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Ambrose Dixon Biography Abraham, Chris. "Ambrose Dixon: A Biographical Sketch" in Shorelines, Vol. 9, Issue 3. March 2002. Salisbury, MD: Nabb Research Center. The life and times of Ambrose Dixon, late of Somerset County, MD, were times of high excitement interspersed amongst the more mundane aspects of 17th century life in Virginia and Maryland. Ambrose Dixon's birth date is unknown. A passenger listing of immigrants to Virginia lists his arrival in Northampton County, sponsored by Richard Bayly, as having been recorded in 1649. Bayly received a 700 acre headright for transporting Dixon and 13 others to Northampton County. Dixon's country of origin is unknown. Dixon's death, however, is known. Somerset County Records say that he "died and was burred at the meeting house in Anemesssex the 12th day of Aprill Annoq Dom One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty and Seven." Ambrose and Stephen Horsley [Horsey] were granted 600 acres of land in Northampton County for transporting 12 persons into the colony. One of those 12 was Mary Dixon, wife of Ambrose. While the year of this patent is unknown, it can be assumed to be some time in 1652 as that is when Mary Dixon is known to have come to Northampton County. When Dixon moved from Virginia into Maryland in 1663, he brought with him his entire family including his wife Mary, son Thomas, daughters Mary, Sarah Elizabeth and Grace, as well as Cornelius Ware, Daniel More, Thomas Williams and Margaret Franklin. These people were likely servants. Thomas Williams was definitely a servant as the record states, "servant to Ambrose Dixon died and was buryd att Anamessix in ye month of Februray" in 1667. Dixon was known to be a caulker, a surveyor, an attorney and a planter. When Col. Edmund Scarburgh was called to give a deposition in 1663 after he tried to claim more land for Virginia by riding through southern Marylanders' farms and bidding they swear allegiance to Virginia, he wrote about Dixon's profession as well as his religion. He described Dixon as "a caulker by profession that lived among the lower parts, was often in question for his Quaking professions, removing to Anamessecks, there to Act what hee could not bee here permitted, Is a prater of nonsense, and much led by the spirit of ignorance, for which hee is followed." Not only has Col. Scarburgh defined Dixon as a ship's caulker, but also he has revealed him to be a Quaker. This is likely why Dixon refused to swear allegiance to Virginia as Col. Scarburgh wished. Quakers cannot swear oaths. As well as a caulker, Dixon was a surveyor. He and four others were appointed "surveyors for the High Waves" in 1666. Stickler for work that he was, Dixon also appeared as an attorney in a 1667 case where he successfully defended Thomas Price (will executor of Will Taylor) from being petitioned out of 524 pounds of tobacco. Edward Martingdale named Dixon his attorney the following year. Seemingly drifing into retirement in his final years, Dixon's will identified him as a planter. In the public realm, other than as a surveyor of highways, Dixon was elected to the Maryland legislature in 1671 but did not sit. Although no reason is given for his never sitting on the legisltaure, it can be assumed it was because Dixon's Quaker beliefs preclude[d] him swearing oaths. It seems as though Dixon was a popular man. Despite being a Quaker he was appointed a surveyor and a legislator. It would not be until the beginning of the 1690s that Protestants forbade Quakers from holding office at all. Ambrose Dixon was engaged in myriad court appearances during his lifetime, most interesting of which was the time he spent as a rogue Indian fighter under Col. Scarburgh in 1651. Under Col. Scarburgh, Dixon and numerous other men (including Dixon's sponsor into Virginia, Richard Bayly) gathered together in a troop of roughly 50 men and "shot at Indians, slashed and cut out their bowls, took Indians prisoner, and bound one of them with a chain." Col. Scarburgh and his troops were ordered arrested and made to appear before the court in James City for their actions. Once more appearing as a very angry man, Dixon appeared in court again in 1677 to answer for having chose to "openly & violently by force & armes & Divers threatening abusive speeches withstand and oppose ye said undersheriffe" when the undersheriff tried to collect tobacco as payment of Dixon's taxes. Less dramatic (and less violent) appearances in court for Dixon include the time he spent sitting on juries and when he appeared to name his friend George Hasfurt as his attorney in 1670. The court awarded him 300 pounds of tobacco out of the estate of Francis Morgan and was also ordered to administrate over the estate of the deceased George Richardson in 1654. In the same year it was ordered based on a judgment that Dixon pay Col. Scarburgh 470 pounds of tobacco. The will of Ambrose Dixon reveals much about his family. Dixon lived to see his daughter Elizabeth grown and married to Robert Dukes. Dixon bequeathed her a slave and horse. Dixon managed to live long enough to see the birth of his grandson Thomas Potter. Dixon placed a good deal of faith in education, as he wishes in his will that Thomas be "put to booke there to learne reading and writing and arithmetic." This sort of importance being placed on education is not surprising coming from a Quaker, who would have thought education extremely important. Dixon goes on to bequeath his son-in-law Edmund Beauchamp a cow and a calf as well as a horse, and then gives a female slave and her future children to his wife's son from a former marriage. One of the most interesting parts of this will is the care that Dixon puts into seeing that his wife Mary does not get cheated out of anything left to her. She is to be maintained by her sons for the rest of her life, and Dixon said that his sons would forfeit any inheritance if they failed to do as he requested. For Dixon to provide so directly for his wife and to threaten exclusion of his sons if they fail to do as he requested shows his marriage was based on love and not the necessity that many marriages of the period had their foundations set upon. The Probate inventory included provides interesting insights into Dixon's life. Several items stick out as peculiar, notably the 24 chairs he owned. Most likely this proliferation of "turkey workd" and "old leather chaires" can be accounted for by Dixon's religion. When Col. Scarburgh made his deposition in court concerning his activities in Maryland, he said that Dixon is "a receiver of many quakers, his house the place of their resort." Obviously, Dixon held prayer meetings in his home and thus had the need for such an unusually large amount of chairs. Another odd detail of his probate is that it shows his bed to be in the main hall of the house, but all of the other beds are in the upstairs "chambers." Dixon's bed could have been located downstairs because of his stature as a public figure. Because his will was made out a very few days before his death, it is possible he knew he was dying and had his bed taken downstairs where he could receive visitors. It is also possible that Dixon's bed was located downstairs because he was so enfeebled in his final days that he could not climb stairs. As stated before, Dixon was a Quaker, although probably not a terribly devout one. Perhaps he missed the meeting concerning the shunning of violence. Indeed it is odd that Dixon would have gone with the party under Col. Scarburgh to slaughter Indians. It is possible he felt indebted toward Richard Bayly, who was also amongst the party fighting the Indians and who was responsible for bringing Dixon to Virginia two years or less earlier. Or, perhaps he simply felt he was doing God's will. [N.B. Pacifism was not part of early Quakerism but was added later.] Ambrose Dixon's life was extremely diverse. Rather than spending it quietly, he engaged in different professions and with others started an Indian uprising. As a Quaker his life was a contradiction, and as a father and husband he cared deeply for the welfare of his family. Editor's Note: All of the resources used in researching this paper came from the Nabb Research Center. The author, Chris Abraham, is a Salisbury University undergraduate and history major. Abraham was the recipient of the Nabb Research Center's Miles Stevenson Student History Prize, made possible by member Mrs. Marelyn Zipser, for the fall 2001 semester. Abraham prepared this biographical sketch for his history proseminar course, and we thank him for allowing us to reprint it in the Shoreline.

