Flanders Dyke was born on September 8, 1800 in Warner, New Hampshire. He was named for his maternal grandfather, Isaiah Flanders (1753-1835). In 1777, Grandfather Isaiah Flanders received land in Warner, New Hampshire from his father and settled in Warner Lower Village. In his will, Grandfather Isaac Flanders left “to daughter Dolly Dike, wife of Samuel Dike, 4 acres of land in Warner.” The will was updated on December 6, 1824 and probated “4th Tuesday in Oct. 1835.”[1]
Childhood of Flanders Dyke
Flanders Dyke was the second child of Samuel Stearns Dyke and Dolly Flanders. Samuel Stearns Dyke was born on July 5, 1774 in Amherst Township, Hillsboro County, New Hampshire. Dolly Flanders was born on January 21, 1776 in South Hampton, New Hampshire. Samuel and Dolly Dyke were married on April 16, 1799 in Warner, New Hampshire. They were the parents of nine children—Samuel Dyke, Isaiah Flanders Dyke, George Washington Dyke, Dolly Dyke, Nancy Dyke, James Madison Dyke, Thomas Jefferson Dyke, William Henry Dyke, and Harriett Henriette Dyke.[2]
The Samuel Dyke and Dolly Flanders family migrated from New Hampshire to Ontario County, New York between 1808 and 1812. On June 23, 1812, the Ontario Repository announced, “Carriage Repairing. The public are informed, that the subscriber will Repair and Paint Carriages in a neat and faithful manner, at the shop of N. Gould in this village, on reasonable terms. SAMUEL DYKE.”[3]
Of the Samuel Dyke and Dolly Flanders family, one child is reported to have run away— Flanders Dyke. In 1815, the Ontario Repository reported—
“One Cent Reward”—
Ran away from the subscriber on the 22nd inst. an indentured apprentice named Flanders Dyke, about 14 or 15 years of age. All persons are forbid harboring or trusting said boy, on account of the subscriber and whoever will return him, shall receive the above reward, but no charges. R. Wadsworth.
An indentured apprentice is an ancient system of on-the-job training that goes back to the guilds in the Middle Ages. Apprentices signed a contract known as an “indenture,” binding them to serve a master for seven years in exchange for learning his trade. We believe Flanders’ trade was that of a painter. Although it is known that youthful Flanders Dyke ran away from his contractual arrangement with R. Wadsworth, he did not lose contact with his family. Flanders remained in Ontario County, New York. We do not know his exact whereabouts from 1815 to 1824. His name does not appear on the 1820 US Federal Census as residing in a village in Ontario County.
Flanders became a Resident of Palmyra
In 1824 or 1825, Flanders Dyke became a resident of Palmyra. He came to Palmyra with his father Samuel Dyke Sr., a saddler and trunk maker by trade; his brother Samuel Dyke Jr., a saddler and stage-driver; his brother James Madison Dyke, a saddler and runner for canal boats; and his brother-in-law John Biggs, a baker.[4]
Flanders was reported to be 5 feet 10 inches in height—having a “slender build, and rather inclining to stoop and near-sighted.” As for his character, it was said that “he was impudent and untutored—and talks very quick and loud.” He was reported to wear a “blue coat, nankin pantaloons [Chinese trousers fitted at the ankles], and a black hat.”[5]
Because Flanders was known in Palmyra for being “impudent and untutored and talking very quick and loud,” we can assume that some people were put off by him. In 1828, when Flanders Dyke wanted permission to court Lucy Harris’s oldest daughter and namesake, Martin Harris was amenable and quite liked Flanders as did his daughter. However, Lucy Harris, Martin’s wife, was “decidedly upon the negative.”
Why the negative? Is it because men of the Dyke family were tradesman rather than farmers? They were not “landed gentry” as were Martin and Lucy Harris, who owned property and were viewed as prosperous. The Dyke family was relatively new in town compared to the Harris family, who traced their roots back to early settlers of Palmyra. In addition, Lucy must have perceived that integrity was not Flanders’ strong suit.
Flanders Dyke and the Lucy Harris Scheme
According to Lucy Mack Smith, “a scheme entered the brain [of Lucy Harris] that materially changed her deportment to Mr. Dikes.” The scheme was deceptive and unscrupulous, a “cloak and dagger” agreement in which Flanders would take “the Egyptian characters from Mr. Harris’s possession, and procure a room in Palmyra for the purpose of transcribing them, and then bring her the transcript.” His reward for such devious plagiarism was her “consent to his marriage with her daughter.”
