Abigail Dickerson

Biography
Abigail Reeve was likely the daughter of Joseph Reeve and Abigail (MNU)

Abigail was born between 1686 and 1698.

Abigail married John Dickerson on 2 (or 5 or 25) December 1710, in Southold, NY.[1]

Children of John Dickerson and Abigail Reeve:

Bethia Dickerson
Mary Dickerson
William Dickerson, m1. Dorothy Corey; m2. Deborah Horton; m3. Esther Halsey
John Dickerson, m. Elizabeth Corey
Infant
Selah Dickerson, m1. Sarah Overton; m2. Susannah Robinson
Deborah Dickerson, unmarried
Probable children of John Dickerson and Abigail Reeve

Samuel Dickerson, m. Martha Racket
Mehetable Dickerson, m. Joshua Dickerson

Abigail is mentioned by name in her father Joseph Reeve's will in 1736 as one of three daughters.[2]

Abigail is executrix of her husband John Dickerson's will proved in 1758.[3]

She has not yet been found in later documents.

Research Notes
Birth Date
Range 1686-1698 based on absence from 1686 Southold Census[4] and presence in 1698 Southold Census[5] entries for her father's household.
- Murray-13644 14:27, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

Parentage
Abigail Reeve wife of John Dickerson was surmised to be the daughter of John Reeve in several well-circulated genealogical and historical collections. However, Wesley L. Baker revisits this matter in much detail in his more contemporary books Reeve Family of Southold, Long Island, N.Y[6] . and Dickerson and Dickinson Descendants of Philemon Dickerson cited below. There, Baker reviews the origins of the previous assumptions, reveals certain errors and additional previously unconsidered data, and presents a convincing case for this Abigail Reeve actually being the daughter of Joseph Reeve.

Some specific points made in those studies include:

There are three Abigail Reeve's names in the 1698 Census of Southold, NY, in the households of John, Joseph, and Mary Reeve. Reviewing each of them:

John Reeve's will of 1712[7] refers to his eldest daughter, Hannah, as "now wife of Gideon Young", but refers to his two other daughters, Abigail and Martha, only by their given names. Further, Abigail and Martha are each bequeathed half of the household while Hannah is bequeathed only a small amount "over & above what she hath already had." According to Baker, "this was a frequent reference in wills of those days to a married daughter" as the married daughter would already have been given her share as a wedding gift. It is known that John's daughter Martha was unmarried at the time of the 1712 will. The subject of this WikiTree page would have been already married (to John Dickerson) at the time of the 1712 will. All of this seems to rule out John Reeve as the father of John Dickerson's wife Abigail Reeve.

Joseph Reeve's will of 1722[2] refers to his three daughters, Abigail, Mary & Hannah, only by their given names, with no mention of marriage status for any of them. Daughters Mary and Hannah were both unmarried at the time of the 1722 will, while the subject of this WikiTree page would have been already married for 12 years. This is certainly not conclusive, but is not a strong contradiction of Abigail's marriage status as that presented by John Reeve's will.

Mary Reeve is presumed to be the widow of William Reeve, who died in 1697 but did not leave a will. Baker reasons that since this family lived in Mattituck[8] , while the Dickerson's lived in the Hamlet of Southold about 8 miles away, it is unlikely that the Abigail Reeve from this household was the one who married John Dickerson. This also is not conclusive, but adds support to Baker's reasoned conclusion.

- Murray-13644 14:27, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

Abigail was born before 1700. She passed away after 1718.

Sources
↑ The Salmon Records, p.76 (Archive.org)
↑ 2.0 2.1 1722 Will of Joseph Reeve; Full typed transcript plus photocopy of the original will can be found in Baker, Reeve Study, Pages 157-159 ; also see Record entry, Office of Records at New York, Liber 12, page 514: New York Probate Records, 1629-1971, images, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899K-B36L?cc=1920234&w... : 28 May 2014, FamilySearch) New York > Wills 1730-1740 vol 11-13 > image 378 of 621; county courthouses, New York.
↑ 1757 Will of John Dickerson; Record entry, Office of Records at New York, Volume 21, page 110, New York Probate Records, 1629-1971, images, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L99K-BHS4?cc=1920234&w...), New York > Wills and administrations 1749-1760 vol 17 and 19-21 > image 725 of 913; county courthouses, New York.
↑ 1686 Census of Southold, New York, published in The New York genealogical and biographical record, Vol 30; (New York, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, April 1899), pages 120-122.[Archive.org]
↑ 1698 Index of Southold, Long Island, transcribed in O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey, The documentary history of the state of New-York, 1850 Vol 1, ; New York (State). Secretary's Office; Pages 447 - 465. (Archive.org)
↑ Baker, Reeve Study, Pages 114-115, 358, 369-371
↑ 1712 Will of John Reeve; New York Will Book 8, page 301; "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899P-BHM6?cc=1920234&w... : 28 May 2014), New York > Wills 1710-1716 vol 8 > image 448 of 545; county courthouses, New York.
↑ Craven, A History of Mattituck, p.71
See also
Baker, Wesley Logan. Study of the Reeve family of Southold, Long Island, N.Y. : and Southold descendants of the Southampton, L.I. Reeves family and genealogy of said families up to 1800. (Douglaston, NY, unknown, 1970)
Baker, Wesley L.. Dickerson and Dickinson Descendants of Philemon Dickerson of Southold, Long Island, N.Y.: Also Long Island Descendants of Captain John Dickinson of Oyster Bay: Published Chicago, IL: Adams Press, 1979. Pages 42-43.
Craven, Charles Edmiston, A History of Mattituck, Long Island, N.Y. Published 1906 for the author, Mattituck, N.Y. (Archive.org)