Person:Perez Dickinson (2)

Information on Perez Dickinson

From "Foster Genealogy, Part 2", by Frederick Clifton Pierce, pub. 1899:

The Knoxville, Tenn., paper says: "Today marks the anniversary of the birth of a man who is honored and loved by everybody in Knoxville. Four score and five years ago Perez Dickinson was born in the State of Massachusetts. When a young man, he came to Tennessee, and has since made his home in Knoxville, where by diligence in business, integrity that commands universal confidence and a high order of ability, he has succeeded in accumulating a handsome fortune. At the age of eighteen he was graduated from the old East Tennessee University, in 1831. Soon afterward he became a partner in the mercantile business with the late James H. Cowan. The firm was universally popular and prospered. Back in the 50's he, with others, organized the great wholesale firm of Cowan, McClung & Co., in which establishment he still maintains an interest. To write of the reputation of this house would be words wasted, as it is known by everybody, and stands in the very front rank of the great business establishments in the United States. It will be considered no reflection upon the other able men interested in the house to say that none have contributed more to its well-merited popularity than Col. Perez Dickinson.

When he came to Knoxville, it was a small village. He has seen it grow into a large city, and he and his host of friends have the proud satisfaction of knowing that he has contributed much to its growth. He has made an impression upon Knoxville 1n various ways. His active business life, lasting for three score years, was marked by a strictness of integrity that left no room for question. It has been said in the past, by leading business men in New York and other great commercial centers, that the fact of a man being in business in Knoxville was prima facie evidence of his title to credit. No one is entitled to more credit for this high standard than Col. Perez Dickinson. A man of constant integrity himself, he impressed, unconsciously perhaps, this virtue upon the minds and hearts of his associates, and hence it is a fact that excites pride in the bosom of every Knoxvillian that the business men in the city are trusted and honored and respected all over the land.

Beginning back at a time when the memory of most readers of the Journal runneth not to the contrary, Colonel Dickinson has been reckoned as the very soul of warm-hearted, generous hospitality. Strangers coming to the city from every state in the Union, presidents and other high officials; men great in their professions and men who have distinguished themselves in business; great preachers, great lecturers, and those who have shed brilliancy on the pages of American literature, all have been hospitably entertained at his table and around his fireside. And not these, only, for thousands who are less conspicuous, have been made happy by his attentions. Many years ago he purchased the famous Island Home farm, which was beautified regardless of expense, and for years it has been visited by our own people and by thousands of strangers, until it is as widelv known as Knoxville itself.

He has made an impression upon Knoxville that has been a beneficent influence, that has been manifested for years and will be for an indefinite time in the future. He has always been punctilious in the observance of those conventionalities that do so much toward making smooth the rough places of life's journey, things that are too often overlooked in the rush and hurry of the fast age in which we are living. He has never been too busy and rarely too severely indisposed to remain away from the funeral of a deceased friend. Always a lover of flowers, in the cultivation of which he has taken constant pleasure, his floral contributions have found their way to the house of affliction and bereavement, not only to the mansions of the rich but also to the cottages of those upon whom fortune has smiled less benignly.

In his youth and early manhood on up to his maturer years, he always found time to take an active interest in public affairs. In the days of the whig party he was an ardent whig. He was an admirer and supporter of the grand men who lived and ruled during the golden era of Tennessee's political life. He knew them well and entertained many of them at his hospitable board. He exercised a good influence on the voters of the country ad-: jacent to Knoxville, his advice being often sought, wisely given and willingly heeded. Without being an office-seeker himself in any sense, he exercised a wide influence in political affairs.

4308. iii. NATHANIEL, b. Jan. 26. 1795; m. Sally Salsbury.

4309. iv. SALLY, b. ;m. Hudson.

4310 v. LYDIA. b. .

4311. vi. FANNY, b. .

4312. vii. HANNAH, b. .

4313. viii. BETSY, b. ;d. unm. June 5. 1843.

4314. ix. SAMUEL, b. 1791; d. unm. Oct. 27, 185o.