It does not speak well of her future son-in-law that Flanders Dyke “cheerfully consented” or that he would so willingly betray the confidence placed in him by his soon-to-be father-in-law Martin Harris. Note that Flanders became a “willing” thief but not a “creative” thief. He followed the orders of Lucy Harris with preciseness.
1. Flanders was able to steal the facsimile, which suggests that Martin was careless, a trait which would manifest itself again with the 116 pages.
2. Flanders procured a room in Palmyra. This was curious because the Dyke family had resided in Palmyra for about three years and obviously had housing for him. Knowing that the Egyptian characters Flanders was to copy were only a few lines, it doesn’t seem reasonable that it would take him more than one night to make a copy. A one night stay in Palmyra, which the phrase “procure a room” suggests, would be a one night stay at the Eagle Hotel built in 1824. The landlord and keeper of the Eagle Hotel was Lovell Hurd, who was also the secretary of Palmyra’s Mount Moriah Masonic Lodge. On December 4, 1833, Lovell signed the “Testimony of 51 Neighbors,” later published in Mormonism Unvailed.
3. Flanders “copied the characters with expert precision.” This suggests penmanship and schooling for Flanders Dyke as he grew to manhood. Although a newspaper editor in Palmyra writes that he was “untutored,” that does not appear to be the case with the subject of penmanship.
Lucy Harris was pleased by Flanders’ actions and fulfilled her part of the deception by giving consent to Flanders to marry her daughter or, as Lucy Mack Smith wrote, “Suffice it to say [Flanders Dyke] succeeded to her satisfaction, and thus received the promised reward.”[6] As for the forgery, Lucy tucked Flanders’s transcription of the Egyptian characters in her pocket and waited for the right moment to bring the transcription forward. On her journey with Martin to Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania in March 1828, upon Martin’s first showing a stranger the facsimile that Joseph Smith Jr. had copied from the gold plates, to his surprise Lucy presented “an exact copy of the same” and announced “that ‘Joe Smith’ was not the only one who was in possession of this great curiosity, that she had the same characters, and they were quite as genuine as those shown by Mr. Harris.”[7]
Occupation and Health
Flanders appears to have been a painter by trade. He may have worked for his father. On June 23, 1812, the Ontario Repository announced that Samuel Dyke Sr. did “carriage repairing. The public are informed, that the subscriber will Repair and Paint Carriages in a neat and faithful manner.” In support of this theory, let us look at two purchases made in the drugstore of Gain Robinson. On February 14, 1828, Robinson recorded in his account book, “Flanders buys two gallons of oil, 9- 2.25. And a 12th Yellow Ocher for 75 cents. The total of his purchase was $3.00.” Yellow Ocher is a yellow pigment that usually contains limonite, a yellowish-brown oxide of iron—a moderate orange color with yellow overtones. The March 19, 1828 entry in the Gain Robinson account book reveals that Flanders Dyke purchased “5 lbs. of white lead which was used for painting wooden surfaces, ½lb of Linseed Oil, total cost $1.40.”
It appears that Flanders had a wound and eye problem by April 1828. On April 5, 1828, he purchased Opodeldoc from Gain Robinson—a mixture of soap in alcohol to which camphor and sometimes a number of herbal essences, most notably wormwood, were added. It was a medical plaster used for wounds. Flanders paid 31 cents for the Opodeldoc. Four days later on April 9, 1828, a notation in the Gain Robinson account book indicates Flanders bought “one ounce of Eye Water and Vial for 31 cents.” Was the eye water and vial for his near-sightedness or was it somehow related to his wound?
Flanders married daughter of Martin and Lucy Harris
On April 12, 1828, Martin arranged his affairs in Palmyra and returned to the Smith home in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Immediately after Martin’s departure, Lucy Harris went “from house to house, telling her grievances, and declaring that Joseph Smith was practicing a deception upon the people, which was about to strip her of all that she possessed, and that she was compelled to deposit a few things away from home in order to secure them.”
