittsburgh in 1869.  He would later be named as a Director of the Dollar Savings Bank and Union Insurance Company and in 1874 made his first move into city politics when he was elected to the Common Council of Pittsburgh. In that same year, he was elected as one of Allegheny County's representatives to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

   Taking his seat at the start of the 1875-76 session, Shidle sat on the house committees on Banks, the Library, and Retrenchment and Reform. Following his term, Shidle was elected as the President of the Masonic Bank of Pittsburgh (serving from 1886 until his death) and in 1887 was appointed by then-Governor James Beaver to the Pennsylvania State Board of Charities. Shidle would turn down that job, however, citing a contract to paper the Allegheny County Workhouse as making the position "incompatible." After many years of prominence in Pittsburgh public life, Geter Crosby Shidle died on June 11, 1889, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, having gone there out of health concerns. He was survived by his wife Annie and following her own death in 1894 was interred alongside her husband at the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

Portrait from "A Library of Freemasonry", Vol. 4. 1906.

Esquare Bartlett Miller (1828-1896)

                                               From the Evening Post Annual, published 1895.

   We continue our stay in Connecticut and travel from Waterbury (the home of Luzerne Ithiel Munson) to the city of Killingly, home to one Esquare Bartlett Miller, a peculiarly named member of the Connecticut State House of Representatives. A carpenter by trade, Miller also dabbled in construction and contracting and was elected to two terms in his state's legislature, dying in office in March of 1896.
   Born in Killingly on August 15, 1828, Esquare Bartlett Miller was the son of Welcome and Elsie Bartlett Miller. The origins of his unusual first name "Esquare" are unknown, and as a youth attended the "common schools of Killingly". He would engage in farming after leaving school and married in 1846 to Sarah Harriett Warren, with whom he would have a total of six children: Daniel W. (died in infancy), Chauncy, Esquare J., Henry J., Everett E., and Fred L. 
   Miller worked at farming with his father until his early twenties, when he made the acquaintance of William Burgess, who would employ him as a carpenter. For several years he was employed by both Burgess and others until "going into business for himself." In the early 1860s, Miller became employed by the S. & H. Sayles wool manufacturing company. His time here saw him become a master mechanic and superintendent of construction and in 1866 moved to Dayville, Connecticut to take on a similar job under the employ of  Ezekiel Webster. Sometime later Miller would become a Master Mechanic and Superintendent for the Mechanicsville Co., located in Mechanicsville, Connecticut.
   In 1868 Esquare B. Miller made his first foray into public life in Connecticut, being elected as a selectman for the city of Killingly. He would serve a total of twelve years on this board, and for several years was also clerk of the board. The Evening Post Annual of 1895 (where the above picture of Miller was featured) notes that he continued as a contractor during his time as a selectman, and that:

"Many private houses in various sections of the town were erected by him, as well as many more pretentious buildings, among them being the church and schoolhouse, the mill, No. 3, (250 X 50 ft., 4 stories) and the Store Building, all at Williamsville."

  In addition to his business and time as selectman, Esquare Miller also served as a justice of the peace and town constable, as well as being a distinguished Mason, belonging to the Putnam Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons #15 in Danielsonville, Connecticut. In November 1894 Miller was elected to represent Killingly in the Connecticut General Assembly, winning the election with a "majority of 319." Miller would win a second term in November 1895 with 594 votes and died during this term on March 11, 1896, at age 67. He had been preceded in death by his wife Sarah in 1887 and both were interred at the Westfield Cemetery in Danielson, Connecticut.

Cratus Cedra Magers (1903-1960)

From the 1959 edition of the Hinds College Eagle.

   Cratus Cedra Magers was a member of the Mississippi State House of Representatives for two terms in the 1930s and while a man of distinction in Mississippi (serving at various times as a state representative, college administrator, and educator), little information has come to light on his life. A lifelong resident of Mississippi, Cratus C. Magers was born on September 17, 1903, and attended schools native to the town of Baldwyn. He continued his education at the Mississippi Southern College, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. Magers later married Earline Vandiver (1907-2000) and had two sons, William Perry (1938-2009) and T. Van. 

   For a good majority of his short life, Cratus Magers was involved in education in Mississippi, serving as a school principal for the town of South Prentiss in 1927. He would go on to hold the position of school superintendent in several other Mississippi schools, including those in the towns of Oak Grove and Purvis in Lamar County, as well as a school in the city of Morton. In addition to his service as a school superintendent, Magers was a two-term representative in the Mississippi State House of Representatives from Lamar County, serving from 1932-1936. He is recorded by a November 21, 1931 edition of the Hattiesburg American as a newly elected representative, and this same paper also notes that he was one of several representatives-elect to attend a dinner and social function at the Mississippi State Teachers College.

