I cannot think of a more exciting announcement to make during the month of Women. As the title indicates–I can now call poet Emily Dickinson, cousin.
The Belle of Amherst and Black Cake
Of course I had known the poetry of this premier American Poet since I started reading. But my close attraction with Emily really developed when I played the role of Emily in the one-woman play, Belle of Amherst at the Invisible Theater in Tucson, Arizona. Emily’s opening lines of that play:
“This is my introduction. Black cake. My own special recipe.“
(After some digressions and introducing herself, she proceeds to share her recipe.)
“Black Cake: two pounds of flour, two pounds of sugar, two pounds of butter, nineteen eggs, five pounds of raisins, one and a half pounds of currants, one and a half pounds of citron, one half pint of brandy–I never use Father’s best–one half pint of molasses, two nutmegs, five teaspoons of cloves, mace, and cinnamon, and–oh, yes, two teaspoons of soda, and one and a half teaspoons of salt.”
“Just beat the butter and sugar together, add the nineteen eggs one at a time–now this is very important–without beating. Then beat the mixture again adding the brandy alternately with the flour, soda, spices, and salt that you’ve sifted together. Then the molasses. Now, take your five pounds of raisins, and three pounds of currants and citron, and gently sprinkle in all eight pounds–slowly now–as you stir. Bake it for three hours if you use cake pans. If you use a milk pan, as I do, you’d better leave it in the oven six or seven hours.”
Now does that remind you of anyone? Someone who loves to cook and share recipes? Although she gained fame posthumously as a poet, during her lifetime, she was well known around Amherst for her skill at baking.
You can see my modernized version of Emily’s Black Cake here. In fact, Emily’s recipe intrigued me from the first time I read the play. And while I was rehearsing, I experimented with baking the cake. Then I made some to be sold during intermissions at my performance of Belle of Amherst. I have also made her ginger bread and her coconut cake. All delicious.
My Connection to Emily Dickinson
You don’t work so long on the development of a one-woman show without feeling very close to the subject, and I certainly felt close to Emily. As I’m sure you know, she was born, lived and died in Amherst, Massachusetts, where her family had been leaders in the community and the college of Amherst. When I did that play so many years ago, I never dreamed that I had more than just the connection that comes with acting.
A few years ago, as I was tracing my great-great-etc-grandparents from New England, I came across 6th great-grandmother Elizabeth Dickinson Belding. She came from Amherst. Surely she must have been related to Emily Dickinson and her family.
The Dickinson Family seemed to be bewilderingly large and spread out over New England, and I was at that time pursuing another line of ancestors, so I set aside the notion that I might be related to Emily. But I did not forget.
Today I looked for a family tree for Emily and compared her ancestors to the ancestors of my (much earlier) 6th great-grandmother, Elizabeth Dickinson Belding and her father (my 7th great-grandfather). II only had to go back one more generation to find my connection to Emily. Here is what I found, starting with our MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor), Nathaniel Dickinson– my 8th great-grandfather, and Emily’s 5th great -grandfather.
My Tree
- Nathaniel Dickinson 1601-1676
- Hezekiah Dickinson 1646-1707
- Elizabeth Dickinson Belding 1693-1797
- Samuel Belding 1719-1793
- Martha Belding Bassett 1756-1842
- William Bassett 1779-1833
- Mary Bassett Morgan 1810-1890
- Harriette Morgan Stout 1842-1928
- Vera Stout Anderson 1881-1964
- Harriette Anderson Kaser 1906-2003
- Vera Marie Badertscher
Emily Dickinson Tree
- Nathaniel DIckinson 1601-1676
- Samuel Dickinson 1638-1711
- Ebenezer Dickinson 1690-?
- Nathan Dickinson SR 1712-1796
- Nathan Dickison Jr. 1735-1825
- Samuel Dickinson 1775-1838
- Edward DIckinson 1803-1874
- Emily Dickinson 1830-1886
You will notice that my line comes down through the women in the tree, starting with Elizabeth Dickinson, the daughter of Hezekiah Dickinson. The only exception is William Bassett (1779-1833). Emily’s line, on the other hand, follows the male Dickinson line all the way. My 7th great-grandfather is the brother of her 4th great grandfather, Samuel DIckinson (1638-1711). Samuel is my 8x great uncle.
Emily’s family started in North America in Connecticut, but for four generations before Emily, they had lived in Amherst, Massachusetts.
How appropriate that my bookworm great-great grandmother turns out to be the same generation as Emily DIckinson! And had Emily, instead of being a recluse, had been married and had children, her great-great grandchildren would be in my generation.
The conclusion? Emily Dickinson is my 6th cousin, 3 times removed. Don’t get confused by the “removed”. The three times removed simply means that once you find our MRCA you look at how many generations difference there are between that person in my line and in her line. In this case it is 8x great grandfather and 5x great grandfather–so, 3x removed.
Emily Dickinson Has a Poem For It
How better to end this little tribute to my new-found cousin than with one of her poems. This one is used as the foreword to the printed Belle of Amherst.
Me--come! My dazzled face
In such a shining place!
Me--hear! My foreign Ear
The sounds of Welcome--there!
The Saints forget
Our bashful feet--
My Holiday, shall be
That They--remember me--
My Paradise--the fame
That They--pronounce my name--
Emily Dickinson
That is so cool! I live just 30 miles or so from Amherst, and I loved reading Emily Dickinson when I was in college (and now). How exciting that you could trace this conneciton.
Yep! Really exciting. I have only been in Amherst once, briefly, and would love to have the opportunity to visit the Dickinson home.