Around April 15, 1828, Martin arrived in Harmony and commenced writing while Joseph Smith Jr. translated the Book of Lehi. Shortly thereafter, Joseph Smith wrote, “Martin began to importune me to give him liberty to carry the writings home and show them; and desired of me that I would inquire of the Lord, through the Urim and Thummim, if he might not do so.”[8] Joseph posed the question in prayer, but Martin’s request was denied. Martin was unquestionably very disappointed because he had risked his reputation and marriage to support Joseph Smith, and did not view his request as unreasonable.
A disheartened Martin left Harmony and made a hurried trip to Palmyra in May 1828. William Pilkington reported: “When he arrived home [at Palmyra] he related the answer to his Wife [that his request to take the manuscript had been denied], he told me she became very angry, and persuaded him to ask Joseph again.”[9] Although not stated, it is conceivable that Martin’s journey had as much to do with speaking to his wife Lucy about the manuscript as it did to attending an important family matter. On May 8, 1828, Martin’s eldest daughter Lucy was married to Flanders Dyke by Reverend Blakesley in the town of Palmyra. The newspaper notice read: “Married—In this town, yesterday [May 8, 1828], by the Rev. Mr. Blakesley, Mr. Flanders Dike, to Miss Lucy Harris.”[10] Following their marriage, Flanders and Lucy Dyke occupied a house on the south line of Main Street in Palmyra. The house, as well as the four-acre lot on which it was situated, belonged to Martin Harris.
Martin and Lucy Harris were involved in a property issue five days after the marriage of their daughter Lucy to Flanders Dyke. There had been a property transaction made on November 29, 1825, deeding eighty acres to Lucy Harris by Martin Harris through Peter Harris. It was not officially recorded until May 13, 1828. It was then that Lucy gathered her furniture from close friends and moved into the house at 2827 Macedon Center Road.[11] It was also then that Flanders Dyke purchased on “Credit 1 ounce ep. Cinnamon vial – 19” at the Gain Robinson drugstore. This was the first recording of Flanders being able to purchase anything on credit at the drugstore. This shows that Flanders’ marriage to the daughter of one of the wealthy men in Palmyra had financial ramifications for Flanders.
Martin Harris and the Book of Lehi
In mid-May 1828, Martin returned to the Joseph Smith Jr. home in Harmony, where he scribed the remainder of the Book of Lehi translation as dictated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Their work comprised a total of 116 foolscap pages, or the English translation of one book from a series of ancient books inscribed on gold plates. The 116 pages probably represented five complete “gatherings” of pages.
On June 14, 1828, Martin took the 116 pages to Palmyra. He had the manuscript in his possession until about July 7, 1828. In mid-June 1828, Martin took Lucy to visit her relatives, some ten to fifteen miles from Palmyra. Martin’s stay with Lucy’s relatives was brief, for he had pressing business matters and a jury duty obligation in town. Lucy remained with relatives while Martin journeyed home by himself. Once at home, a very particular friend made him a visit, to whom he related all that he knew concerning the record.
Then comes the marring of Lucy’s bureau which was in her home on Macedon Center. Not wanting to be inconvenienced again, Martin probably took the manuscript to his own house and placed it in his own set of drawers for safekeeping. As the days passed and Lucy Harris delayed her return, Martin showed the manuscript to any “prudent” person who called. No doubt, one of his callers was Flanders Dyke. After all, Flanders had not seen Martin since mid-May 1828. Martin, who had been careless with the facsimile, probably showed Flanders the transcription or told him where he kept the 116 pages.
By June 30, 1828, Lucy Harris was back in Palmyra. On that date, Martin and Lucy conveyed acreage in Palmyra to Flanders for the sum of $200.[12] This occurred eight days before the 116 pages went missing. The question is—did money pass in this transaction or had Lucy agreed with Flanders to give him the acreage in payment for his theft of the 116 pages?
In 1836, Lucy Harris died. It was expected that an apportionment of her property, including the eighty acres that Lucy Harris had acquired from Martin Harris in 1828, would be divided between her living children—Lucy Harris Dyke, George B. Harris, and Betsy Harris.
On February 10, 1836, there was a mortgage sale of Lucy Harris’ property. As part of the sale: “one quarter of an acre of land, it being the same place as heretofore conveyed by Martin Harris and Lucy his wife to Flanders Dyke, by deed bearing date the thirtieth day of June, 1828.”
