DICKSON, WILLIAM H. 1852 HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF WM.H.DICKSON Wm. H. Dickson was born in Iowa March 22nd, 1850. He was the son of Billa and Mary Ann Stoddard Dickson. His father and mother both joined the church before he was born. They were both ardent admirers of the Prophet Joseph Smith. At one time during the Prophet's exile his mother prepared corn bread for the prophet and he ate at their table the best she could provide. His father was one of the number that saw the mantle of Joseph Smith fall on Brigham Young and testified this to his children all his life. The father imegrated to Utah in 1852, William being only two years old and rode in a table turned upside down much of the way. He was the fifth child in a family of six. They first settled in Centerville. They moved from Centerville to Kaysville, Davis County. As a young boy he did much hunting and trapping. While hunting one day he found a skunk. He caught it, tied a rope to it, took it home and told his folks he had found a pretty black and white cat. That night he had to make his bed in the granary. Another time one of their mules died. He, with some other boys, cut the heart out and used it for bait for his trap. He caught a fox. He and his companions took it home and placed it in a dirt cellar with a dog and cat. What a terrible fight they had. He composed a song that went something like this: "Oh the poor little fox came down to the mule's heart Oh! the poor little fox got caught in a trap The dogs they did growl and the fox he did howl Oh! the Poor little fox got caught in a trap." After living in Kaysville for a while they moved to Richville, Morgan County, where his father built a blacksmith shop. He also did the blacksmithing for the company he came across the plains with. His father, with the help of Ferrall, his son-in-law, built a sawmill 3 "We were hunting one day when we saw two deer across the canyon from us. I just handed Will old reliable, a gun we could trust, he took aim and when the shot rang out both deer fell, shot through the neck." He did mischievious things many times, as all boys do. One time he, with the help of some other fellows, put the running gears of a wagon on top of a man's barn. He was a good sport--never winning by unfair play. He was a friend of the wayward, never judged harshly, had compassion for people's short comings. He was a strict observer of the /Word of Wisdom, a very moderate eater seldom ever eating a second helping of anything. He was a man of great faith. He enjoyed taking long walks and had good health all his life. He loved all kinds of sports--baseball, football, basketball, seldom did he miss a game. It was after a basket ball game between Coalville and Morgan, he had been walking, he was struck by an automobile breaking his leg,which resulted in his death about a month later. He died April 5, 1936 at the age of 86 years, 13 days. The Morgan tabernacle was filled with relatives and friends at his funeral. He was faithful to his callings in the church and was very merciful to the faults of his fellowmen and a friend to the distressed and the orphans and widows and true to all his relatives and friends. Eliza Dickson Rich 5 HEALING OF WILLIAM DICKSON 6 An account of the healing of my father Wm. H. Dickson at Centerville, Davis County, Utah. When I was small boy ten or eleven years of age, I was playing with a companion by the name of Billie Clawson. We were playing on top of a hay stack. At the side of the stack was a two tined pitch fork with the tines upward with a pole in between, the times used as a prop to keep the stack from falling over. When I went to get down, instead of sliding I put my head on the stack and keeled over, I then found myself in the terrible predicament of hanging on the fork, the tines entering my body just above the left hip ranging upward. My companion, seeing my predicament and being unable to help me himself, ran to the house, about four rods away, for help returning in a few minutes with two young ladies by the name of Arilla Stoddard and Cornelia Clawson. Arilla was too frightened and excited to help at all so it fell to Cornelia to relieve my suffering and lift me off the fork. As soon as I was on the ground I ran home, a distance of about one hundred yards. I fell upon my bed very, very sick, vomiting for about a week or ten days. I gradually grew worse and became very weak and emaciated. While everthing possible was being done for me, at this time without any warning and without our knowledge a man came into the room. At the time, mother and I were alone. He asked my mother if he might have the priviledged of administering to me by the laying on of hands. She gave her consent at the same time saying, " I'll step across the street to get an elder, Brother Simon Dalton to assist you." The man replied," I do not need any assistance." Then stepping up to the couch on which I was laying, kneeled down and placed his hands upon my head and I never will forget the glorious feeling that attended that prayer. My whole being was thrilled as with a Mighty power and I was instantly healed, no the scar remains. The man went as he had come. When my mother stepped to the door to express her gratitude to him for what he had done, he was no where to be seen. Upon inquiry no one had seen him enter or leave our home. Since this writing he told his children it had been made know to him (after praying about it)the man was one of the three Nephites.