  Following his service in the legislature, Magers served as a Colonel on the staff of Mississippi Governor Fielding Lewis Wright and in 1956 became the Dean of Men at the Hinds Junior College in Raymond, Mississippi. He served in this capacity for four years and while he occupied this post, his wife Earline served as the Hinds College librarian, retiring in 1974. Sources of the time also note that Magers was a prominent member of the Morton Masonic Lodge and was a parishioner at the Baptist Church in Raymond.

From the 1960 edition of the Hinds Junior College "Eagle".

  Cratus C. Magers was still serving as Dean when he died on January 11, 1960, at the University Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. He was survived by his wife Earline, sons William and Van, and eight of his siblings. Magers was later interred at the Baldwyn Masonic Cemetery in Baldwyn, Mississippi. Following her death in 2000 at age 92, Earline Vandiver Magers was interred at the same cemetery as her husband.

From the January 12, 1960 edition of the Hattiesburg American.

Horn Riley Kneass (1812-1861)

  A fairly recent discovery as far as strangely named political figures are concerned, very little information has come to light in regards to Horn R. Kneass, a prominent Pennsylvania lawyer who served a brief stint as District Attorney of Philadelphia in the early 1850s. Other than a few brief lines mentioning his being Philadelphia's D.A. and his Odd Fellows Lodge activity, not much else in known of Mr. Kneass, hence why his article here will be on the short side!

  From the few biographical sources that mention him, it has been found that Horn Riley Kneass was born in Philadelphia on June 24, 1812, the son of Christian and Sarah Polhemus Kneass. It is unknown at the time of this writing why this couple endowed their son with the unusual first name "Horn" and his birth year is also under dispute, occurring in either 1812 or 1813.

   Horn Kneass entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1827 and graduated in the class of 1830. He studied law under Philadelphia native (and future Vice President) George Mifflin Dallas in the early 1830s and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1833. Kneass married on December 10, 1839, to Delaware native Sarah Emerson Williamson (1819-1898) with whom he would have five children: Sarah Williamson (died young), Nicholas Williamson (1840-1896), Christian (1842-1891), Horn Riley Jr. (born 1845), Robert Knight (born 1847) and Juliette Bradford (birthdate unknown).

   After being admitted to the state bar Horn R. Kneass quickly established a reputation as a lawyer of "integrity and liberality of character" and by the late 1840s had become one of the most prominent figures in Pennsylvania law circles. Over that decade, he served as Solicitor for the Moyamensing District of Pennsylvania (1839-1842), Philadelphia County (from 1847-1848), and Penn Township, 1848-50. 

  The Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Volume 7 notes that Kneass's public profile received a significant boost in 1850 when he was nominated by the Democrats as their candidate for attorney for the newly consolidated county of Philadelphia and in November of that year won the election. His year-long term in this office was cut short by an electoral quagmire instigated by his Whig opponent William Bradford Reed, who had contested Kneass's election. After a substantial amount of political bickering between both parties, Reed and the Whigs claimed victory and he was installed as Philadelphia's attorney, serving until 1856.

  Although Kneass was put out of office in rather abrupt fashion, he continued to be a prominent figure in other walks of Pennsylvania public life. The Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania notes that he was an "eminent member of the order of Odd Fellows" and later held the "position of Grand Master of the Order of Pennsylvania." Kneass was also honored by the Odd Fellows fraternity as Grand Sire of the Grand Lodge of the United States in 1847, and he is also listed as being a prominent member and Master of the Washington Lodge # 59 of Free and Accepted Masons. 

   Horn Riley Kneass died in Philadelphia of an undisclosed illness on December 12, 1861. He was 49 years old at the time of his death and was later interred at the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia. The rare portrait of Kneass shown above was featured on an 1853 Klauprech and Menzels lithograph of past "Sires of the Grand Lodge of the I.O.O.F".  

Auxencico Maria Pena Venezuela Hildreth Dickeson (1842-1879)

                             This picture of Oxie Dickeson was e-mailed to me on January 5, 2012.

                This tiny passage appeared in an 1883 book detailing the history of Salem County, N.J.