The said mortgage was recorded in the office of the Clerk of the County of Wayne, on the 13th day of February, 1836, At 2 o’clock PM in [liberty?] of mortgages, at folio [$7?], and there is claimed to be due thereon on the first publication of this notice, the sum of $230, with interest thereon from the 10th day of February, 1836, which said mortgage has been duly assigned from the mortgage to one Thomas Rogers, (now deceased,) by said Thomas Rogers to one Robert Johnson, and by said Robert Johnson to Joseph Johnson, the present assignee. Now, therefore, default having been made in the condition of said mortgage. Notice is hereby given, that by virtue of a power of sale contained in said mortgage, the above described [promises] will be sold at public auction, according to law, on Saturday, the 30th day of June [1836] next, at 10 o’clock in the forenoon, at the Palmyra Hotel, now kept by William P. Nottingham, in the village of Palmyra aforesaid—Dated March 24th, 1836(?)
Joseph Johnson, Assignee
J. Peddix Attorney[13]
Regardless of the answer, one newspaper reporter wrote, “[Flanders Dyke] had managed to marry the daughter of a wealthy and respectable farmer and soon afterwards obtained a lease of his father-in-law’s farm, for a term of years (not yet expired,) on very favorable terms (which suggests that no money or little money passed), and appeared to be in the full ride of prosperity.”[14]
July 7, 1828 marks the end of the three-week period in which it is traditionally said that Martin Harris had the 116 pages in his possession.
On July 9, 1828 in the Gain Robinson account book, Flanders Dyke paid off his debt to Robinson—two days after the 116 pages went missing. The ledger entry reads, “By cash to balance.” Isn’t it curious that in the three-week period that Martin had the pages, Flanders, a common laborer, could pay off his debt to Gain Robinson and have acreage deeded to him by Martin and Lucy Harris on easy terms or no money down? He could also walk inside both of the Harris homes without any questions being asked and steal the manuscript. Was he capable of the theft? His past behavior suggests he was capable.
Flanders Dyke a Thief
The marriage of Flanders Dyke to the eldest daughter of Martin Harris changed whatever image people in Palmyra had of Flanders. From 1828 to 1830, Flanders was a wheat farmer. He must have appeared prosperous enough to businessmen in Palmyra, because he was extended “long credit.” “He bought property from his neighbors and goods from stores, promising businessmen the avails of a crop of wheat which he had on the ground. He harvested his wheat, carried a quantity to market where he received the cash, and obtained advances in money and goods on account of the remainder.”[15]
William H. Dyke, the first child of Flanders and Lucy Dyke, was born on November 5, 1829 in Palmyra.
The editor of the Wayne Sentinel announced on August 7, 1830—
Flanders Dyke absconded from Palmyra, Wayne County, NY on Saturday night the 7th inst. after having virtually swindled divers[e] persons to the amount of about one thousand dollars. Dyke had resided in this town for about five or six years, and had managed to marry the daughter of a wealthy and respectable farmer. He soon afterwards obtained a lease of his father-in-law’s farm, for a term of years (not yet expired,) on very favorable terms, and appeared to be in the full tide of prosperity. By the aid of the credit which these circumstances acquired for him, he bought such property of his neighbors, and goods from the stores, as he could get trusted for, promising generally the avails of a crop of wheat which he had on the ground. He harvested his wheat—carried a quantity to market, for which he received the cash—obtained advances in money and goods on account of the remainder—as on the night above stated, having accumulated in cash and property about $1000, started, in company with a young man of the name Asa Hill, for Michigan. They were pursued the next day, and on the Monday morning following, most of the property, in the charge of Hill, was overtaken and secured a few miles west of Batavia. Dyke, anticipating the pursuit, had a few hours previously taken another route, and thereby escaped with most of the money. . . .
This is the fifth similar trick that has been played off upon people in the vicinity within a few years, by persons belonging to the same family! Their names should be recorded for the benefit and security of the public:—Samuel Dyke, senior, once a saddler and trunk maker by trade, now a man of no steady employment. Samuel Dyke, Jr. saddler, stage-driver, &c.—last heard from in Canada. James Dyke, a rat saddler, runner for canal boats, &c., John Biggs, son-in-law to Samuel Dyke senior, baker, went to Buffalo—known in Canandaigua. And last, though not least in knavery, Flanders Dyke, the chief subject of this notice.
