Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-05-04
wALHALl.A. soUTH oARoLrNA. MAY 4. 1eoA.
DEATH OF W. a. DICKSON.
A Well Known and Popular Citizen Of Fork
Township, Anderson County.


w. A. Dickson, well known and
popular citizen of Fork Township,
died at his home near Townville
Saturday night. His death was
rather unexpected, though he had
been in very bad hoalth for several
months and it was thought that he
could recover.
Mr.. Dickson had been a school
teacher nearly all his life and was
unusually successful. He had taught
nearly all the time in Fork Town
ship, though he was for two or three
years, some 20 years S.So, a book
keeper for the firm of McCully 81
Taylor in this city. During his long
career Mr.. Dickson had taught hun
drcds of children, who are now
among the men and women of the
county, and without exception all of
them have had the kindest words to
say of him. He possessed very
bright and active mind, and with it
the faculty of making friends. He
had happy, genial disposition,
which made him friends wherever he
was known.
For several years Mr.. Dickson was
the Broyles correspondent of this
newspaper and his pen contributed
many entertaining articles to its
columns. Two years ago he CON-
menced the publication of short bio
graphical sketches of all the men
who went from Fork Township into
the Confederate army, but failing
health caused him to stop the work
before it was completed. If his
notes are still in existence The Daily
Mail will try to secure them and
have them yet published.
Mr.. Dickson was genial, whole
souled gentleman, and his life was
one of real worth to his community.
Hundreds of warm and true friends
will mourn his death.
The souvenir edition of the An
derson Intelligencer, issued in 1896,
contained the following biographical
sketch of Mr.. Dickson:
w. A. Dickson is of Scotch Irish
descent. His great-grandfather,
Matthew Dickson, emigrated from
County Tyrone, Ireland, about the
year 1850. Removing later to what
was then called Camden District, s..
g., but is now York county, he
served throughout the Revolutionary
war in the patriot army.
His grandfather, Matthew Dick
son, the second, served in the Creek
war in 1841, and was in sound of the
battle of Horse Shoe Bend, where
General Jackson utterly defeated the
Indians.
His father, Benjamin Franklin
Dickson, served on the coast of this
State and North Carolina during the
last months of the Civil war as Cap
tain of Company E, second battalion
of State Reserves. Alexander A..
Dickson, who taught with marked
thoroughness and efficiency at An
derson court house and elsewhere in
the county, and also in Georgia, Ala
bama and Mississippi many years
ago, was his uncle. On his mothers
side he has two uncles-W. M. CAN'T
and B. +. Gantt-who have taught
with much more than average ability
and success.
The subject of this sketch was
born in Fork Township, of Ander-
son county, on October 8, 1851, and
spent his boyhood on the farm and
in the country schools. Some of his
teachers were Rev. VIM. McWhor.
ter and S. II. Johns, at Retreat, in
Oconee county, w. f. M. FAINT and
B. +. CAN'T, at Townville.
For three years-1871-1874-he
was bookkeeper and salesman in the
store of p. X. McCully, at Anderson.
The year 1874 he spent in Missouri,
but like most young men who ego
west" he was glad to return to his
native heath.
He began teaching in 1875, and
has followed the profession steadily
since, a period of twenty-five years.
Brief as that time appears, it has
nevertheless brought under his tut.
tion two generations. The most of
his work as teacher has been done
in the Fork. He taught four years,
however-'91- -'96-at South Union,
in Oconee county, and was there
chosen member of the county
board Of education. He was also
active in setting on foot and perpetu.
ating the Oconee Teachers Associa.
ton, and for year or 80 was editor
of the educational department of The
Keowee Courier at Walhalla An.
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