James Dickson, b. 1847, of Albion, Orleans Co., NY
I'm working on the old Town of Dunkirk Cemetery in Chautauqua County, NY, and found this in the Dunkirk Evening Observer Index:
Dickson, Joseph d. 3 Nov 1894 at Van Buren Railroad Crossing; of Albion, Orleans Co., [NY]; deserted his wife Anna and 6 children; buried Dunkirk Cemetery [13 Nov 1894 Observer]Note that this cemetery included a potter's field and there is no marker for Joseph.
from Wikipedia:A potter's field or common grave is a term for a place for the burial of unknown or indigent people. The expression derives from the Bible, referring to a field used for the extraction of potter's clay; such land, useless for agriculture, could be used as a burial site.
From the 1892 New York State Census for Albion:
Joseph Dickson, 45, farmer
wife Lena, 36
ch:
Catherine, 13
Owen D., 11
Mary A., 8
Susan A., 6
Florence, 3
I hope this helps someone solve a mystery.Who knows if he really deserted his family or not?