Palmyra, N. Y. Aug. 16, 1830
*Printers throughout the United States and in Michigan and Canada, are requested to insert or notice the above.[16]
The editors’ accusation is a curiosity and has much bearing on the lost 116 pages. The words “absconded and left town” suggest Flanders was moving fast to get out of Palmyra.
Flanders did leave town. He left Palmyra with his wife, Lucy Harris Dyke, and their baby, William H. Dyke, and moved to Williamson, New York—thirteen miles from Palmyra on the south shore of Lake Ontario. This move does not sound like he “absconded and left town.”
If Flanders had “virtually swindled divers[e] persons to the amount of about one thousand dollars,” why wasn’t he arrested or forced to come back to Palmyra and stand trial? He resided in Williamson for six years where he lived in comfort, free of legal entanglements. It wouldn’t take much to find him and make him pay since he had “swindled divers[e] persons to the amount of about one thousand dollars.”
Debts were not small crimes. Recall that Joseph Smith Sr. was placed in a debtor’s prison for owing a few dollars, and Joseph Smith Jr. spent the first night in Carthage Jail in a debtor’s cell. At one point there were 70,000 men in debtors’ prisons due to failure to pay debts.
Flanders Dyke committed a crime that warranted imprisonment. However, there are a myriad of reasons not to pursue a lawsuit even when what has happened is illegal and unethical. For two years, Flanders Dyke played the part of a prosperous man and farmer in Palmyra after marrying into one of the wealthiest families in town. He was not a member of a religious affiliation in town, nor was he in the Masonic Lodge. In other words, he was part of the up-and-coming young men in Palmyra but not necessarily linked to the “men of high standing” who had religious and fraternal ties.
Were all of his creditors too embarrassed to go after him or so tied in with Martin Harris that they didn’t want to disrupt that friendship? Surely, at least one of them would have tracked him down and insisted their money and goods be returned. Did Flanders give the 116 pages to men he owed credit, cash, or property? If so, he would have had something over these “men of high standing,” and they wouldn’t have dared to push him for fear he might tell others about the theft and ruin their seemingly unsullied reputations. Notice how those men didn’t let Flanders get out of town without ruining his reputation or that of his extended family (see article printed in the Wayne Sentinel).
We think that Flanders either received the 116 pages from Lucy Harris or took them himself, without the knowledge of Lucy. He profited from the theft by giving the 116 pages to “men of high standing” in Palmyra. We no longer think that when Flanders moved to Williamson, New York, he had the 116 pages. However, he knew who did had possession of the pages.
The Father and Siblings of Flanders Dyke
By August 20, 1830, Flanders’ father, Samuel Dyke Sr., was still residing in Palmyra even though Flanders had moved on. By this point, Samuel Sr.’s saddle business had failed and he was “a man of no steady employment.” Samuel was listed in the 1830 US Federal Census as having a household of one male age 10-15, one male age 50-60, one female age 15-20, and one female age 50-60. By 1838, Samuel Dyke Sr. had teamed up with Peter Ingersoll, another of our suspects. Ingersoll wrote of Samuel Dyke Sr.—“Known as ‘Old Dyke,’ or ‘Daddy Dyke’, noted for his eccentricity and his dishonesty.”
Yet Samuel Dyke Sr. and Peter Ingersoll put on shows in Lexington, Kentucky from April 1, 1838 to May 16, 1838. They presented Leila, the Maid of the Alhambra as a benefit for its author, William Ross Wallace. Reviewing the performance, the Observer and Reporter printed “[Ingersoll] should depend more on the author and less on his own capabilities, justly appreciated as they are.” The Lexington Intelligencer was less kind, citing “the imperfections of the cast” and noting that Ingersoll was “a man of genius but very idle in study,” who “did not speak more than ten lines of the author.”[17]
As for Flanders’ brother, Samuel Dyke Jr., by 1830 he had moved from Palmyra to Canada. His brother-in-law John Biggs, a baker by trade, had moved to Canandaigua, New York.
Flanders from 1831 to 1840
On April 1, 1831, there are two possibilities as to Flanders’ whereabouts: 1) He continued to farm in Palmyra, knowing that the “men of high standing” would do nothing against him, or 2) Martin, being in Kirtland, did not know that Flanders had moved onto Williamson, New York.
