The original caption read: "Waitefield,Vermont - Spring 1896. From L-R 'Grand Mother Green, Great Aunt Suzanne Carroll, Great Aunt Parthena Dike' ". The caption may have been written by Vaughan Green, son of Warren Green and grandson of Rhoda Johnson Green.
Based on my own research, I knew that this must be Rhoda Johnson Green, Susan Johnson Carroll (my great-great grandmother) and Parthenia Johnson Dike. I know that Susan lived in Waitsfield, Vermont, and in 1996, I actually visited a house in Waitsfield that I had reason to believe had been owned by George and Susan Carroll. I currently have no way of knowing if the home that I visited was in fact this home! I find this picture fascinating and am intrigued by the house decor, the clothing and the circumstances that brought them together. Was it a funeral or something else? In any event, I decided to explore the life of each person in this photograph after doing an overview of the William L. Johnson family.
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Early Life in Canada
Parthenia Johnson was the daughter of William L. Johnson and Parthenia Burch. It appears that William and Parthenia were both born in Vermont, but it seems likely that they married in Canada. Parthenia the daughter was born in August, 1830, in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, which is just across the Ottawa River from Grenville, Quebec. She was the youngest of 6 or 7 children. Her father, William, died in 1832, at the age of 45, from consumption. Her mother, Parthenia, died in 1835, at the age of 43. So by the time Parthenia was 4 years old, she was an orphan. I am guessing that she lived with an aunt or uncle in the Hawkesbury area, but it is not clear with whom.
Marriage in Vermont
According to the 1910 census, she immigrated to the United States in 1847, when she was about 17 years old. She lived with her sister, Susan Johnson, who had married George B. Carroll the year before, and was living in Richmond, Vermont, in Chittenden County. Initially, there were 5 young laborers and domestics living in the George B. Carroll household and George himself worked as a laborer. George Eden Carroll, the eldest child of George and Susan Carroll was born in October, 1850, in Waitsfield, Vermont, so the Carroll family must have moved to Waitsfield in late 1850.
Parthenia Johnson married Alonzo Dike on December 30, 1850, in Williston, Chittenden County, Vermont. Earlier that year, Alonzo Dike had been living in Colchester, Vermont, also in Chittenden County. He was living in the home of Allen Stone with numerous other young workers. Alonzo, born September 1827 or 1828 in Vermont, was working as a carpenter and joiner, and may have been working at a mill. On the marriage record, though, he is listed as being from Stockholm, New York. Alonzo and Parthenia must have returned to New York shortly after their marriage, because their children born in 1851 and 1856 were born in New York.
However, in July 1860, they were living in Fayston, Washington County, Vermont. Alonzo is working as a farmer, with real estate valued at $900 and personal estate valued at $300. Their son Heman is 8 years old and daughter Emma is 3 years old. From a Fayston centennial pamphlet, I learned that they were living in the Lynde Wait house after George and Lawson Carroll and after William Johnson! What brought them back to Washington County, Vermont? Did Parthenia possibly lose a child and want to be closer to her family? Were there economic advantages?
Life in Stockholm, NY
By at least 1863, they were back in Stockholm, NY, in Saint Lawrence County. In June, 1863, Alonzo was enumerated on a list of persons subject to do military duty for the Union cause. He was 35 years old at the time and working as a mechanic. I have not seen any evidence, however, that he actually served in the Union army. In this same year, their daughter Emma died, aged 6 or 7 years.
In 1870, Alonzo is listed as a carpenter, with real estate valued at $1200 and personal estate valued at $700. Daughter Libbie, age 3, is now present in the census. Son Heman, although just 18 years of age, is no longer in the household. I am speculating that he might be the Heman Dike living in Palermo, Iowa, in 1870, since he is a match for age and state of birth and one of his uncles is living in the same county. In 'The New York State Business Directory, 1870', Alonzo is listed as a carpenter and builder in the community of Stockholm. In "Gazetteer and business directory of St. Lawrence County, N.Y., for 1873-4", Alonzo is listed as a carpenter, builder and millwright. It appears that Alonzo was a fairly successful craftsman.
In 1880, they are listed as residents of East Stockholm. Alonzo is working as a millwright and was unemployed for one month during the census year. Alonzo and Parthenia are now in their 50's and their daughter Libbie is living with them and going to school.
In 1900, Alonzo Dike is listed as a retired farmer in Stockholm and he owns his farm without any mortgage. Alonzo is 72 years old and Parthenia is 69. No one else is living in the household. The census states that Parthenia only has 1 child living because Libbie died sometime in 1900! (At this time, it is not known who or if Libbie married.) This census also lists the number of children that Parthenia had, but the number is hard to decipher! It appears to be an '8' or a '9'. This is reasonable for that time period, but I have not yet found any evidence for the other 5 or 6 children, but suspect they died as infants or in childhood.