I am so excited to find out Emily Dickinson is my 5th cousin, 5x removed!
Welcome to the mob.
Iam 7 cusine 4 times removed iam told that Emily and i share a 6 th grand parent but so far nothing has linked us my farthers family is from cheshire i belive the link is in the nothen part of england as my motheres family are from the middle of England and no one has emergratedfrom that side of the family so i will push on and hopefully i will find the link regards
Good luck with your research. Let me know is you pin down the English connection, as I have not pursued the line that far back.
Dear Amy,
My mom’s side of the family has been in New England since the 1600s. I just figured out, on her mother’s side (Gunn) my 11th great grandparents Sarah and Nathaniel Gunn were her 5th great grandparents, 🙂 I traced back my maternal grandmother’s “Newton” line (Gunn–>Smith—>Newton) for which we have an amazing genealogical book to reference. I am so grateful for these genealogical records that a female ancestor compiled in the early 1900s– I can trace back to Achsah Smith in this book, and then from “findagrave” website is very useful for tracking back further to the Gunn side. Several generations of Nathaniel Gunns eventually link to her grandmother Lucretia Gunn Dickinson. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=KMAHAwAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PA385
I know this makes Emily Dickinson and I cousins 6 generations removed, but which cousins? How did you come to “6th” cousin? I am ignorant to the ways of marking ancestry so far back and with such complexity– so your help with defining/articulating this relationship would be very appreciated! Stay well.
Dear Vera* How silly of me I was new to your page and wrote the name of a commenter! Vera– would be happy to hear form you. Thanks.
I will admit that I have a “cheat.” I found an app for my phone where you enter your own relationship to the person and then their relationship,mand it tells you. Or if you have Ancestry, they do the heavy lifting, by telling you what your relationship is underneath the name of each person in your tree. To clarify, the relationshio shows on the person’s profile page, not on the tree itself. The app is called Relationship finder, but it is difficult to find the app because it wants to give you dating sites instead. Good luck.
However you do it, the first step is to determine what person you are both descended from that is closest to you.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/cousin-chart
Wonderful post, Vera. I noticed the similarity between the two of you while reading!
Thanks, Cathy. I wish I could say I had inherited her skill with language, but the love of language is certainly present.
This is really special and you’ve presented it well. What a treat to find someone like this on your family tree.
Hello,
I recently learned that Emily was my second cousin 4x removed. The relation is on the Norcross side. I live in the area and had, ironically, already been to the house and family gravesite in Amherst. Uncovering this genealogical gem is very special!
My grandfather was Sidney Osborne. According to my ancestry Emily was his cousin. Pretty amazing to be related to her. I was adopted so I am slowly discovering who I am and this find explains some things and answers a few of those why am I like this questions!
How wonderful. Best wishes as you build your family tree.
I’m also related to Nathaniel Dickinson by marriage … and I’m in Tucson. It might be fun to meet?
Maybe after the holidays?
Hello! Just found this site, and I have to join in. Nice to connect with another one of Emily’s cousins. I’m a sixth cousin thrice removed. One of my great grandmothers was a Dickinson. Emily’s Black Cake looks delicious!
Her coconut cake and gingerbread are also great. I’d like to get more of her recipes.
Just found out Emily is my 8th cousin 4x removed! It was a pleasure to read your connection with her and I will have to try out that black cake recipe soon.
Sincerely, a 17-year-old aspiring poet
P.S. Check out “Dickinson” on Apple TV!
I watched Dickinson. It was delightful.
Hello cousin! I am 7th cousin, 3x removed, through Nathanial Dickenson’s son Deacon Joseph Dickenson.
So cool! Emily is my 5th cousin, 3x removed, but from a different side of the family. My grandmother’s lineage (The Montague’s) connects to her grandmother, Leticia Gunn. I grew up in Gloucester, MA a couple of hours away from where Emily lived, and almost ended up in Amherst for college. I found some pretty interesting documentaries via Ancestry.com too! Great to meet others with similar connections!
HI COUSIN!!! SO… we are the same MY 8x Gr Grandfather is also Nathaniel Dickinson (1601-1676) and Emily’s 5x Gr Grandfather….
EMILY comes down the line through Samuel Dickinson*(1638-1711)
YOU come down the line through Hezekiah Dickinson* (1646-1607)
MYSELF, I come down through Joseph Dickinson*
(1632-1675)
* denotes brothers
HI COUSIN!!! SO… we are the same MY 8x Gr Grandfather is also Nathaniel Dickinson (1601-1676) and Emily’s 5x Gr Grandfather….
EMILY comes down the line through Samuel Dickinson*(1638-1711)
YOU come down the line through Hezekiah Dickinson* (1646-1607)
MYSELF, I come down through Joseph Dickinson*
(1632-1675) My mother was a Dickinson, from there we follow the male line all the way back to Nathaniel.
* denotes brothers
Howdy 9th cousin.
Hi Rebecca
I found Vera’s website in researching my grandmother’s family Dickinson. I saw your message to her. I have been able to trace back to Nathaniel and his son Joseph, killed in King Phillip’s war. As you have also. I have used Family Search. There is so little about Joseph’s widow and children. Nathaniel did not mention them in his will. some accounts show that Phoebe, his widow, remairried. Do you know more athat may have happenned. Joseph’s andPhjoebe’s son I am descended from is Thomas Dickinson, 1669-1717.
I wonder if you have information aobut what happened to Phoebe and their kids.
Thank you for information you can share.
Hi I’m also related to Emily Dickerson 8th cousin 5 times removed .I also have a great grandmother is Dickerson she married a frazier.