   The political figure profiled today is without question one of the most obscure figures I've had to research thus far, and I think you'll agree that he possesses one of the most unwieldy names you'll ever hear of! That gentleman is Auxencico Maria Pena Venezuela Hildreth Dickeson, a 19th-century New Jersey State Assemblyman. Originally, no picture of Mr. Dickeson could be found to place within his article here (see the update below) and the small passage posted above is one of the few available biographical resources on him. Even his last name is variously given as either "Dickinson" or "Dickeson". The following facts on "A.M.P.V.H.", as he is often listed, were discovered in a book entitled The History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland, New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, published in 1883. 
   Auxencico M.P.V.H. Dickeson was born at Hancock's Bridge, New Jersey on September 29, 1842 (or 1843, according to the article above), the first child born to Dr. Thomas P. and Joanna Hildreth Dickeson. Auxencico is recorded as engaging in farming during his youth and received his education at the Salem Academy, later graduating with high marks from Princeton University in the class of 1864. 
   Bitten by the political bug early in life, Dickeson was elected at the age of twenty-two to the New Jersey State Assembly, representing his home county of Salem. This was Dickeson's only foray into the political arena, and he served in the assembly from 1865 to 1866. He is mentioned as opening a law practice shortly after passing the New Jersey State bar in 1867, but never actively engaged in his profession because of health concerns. Dickeson was also a very active Mason in his community of Salem and he was a former past master of the Excelsior Lodge #54, serving from 1871 to 1872. It is also known that Dickeson married New Jersey native Mary Jane Springer, with whom he would have five children. 
   Dickeson (one genealogical website lists his nickname as "Oxie") suffered from impaired health for the majority of his life, although it isn't elaborated on what exact malady it was. This unknown illness probably led to his untimely death at age 36 on June 15, 1879, at Hancock's Bridge, New Jersey. When one takes into account that Dickeson died at such a young age, the fact that he managed to graduate from Princeton, serve as a state assemblyman, attorney and high ranking mason can certainly be considered a varied and full life, despite his lack of years!

  Dickeson's name as it appeared in the 1875 edition of a Theta Delta Chi editorial.

  
   I first became aware of "Oxie" Dickeson courtesy of a 1906 edition of the Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey. Located in this particular book was a roster of every person who had served in the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly up until the year 1906. As I culled through the massive list of politicians looking for unusual names, the initials "A.M.P.V.H" immediately jumped out at me. After finding out this man's full name, I immediately set about trying to find more facts about his life, as well as a picture. Sadly, the initial research on Oxie yielded very little, and this remained the norm until two wonderful readers changed that! Read on to find out more!

                                      An Auxencico Update.......January 6, 2012

  Since I discovered Auxencico "Oxie" Dickinson in 2009 in a New Jersey State Legislative Manual, I have wracked my brain trying to find out more information on his life, as well as a photograph of him. Dickeson was profiled here on the "SNIAPH" blog back in July 2011 and in one of my "You Can Help" sections pleaded for any prospective readers/historians to do some digging on Oxie and report back with their findings.

  On November 22, 2011, an incredibly helpful reader named Frank left a message stating that more information had come to light on Oxie and in a later message stated that a photograph of him adorned the wall of the Woodstown Masonic Lodge #138 in Woodstown, New Jersey.

  On January 5, 2011, Frank sent me the portrait of Oxie that now adorns the top of the article you are now reading. In addition to this picture, Frank also sent me some previously unknown information on Oxie, including his Masonic lodge affiliations, his stint on the baseball team at Princeton University (his alma mater) and a reunion Oxie had with his old college fraternity.

 I cannot state how helpful Frank has been in researching this infinitely obscure man, and it is incredibly nice to know that there are historically-minded people out there like Frank who manage to do some digging and really help out a total stranger with a very odd history-based project. 

 And in a humorous aside note-- I'm fairly certain that Oxie is probably grateful for all the attention he's receiving over 130 years after his untimely death!

                          A Dickeson article mentions his leadership of the Excelsior Masonic Lodge.

                       An Auxencico Update.....Part Two!!! (February 6-7, 2012)

 With nearly 100 page views to its credit, the blog article on Auxencico Maria Pena Venezuela Hildreth Dickeson (1842-1879) has proven to be the most popular page on the blog. "Oxie" Dickeson's name is truly one of a kind and he currently occupies the coveted #1 slot in the SNIAPH book, usurping the great Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar. 

   For those of you who haven't read his article yet, the condensed version is as follows: Oxie Dickeson served as a New Jersey State Assemblyman from 1865 to 1866 and was also a highly active Mason in his native state. He suffered from ill health throughout the majority of his life, and an undisclosed illness claimed him at age 36 in June 1879.

   Throughout November and December 2011, new information on Oxie came to light, courtesy of a very helpful reader named Frank, who e-mailed me some facts that filled in a lot of the blanks in Oxie's life. He was also kind enough to photograph and send me the picture of Oxie that adorns the top of his article. After adding this information, I felt that I could rest easy knowing that Oxie Dickeson now had a face to place with his name and some much-needed life facts to tie his article together. Interestingly enough, however, a very great surprise was in store for me!!!