Either way, on April 1, 1831 Martin agreed to sell 150 acres for twenty dollars per acre to Thomas Lakey. Notice that Flanders Dyke is named in the articles of agreement. This may indicate that Martin still had a relationship with Flanders even though Martin had moved onto Kirtland. It definitely indicates that Martin did not know of any role Flanders Dyke may have played in the theft of the 116 pages. The terms of the purchase agreement were as follows:
Articles of agreement made and concluded this first day of April in the year Eighteen hundred and thirty one between Martin Harris of the one part and Thomas Lakey of the other part both of Palmyra in the County of Wayne and the State of New York in manner and form following: The said Martin Harris for the consideration hereinafter mentioned agrees to sell to the said Thomas Lakey the farm on which he now resides containing by estimation one hundred and fifty acres [the indenture will read “one hundred and fifty one acres”] for the sum of twenty Dollars for each acre and, forthwith to obtain a correct survey of the said premises & to give a good warranty deed of same & give immediate possession of everything always excepting & reserving the privilege of living in the house till the first of May next—the said Lakey is to have all the wheat on the ground except ten acres sown by [Flanders] Dike & the one half of the said ten acres shall belong to the said Lakey after the said Dike shall harvest the same an[d] shock it up in the field—In consideration whereof the said Thomas Lakey agrees to pay to the said Martin Harris one third of the said purchase money on the first day of May next and one third in the month of October next and the remaining third in the month of October in the year Eighteen hundred and thirty two. In Consideration whereof the parties bind themselves in the penal sum of five hundred Dollars being Damages assessed and agreed on by the parties—In witness whereof, the parties have hereunto interchangeably set their hands and seals the day and year first above written.
(signed)
MARTIN HARRIS, L. S.
THOMAS LAKEY, L. S.
Anna Marie Dyke, the second child of Flanders and Lucy Dyke, was born in 1832 in Williamson, New York. Their third child, Sarah Jane Dyke, was born on February 5, 1834 (1835) also in Williamson. Between October 1835 and March 1, 1836 (which was less than a typical school term in New York), Flanders and Lucy Dyke enrolled their oldest child, William H. Dyke, in School District No. 7 in Macedon. As parents, they were liable for the teachers’ wage. They sent their son William to school in District No. 7 for “14 days.” The cost of his attendance was “25” cents total.
Lucy Caroline Dyke, the fourth child of Flanders and Lucy Dyke, was born on September 2, 1836 in Williamson, New York. On April 7, 1837, Martin Harris, by mutual agreement with Flanders and Lucy Dyke, arranged to purchase their interest in the eighty acres “between Flanders Dyke of Palmyra, Wayne County, State of New York, and Lucy his wife of the first part and Martin Harris of the same place of the second part . . . in consideration of the sum of nine hundred dollars, to them in hand paid by the said party of the second part . . . quit claim unto the said party of the second part . . . All that certain tract or parcel of land, situated in the Town of Palmyra . . . containing eighty acres of land. Flanders Dyke and Lucy his wife to Martin Harris, April 7, 1837, and recorded May 17, 1837.” A similar buy-back by Martin Harris was executed in 1842 with his son George B. Harris and daughter Betsey Harris Adams by two quit claim deeds. Thus, Martin acquired complete possession of the original eighty acres once again.
Looking at the situation from a financial motive, after milking Palmyra businessmen and the Harris family, Flanders moved his family from Williamson to Orleans, New York near Lake Ontario in 1838. This places the Flanders Dyke family near his oldest brother, Samuel Dykes Jr. While in Orleans, Charles M. Dyke, the fifth child of Flanders and Lucy Dyke, was born on July 27, 1838.
The first time the name Flanders Dyke appeared on a US Federal Census was 1840. At the time, he was a resident of Kendall, Orleans County, New York. He had in his household two males under age 5, one male age 5-9, one male age 30-39, one female under age 5, two females ages 5-9, one female age 30-39.
There was a curious entry in a Palmyra newspaper: “$25 Reward,” Wayne Sentinel, p. 4. The entry proposes that a reward be offered for Flanders’ capture after his escape from the Palmyra jail where he had been held for “obtaining property on false pretences [sic]”
Flanders moves to Wisconsin
By 1841, Flanders joined the exodus from New York to Wisconsin. To do so, he took his family along the Great Lakes waterways. They stopped at Fairport, Ohio, where he and his family stayed for a brief time. There was one reason for the stop—to see Martin Harris. Unfortunately, Flanders’ wife Lucy Harris Dyke died on May 26, 1841.
