WILLIAM A. DICKSON, a successful farmer of Robinson township, is a grandson of George Dickson, who was a native of Ireland, immigrating to Allegheny county, Penn., at an early day. He then purchased 400 acres of land, and followed farming and stock raising until his death. William Dickson, father of William A., was born in 1790, and reared on the home farm in Allegheny county. He was married to Margaret Glenn, who bore him children as follows: George (a surveyor, of Pittsburgh, Penn.), Rachel (widow of Robert Potter, of Noblestown, Penn.), James G. (a practicing physician of Canonsburg, this county), Mary (widow of James Clarke, of Canonsburg), William A., and three that died in infancy. The father united with the old Seceder Church when but seventeen years of age, and during the last twenty years of his life was a member of the U. P. Church of Noblestown. He was a ruling elder in these Societies for fifty-five years, and in business was a prominent and successful agriculturist. He died March 19, 1872. William A. Dickson was born June 15, 1831, and reared to manhood on the old home farm. His elementary instruction was obtained at the country schools, after which he attended Duff's Commercial College at Pittsburgh, completing the course in 1856. He then returned home and worked on the home farm. On October 15, 1857, he was united in the bonds of matrimony with Elizabeth McBurney, who was born on February 28, 1835, in Washington county, an only child of Robert and Eliza (Welch) McBurney, the former of whom was a son of John McBurney, Sr. Robert McBurney was originally a Democrat, then became an Abolitionist and finally a Republican. He was a member of the Centre U. P. Church, and an elder in same for some years. For years he served as a justice of the peace. He died in 1875; his widow is still living with her son-in-law. To the union of William A. and Elizabeth (McBurney) Dickson the following children have been born: Margaret G., Elizabeth W. (a graduate of the Steubenville Female Seminary, class of '85, afterward teaching two years in the Oswego College, now teaching at Chase City, Va.), Robert M. (who graduated at Duff's College), William R. (graduated at New Wilmington College, now a student in the Medical Collage at Pittsburgh, Penn.), Anna S. (a graduate of New Wilmington, Lawrence Co., Penn., now teaching at Chase City, Va.), Agnes J. (student at New Wilmington), Walter E. and Bertha L. Mr. Dickson still retains a portion of the ancestral acres. In 1875 he moved to his present home in Washington county. He and his family are members of the United Presbyterian Church, and he was an elder in the U. P. Church at Noblestown, at present in the Midway U. P. Church.

Text taken from page 1204 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed February 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published February 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

[ [Back to Beers Table of Contents] [Back to Beers Project Page]