Ambrose Dixon Biography
Abraham, Chris. "Ambrose Dixon: A Biographical Sketch" in Shorelines, Vol. 9, Issue 3. March 2002. Salisbury, MD: Nabb Research Center.

The life and times of Ambrose Dixon, late of Somerset County, MD, were times of high excitement interspersed amongst the more mundane aspects of 17th century life in Virginia and Maryland.

Ambrose Dixon's birth date is unknown. A passenger listing of immigrants to Virginia lists his arrival in Northampton County, sponsored by Richard Bayly, as having been recorded in 1649. Bayly received a 700 acre headright for transporting Dixon and 13 others to Northampton County. Dixon's country of origin is unknown. Dixon's death, however, is known. Somerset County Records say that he "died and was burred at the meeting house in Anemesssex the 12th day of Aprill Annoq Dom One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty and Seven."

Ambrose and Stephen Horsley [Horsey] were granted 600 acres of land in Northampton County for transporting 12 persons into the colony. One of those 12 was Mary Dixon, wife of Ambrose. While the year of this patent is unknown, it can be assumed to be some time in 1652 as that is when Mary Dixon is known to have come to Northampton County. When Dixon moved from Virginia into Maryland in 1663, he brought with him his entire family including his wife Mary, son Thomas, daughters Mary, Sarah Elizabeth and Grace, as well as Cornelius Ware, Daniel More, Thomas Williams and Margaret Franklin. These people were likely servants. Thomas Williams was definitely a servant as the record states, "servant to Ambrose Dixon died and was buryd att Anamessix in ye month of Februray" in 1667.

Dixon was known to be a caulker, a surveyor, an attorney and a planter. When Col. Edmund Scarburgh was called to give a deposition in 1663 after he tried to claim more land for Virginia by riding through southern Marylanders' farms and bidding they swear allegiance to Virginia, he wrote about Dixon's profession as well as his religion. He described Dixon as "a caulker by profession that lived among the lower parts, was often in question for his Quaking professions, removing to Anamessecks, there to Act what hee could not bee here permitted, Is a prater of nonsense, and much led by the spirit of ignorance, for which hee is followed." Not only has Col. Scarburgh defined Dixon as a ship's caulker, but also he has revealed him to be a Quaker. This is likely why Dixon refused to swear allegiance to Virginia as Col. Scarburgh wished. Quakers cannot swear oaths. As well as a caulker, Dixon was a surveyor. He and four others were appointed "surveyors for the High Waves" in 1666. Stickler for work that he was, Dixon also appeared as an attorney in a 1667 case where he successfully defended Thomas Price (will executor of Will Taylor) from being petitioned out of 524 pounds of tobacco. Edward Martingdale named Dixon his attorney the following year. Seemingly drifing into retirement in his final years, Dixon's will identified him as a planter.

