The name Dicken has intrigued me as it has others. I welcome more information, but in the records that I have at hand I have the following references.
From the baptismal records at the Hebron Lutheran Church in present day Madison County, VA, I have one record. Benjamin Dikons and his wife Rosina brought Rhoda for baptism on 22 Jun 1777 (Rev. Franck was the pastor). The sponsors were Adam Fischer, Elis. Fischer, and Eva Jager. On the very reasonable assumption that these sponsors were related to Rosina, let's look at them.
Adam Fischer married Elizabeth Gaar. This suggests that we should look some at the Gaar family. There we find that Rosina/Rosanna was a Garr who married Benjamin Dicken. Rosanna was the daughter of (John) Adam Gaar and Elizabeth Kaefer. So the choice of Adam Fischer and Elisabeth Fischer was the choice, by Rosina, of her brother-in-law and her sister. These were very natural choices. The choice of Eva Jager is for an unknown reason. She seems to be the daughter of Michael Yager and Elizabeth Manspiel.
There is only one appearance of Benjamin or Rosina as a couple at communion services at the church. In the communion lists, Rosina appears alone on one occasion, Christmas Day in 1776. She was the last name. Since she was in the single women's group, her husband was probably not with her.
In the Culpeper Classes (1781), in class 69 we have Benjamin, Ephraim, John, and Richard. In class 72 we have Lt. William Dicken. The appearance of one of the Dicken men as an officer does not suggest the family was German. (However, note that Christopher Zimmerman was a Lt. in the militia, and Mark Finks (Jr.) was a Capt. in the militia.) Class 69 seems to have involved men living "north" of Crigersville, such as Shotwells and Yowells.
In the tax lists for Culpeper County in 1787, there are four Dicken men, Benjamin, Joseph, Richard, and William. Ephraim is not listed. Relatively near neighbors of Richard were Blankenbakers, Berrys, Clores, Criglers, Finks, Humes, Rouses, Willheits, Yagers, and Yowells. This area is in the north of modern Madison County where there was a mixture of English and German families.
Offhand, the evidence that the Dicken family was German does not look good. However, the Dicken men may have a German mother, perhaps a Manspiel. This would tie in nicely with the baptism above.
(31 Jan 02)
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