In 1905, Alonzo and Parthenia are 77 and 75 years old, and still living Stockholm. Both are listed as citizens.
In 1907, Alonzo dies, leaving Parthenia essentially alone! Only one of her children (Heman) is still alive and he is probably living in the Midwest.
Shortly thereafter, her sister, Rhoda Green, appears to move in with Parthenia because they are living together in 1910! The census states that they live on the Potsdam to Lawrence Road. Parthenia is listed as 79 years old, widowed and possessing her own income. It is stated that she had 3 children, 1 still living. It is possible that '3' is correct or it is possible that she decided only to count children who reached a certain age. Rhoda Green, listed as her sister, is 85 years old, widowed, with 4 children, 0 still living. She has no income... This is the first time that I have ever found elderly widowed sisters living together! One factor is that neither had children nearby. A second factor is that Alonzo must have done well financially and Parthenia appears to have had some income. (Another possibility is that her son Heman was sending her money.) A third factor is that the sisters appeared to be emotionally close, perhaps due to being orphaned early. Susan Johnson Carroll, the third widow, died in 1904, so living with her was not an option.
Rhoda died in 1913. Parthenia died in 1914.
East Part Cemetery in Stockholm
Alonzo, Parthenia, Emma and Libbie Dike are all buried in East Part Cemetery in what is today Stockholm Center, New York. They are listed on a single face of a single tombstone and that tombstone is photographed on the Find A Grave website.
Find A Grave, Parthenia Dike and Family, Memorial 88459339
Heman is also listed on the tombstone, but no death date is given, so there is a good chance that he is not actually buried there. At this time, it is not clear who erected the tombstone, but tombstones, and group tombstones at that, appeared to be important to the Johnson family. The Johnson Family also has a tombstone in Greenwood Cemetery, Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada. Eight different persons are listed on that tombstone including Parthenia's parents, William and Parthenia, Parthenia's brother Eden and Parthenia's possible sister Elizabeth. That tombstone was erected by Rhoda Green and C. Abbott Johnson.
Sources
1850 U.S. census, Chittenden, Vermont, population schedule, Richmond, p. 60A, dwelling 2, family 2, Household of George B Carroll; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 923.
1850 U.S. census, Chittenden, Vermont, population schedule, Colchester, p. 234A, dwelling 5, family 6, Alonzo Dike; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 923.
1860 U.S. census, Washington, Vermont, population schedule, Fayston, P. O. Waitsfield, p. 768, dwelling 1389, family 1405, Household of Alonzo Dike; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 Sep 2014); citing NARA microfilm M653, roll 1324.
1870 U.S. census, Saint Lawrence, New York, population schedule, Stockholm, p. 48, 250B (stamped), dwelling 361, family 368, Household of Alonzo Dyke; digital images, Ancestry (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 12 Sep 2014); citing NARA microfilm M593, roll 1099.
1880 U.S. census, Saint Lawrence, New York, population schedule, East Stockholm, enumeration district (ED) 233, p. 2, 70B (stamped), dwelling 17, family 18, Household of Alonzo Dike; digital images, Ancestry (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 12 Sep 2014); citing NARA microfilm T9, roll 926.
1900 U.S. census, Saint Lawrence, New York, population schedule, Stockholm, enumeration district (ED) 141, sheet 13, p. 276A (stamped), dwelling 306, family 306, Household of Alonzo Dyki; digital images, Ancestry (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 14 Sep 2014); citing NARA microfilm T623, roll 1158.
1905 state census, Saint Lawrence County, New York, population schedule, Stockholm, p. 4, line 49, Household of Alonzo Dyke; digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry (www.ancestry.com).
1910 U.S. census, Saint Lawrence, New York, population schedule, Stockholm, enumeration district (ED) 0179, sheet 1A, p. 56 (stamped), dwelling 1, family 1, Household of Partheny Dyke; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Sep 2014); citing NARA microfilm T624, roll 1075.
Vermont Public Records, (Vermont Public Records, Middlesex), Dike-Johnson; VR-77, Dexter - Dino, VR-145 Johnson - Jones.
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., The New York State Business Directory, 1870 p. 436
(image 390); digital images, www.Ancestry.com : accessed 23 Sep 2014.
The Generations Network, Inc., Gazetteer and business directory of St. Lawrence County, N.Y., for 1873-4 pps. 401, 420, images 449, 468; digital images, www.Ancestry : accessed 23 Sep 2014.
Find A Grave, Inc, Find A Grave, digital images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 16 Sep 2014),
Memorial # 88459339, photograph of Alonzo/Parthena Dike tombstone.