    On February 1, 2012 I returned from a walk and set about writing an article on Fort Elmo Land, who served as the Georgia State Superintendent of Education from 1925-27. Before doing so I checked my e-mail and noticed a message from a user named "Hildy", concerning Auxencico M.P.V.H. Dickeson.....needless to say, I was immediately intrigued! As it turns out, "Hildy" wanted to inform me that their great-great-grandfather was none other than Auxencico Dickeson!!!! Evidently, Oxie was known by his later descendants as "Alphabetical Dick" (because of his "outstandingly different" name) and there was a family explanation for how he received his wonderful name.....

       This article (and its spelling variations regarding Oxie's name) appeared in the 1887 Princetonian.

   Hildy went on to tell me that Oxie's father, Thomas Dickeson, was the close friend of a young medical student named Auxencico Maria Pena, who was studying at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Pena hailed from Venezuela and was the first student from that country to graduate from the school in its history (this occurring in 1836.) Thomas Dickeson was evidently so taken with his friendship with Pena that  "he vowed to name his son in honor of him, and so he did!" With the addition of the country of Venezuela to the name, as well as the maiden name of Thomas's wife (Hildreth), the end result is certainly interesting to say the least!

   Hildy also clued me in on two previously unknown websites that gave much-needed info on the aforementioned Venezuelan medical student, as well as one that went more in-depth on the Dickeson family. Oxie's wife, Mary Jane Springer, was born in 1844 and survived her husband by nearly forty years, dying on February 2, 1918. The two were married in Salem, New Jersey on February 22, 1870. Further information was also gathered on Oxie Dickeson's five children, who are listed as follows: Wilbur F.S. Dickeson (1871-1871, who lived only four months), J. Hildreth Dickeson (1872-1918), Wilbur S. Dickeson (1875-1921), Anne Dickeson (1877-ca. 1884) and lastly, Cornelia Dickeson (1878-1884). One can notice that ill health plagued the Dickeson family, as three of the children died before reaching their 10th birthday, and the two remaining sons died in their forties! Oxie himself died at age 36, so it is quite tragic that his wife lost so many of her family within such a short period.

   With those facts in hand, I want to give a hearty shout-out and thank you to "Hildy", who kindly provided me with the facts presented here in this addition to the article above. I would also be remiss in mentioning that Hildy thanked me for my article on Oxie, and believe me, those words mean a lot! It was truly a pleasure to "rescue" Oxie from the shroud of obscurity that has clouded his life since his death over 130 years ago.

 Thank you again "Hildy" for your words of encouragement and your help!!!!

An Auxencico Update....Part III: July 18, 2012

   If you've followed this site for any length of time you'll hopefully recognize that I take great pride in the article/biography I've put together on Auxencico Maria Pena Venezuela Hildreth Dickeson! Dickeson (whose nicknames are Oxie and "Alphabetical Dick") was a 19th-century New Jersey State Assemblyman who hailed from Salem County, and it is he who holds the honored title of "the strangest name" out of a great many politicians I've collected and profiled over the years. Mr. Dickeson's site profile is the most viewed article out of the 170 or so that I've done thus far, with over 180+ views to its credit. You might also remember reading the two updates I wrote for "Oxie" and his article centering on the help of two wonderful blog readers (Frank and Hildy) who volunteered their time to correspond with me and send me the portrait of Oxie above!  

  While many new pieces of information on Oxie came to light, many others remained a mystery, especially in regards to his burial site. Dickeson died at the young age of 36 in 1879 but no available source gave notice as to where his final resting place might be--that is until now!

   Earlier this week I developed some correspondence with Salem County Librarian Beverly Bradway, who related to me that Oxie is buried in the Salem Friends Burying Ground in the town of Salem, New Jersey. This cemetery (which contains graves that date back to the 1690s) is also home to the famed Salem Oak tree, shown in the picture below. I owe a great debt to Beverly for all of her help, and without her aid, I might never have known where Dickeson was interred!

   In addition to the above information, I also received a death notice for Oxie, the closest thing to an obituary that could be found. Beverly found this rare article in a June 20, 1879 edition of the Salem Sunbeam, which states that Auxencico M.P.V.H. Dickeson died "at the residence of his father, Dr. Thos. P. Dickeson, in Hancock's Bridge on the 15th inst." This newspaper is located in the archives of the Salem County Historical Society and is in all likelihood the only death notice for "Oxie" that you'll ever see. While the mysteries of his burial site location and place of death have been solved, only one question remains...what illness claimed A.M.P.V.H. Dickeson's life at the young age of 36?

                                                                   From the Salem Sunbeam, June 20, 1879.

  The above-mentioned question centering on Oxie's illness/death may never be sufficiently explained, but I can rest easy knowing that over a year a plethora of research was done in regards to the life of this infinitely obscure man, and with the help of Frank, "Hildy" and now Beverly Bradway, more people can learn of the life and exploits of this wonderfully named and sadly obscure New Jersey resident!