In the public realm, other than as a surveyor of highways, Dixon was elected to the Maryland legislature in 1671 but did not sit. Although no reason is given for his never sitting on the legisltaure, it can be assumed it was because Dixon's Quaker beliefs preclude[d] him swearing oaths. It seems as though Dixon was a popular man. Despite being a Quaker he was appointed a surveyor and a legislator. It would not be until the beginning of the 1690s that Protestants forbade Quakers from holding office at all.

Ambrose Dixon was engaged in myriad court appearances during his lifetime, most interesting of which was the time he spent as a rogue Indian fighter under Col. Scarburgh in 1651. Under Col. Scarburgh, Dixon and numerous other men (including Dixon's sponsor into Virginia, Richard Bayly) gathered together in a troop of roughly 50 men and "shot at Indians, slashed and cut out their bowls, took Indians prisoner, and bound one of them with a chain." Col. Scarburgh and his troops were ordered arrested and made to appear before the court in James City for their actions. Once more appearing as a very angry man, Dixon appeared in court again in 1677 to answer for having chose to "openly & violently by force & armes & Divers threatening abusive speeches withstand and oppose ye said undersheriffe" when the undersheriff tried to collect tobacco as payment of Dixon's taxes. Less dramatic (and less violent) appearances in court for Dixon include the time he spent sitting on juries and when he appeared to name his friend George Hasfurt as his attorney in 1670. The court awarded him 300 pounds of tobacco out of the estate of Francis Morgan and was also ordered to administrate over the estate of the deceased George Richardson in 1654. In the same year it was ordered based on a judgment that Dixon pay Col. Scarburgh 470 pounds of tobacco.

The will of Ambrose Dixon reveals much about his family. Dixon lived to see his daughter Elizabeth grown and married to Robert Dukes. Dixon bequeathed her a slave and horse. Dixon managed to live long enough to see the birth of his grandson Thomas Potter. Dixon placed a good deal of faith in education, as he wishes in his will that Thomas be "put to booke there to learne reading and writing and arithmetic." This sort of importance being placed on education is not surprising coming from a Quaker, who would have thought education extremely important. Dixon goes on to bequeath his son-in-law Edmund Beauchamp a cow and a calf as well as a horse, and then gives a female slave and her future children to his wife's son from a former marriage. One of the most interesting parts of this will is the care that Dixon puts into seeing that his wife Mary does not get cheated out of anything left to her. She is to be maintained by her sons for the rest of her life, and Dixon said that his sons would forfeit any inheritance if they failed to do as he requested. For Dixon to provide so directly for his wife and to threaten exclusion of his sons if they fail to do as he requested shows his marriage was based on love and not the necessity that many marriages of the period had their foundations set upon.

The Probate inventory included provides interesting insights into Dixon's life. Several items stick out as peculiar, notably the 24 chairs he owned. Most likely this proliferation of "turkey workd" and "old leather chaires" can be accounted for by Dixon's religion. When Col. Scarburgh made his deposition in court concerning his activities in Maryland, he said that Dixon is "a receiver of many quakers, his house the place of their resort." Obviously, Dixon held prayer meetings in his home and thus had the need for such an unusually large amount of chairs. Another odd detail of his probate is that it shows his bed to be in the main hall of the house, but all of the other beds are in the upstairs "chambers." Dixon's bed could have been located downstairs because of his stature as a public figure. Because his will was made out a very few days before his death, it is possible he knew he was dying and had his bed taken downstairs where he could receive visitors. It is also possible that Dixon's bed was located downstairs because he was so enfeebled in his final days that he could not climb stairs.

As stated before, Dixon was a Quaker, although probably not a terribly devout one. Perhaps he missed the meeting concerning the shunning of violence. Indeed it is odd that Dixon would have gone with the party under Col. Scarburgh to slaughter Indians. It is possible he felt indebted toward Richard Bayly, who was also amongst the party fighting the Indians and who was responsible for bringing Dixon to Virginia two years or less earlier. Or, perhaps he simply felt he was doing God's will. [N.B. Pacifism was not part of early Quakerism but was added later.]

Ambrose Dixon's life was extremely diverse. Rather than spending it quietly, he engaged in different professions and with others started an Indian uprising. As a Quaker his life was a contradiction, and as a father and husband he cared deeply for the welfare of his family.

Editor's Note: All of the resources used in researching this paper came from the Nabb Research Center. The author, Chris Abraham, is a Salisbury University undergraduate and history major. Abraham was the recipient of the Nabb Research Center's Miles Stevenson Student History Prize, made possible by member Mrs. Marelyn Zipser, for the fall 2001 semester. Abraham prepared this biographical sketch for his history proseminar course, and we thank him for allowing us to reprint it in the Shoreline.

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