Flanders left the greater Kirtland area and pursued his voyage through the lake system to Wisconsin. By July 1, 1847, Flanders Dyke’s name is listed under, “List of letters remaining in the Post Office at Richland, Wisconsin. On the above letters there is charged two cents upon each in addition to the regular Postage—to pay for advertising.”[18]
In 1847, Flanders Dyke married Mrs. Louisa J. Weed (about 1826–May 22, 1880), the widow of William Weed, who had passed away about 1846. William Weed has ties to our suspect Thurlow Weed. To their marriage, Louisa brought her two year old son, George Theodore Weed (1845–1915). On the Civil War register, the son was listed as George Theodore Dyke. Flanders and Louisa had one daughter, Ella Dyke. She was born in 1858 in Prairie du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin.
On June 28, 1860, Flanders Dyke was listed in the 1860 US Federal Census as residing in Prairie du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin along with his wife Louisa age 31, daughter Ella age 1, and son George age 14. On the census, Flanders is listed as being fifty-one years old and a farmer, with a real estate valued at $1,000 and a personal estate valued at $300. He is listed as being from New Hampshire.
Ten years later on June 4, 1870, Flanders was listed in the 1870 US Federal Census in Crawford County, Wisconsin. On the census, he was listed as white, age sixty, with an occupation of a teamster and birthplace as New Hampshire. He had a real wealth of $800 and a personal wealth of $100. Living with him was his wife Louisa age 43, white, occupation “keeping house.” She was listed as being from New York. Their daughter Ella Dyke was age 11, white and listed as “at school” and from Wisconsin. George Weed was listed as being age 23 and having his own household. His occupation was laborer. George had a real wealth of $300.
Flanders Dyke was listed in the 1880 US Federal Census as being seventy-nine years old and a native of New Hampshire. His father and mother were also from New Hampshire. His occupation was a farmer.[19]
Death of Flanders Dyke
Flanders Dyke died of diabetes on March 1, 1880 in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin. He was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Spring Prairie. Flanders’ wife Louisa Weed Dyke died about two months later on May 22, 1880 in Spring Prairie and was buried next to the remains of Flanders in the Evergreen Cemetery.
[1] “Sally Tewksbury, widow, and Benjamin Evans were bonded for the administration of the estate. Nathaniel Flanders, Gentleman, was one of those appointed to inventory the estate.” Edith Dunbar, The Flanders Family, p. 151.
[2] FamilySearch; Dunbar, The Flanders Family, p. 151.
[3] Ontario Repository, June 23, 1812, p. 3.
[4] “Look Out for a Swindler,” Wayne Sentinel, August 20, 1830.
[5] “Look Out for a Swindler,” Wayne Sentinel, August 20, 1830.
[6] Smith, History of Joseph Smith by his Mother, p. 113.
[7] Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, p. 122.
[8] Smith, History of the Church, 1:21; Joseph Smith Papers.
[9] Pilkington, Autobiography and statements, p. 16.
[10] “Married,” Wayne Sentinel, May 9, 1828, p. 2.
[11] Martin Harris to Peter Harris, November 29, 1825, recorded May 13, 1828, Wayne County Land and Property Deeds, Book 5:531–532, Wayne County Historical Office, Lyons, NY; Peter Harris to Lucy Harris, November 29, 1825, recorded May 13, 1828, Wayne County, New York Land and Property Deeds, 5:530–531.
[12] This property transaction is recorded in the New York, Wayne County Land and Property Deeds, 1829–1830, 7:26–27.
[13] Wayne Democratic Press, 1836.
[14] “Look Out for a Swindler,” Wayne Sentinel, August 20, 1830.
[15] “Look Out for a Swindler,” Wayne Sentinel, August 20, 1830.
[16] “Look Out for a Swindler,” Wayne Sentinel, August 20, 1830.
[17] Franklin Graham, Historic Montreal (Bronx, NY: Benjamin Bloom, 1902).
[18] Richland Courier,September 15, 1847, p. 3, image 3.
[19] Mortality Schedule, 1870, ancestry.com.