Charles Dickson was a merchant, shipbuilder, farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. He represented Onslow township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 from 1785 to 1799.

He was born in New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 and moved to King's County

Kings County, Nova Scotia

Kings County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Kings County is located in central Nova Scotia on the shore of the Bay of Fundy with its northeastern part also forming the western shore of the Minas Basin....

 in Nova Scotia at a young age. In 1772, he married Amelia Bishop. Around the same time, Dickson settled in Onslow

Onslow, Nova Scotia

Onslow is a small, unincorporated, Canadian rural community in central Colchester County, Nova Scotia. The community is located along the north bank of the Salmon River, opposite the town of Truro and is largely a farming area...

. He served as registrar of deeds for Colchester County

Colchester County, Nova Scotia

Colchester County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:The appellation Colchester was applied in 1780 to the district previously called "Cobequid," and was derived from the town of Colchester in Essex...

 from 1777 to 1796 and was also a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. During a visit to the West Indies in 1796, he contracted yellow fever

Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....

 and died at Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

 on his return.

His sons Thomas

Thomas Dickson (Nova Scotia politician)

Thomas Dickson was a lawyer and political figure. He represented Sydney County from 1818 to 1836, Pictou County from 1838 to 1840 and Colchester County from 1841 to 1843 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly....

, Robert

Robert Dickson (Nova Scotia politician)

Robert Dickson was a farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Onslow township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1826 and from 1830 to 1836....

 and William

William Dickson (Nova Scotia politician)

William Dickson was a politician in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Truro in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1826.He was born in nearby Onslow, the son of Charles Dickson and Amelia Bishop, emigrants from Connecticut...

 became members of the provincial assembly. His daughter Elizabeth married Samuel George William Archibald

Samuel George William Archibald

Samuel George William Archibald was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Halifax County from 1806 to 1836 and Colchester County from 1836 to 1841 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly....

. His daughter Eunice married John Chipman

John Chipman (Nova Scotia politician)

John Chipman was a farmer, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Cornwallis in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1776 to 1784....

.