John Frank Dixon : Update

Finding Family

Last month was John Frank Dixon's birthday and I was lamenting over how little I knew about him. Since then I've made some inroads into his life, his family, and I've even been in contact with one of his direct descendants.

So, here's a little update on John Frank.

John Frank and his wife married when he was 20 and she was just 16 years old. (2) I'm going to estimate the year as 1915.

In 1920, he was 24 years old and was living with his wife and two daughters at 58 Caspian Street in Elizabeth, NJ. He was working as a core maker in a foundry. His wife, Mary, was 21 years old. It's interesting to note that she indicates that she was born in New Jersey, but both her parents were born in England. Their daughters were quite young. Dorothy E. was a little over a year and a half old. Mary Agnes was two months old. (1)

The family was at the same address in 1930. Their monthly rent was $22. John was now working as a foreman in a soap factory. In this census his wife's parents are shown as being born in New Jersey. [A mystery to solve!] The family has also added another daughter, Margaret, who is 8 years old in 1930. All three of the girls are attending school. (2)

By 1940 the family was living at 30 Spencer Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey. In fact, they had been living there since at least 1935. They were paying $25 per month in rent. John, age 45, was still at the soap factory working as a foreman. All three daughters were still at home. (3)

• Dorothy, now 21, had completed one year of high school and had been working for at least one year as a machine operator at the soap factory.
• Mary, age 20, had also completed one year of high school and had been working for at least one year as an assembler in a fan manufacturing company.
• Margaret, 18 years old, had completed four years of high school and was unemployed at the time of the census.

Mary Agnes Dixon and Felix Cabarle
on their wedding day.
Many thanks to their family for letting me post this!

John's daughter, Mary Agnes Dixon, married Felix Cabarle on 1 February 1941 at St. Patricks Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She died in 2008, at the age of 88. (4) I'll write a little more about her later, but I'm pleased to share this photo of Mary Agnes on her wedding day.

Many thanks to Mary and Felix's grandson for sharing photos and information with me. It's nice to have met another cousin!

Citations

(1) 1920 Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, Elizabeth, enumeration district (ED) 74, sheet 2A, dwelling 21, family 36, Frank Dixon; digital images, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4YK-Z63 : downloaded 18 February 2016); National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,069.

(2) 1930 US Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, Elizabeth, enumeration district (ED) 20-29, sheet 1B, household 10, family 18, John Dixon; digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4ND-9K5 : accessed 18 February 2016); The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).  

(3) 1940 U.S. Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, ward 5, enumeration district (ED) 23-37, 5B, household 95, John Dixon; digital images, FamilyTree (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4YP-FVG : downloaded 18 February 2016); (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 2398.

(4) Mary Agnes Cabarle, obituary. Unidentified newspaper, clipping, June 2008. Image on Ancestry.com attached to record for Mary Agnes Cabarle. Accessed 26 February 2016.