Thaddeus Dykeman

Thaddeus Dykeman (or Dikeman) was born in Fairfield County, Connecticut, in 1739. The name of his wife was Ann. He served in the military during the French and Indian War. He was in Capt. Daniel Bradley's Company going on horseback for relief of Fort William Henry from August 8-23, 1757. In 1789, he lived in Danbury. A Danbury deed dated 10 October 1797, shows Levi and Thaddeus Dikeman conveyed land at Hickock's Plain 'that fell to us from our honored father Frederick, deceased.' It was that deed that proves Thaddeus was Frederick's son. He was counted on the census in Danbury in 1790, 1800 and 1810. Records indicate he sold land in 1816 and 1817, right before he died in 1817 at the age of 77 or 78. 

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Thaddeus and Ann's known children were:

Nathaniel (died 1849), Asa, Eli Jr (1766-1855), Thomas (born 1768), and Niram (1779-1862).

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On Thaddeus' son, Niram's memorial on Findagrave, the oral tradition of the family's history is given as follows: 

"The Dikemans were considered to have been French Huguenots who left southwestern France during the" Religious Wars" and settled in Westphalia Germany as workmen on the dyke systems there. In taking the trade name, they lost their original identities but gained protection through anonymity. From Germany, they migrated to Holland in the same trades, and once there married into Dutch and other Huguenot refugee families." This oral history of the family has not been, and probably cannot be documented.
Niram claims documentable Huguenot lineage through his paternal gg-grandmother, Rachel Deveaux.

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The gate at the Old Burying Ground in Fairfield features a bronze tablet placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, in memory of the soldiers and patriots whose remains are contained therein. The oldest stone with a legible date is 1687 but many graves remain unmarked. No Dykemans or Dikemans are listed on Findagrave but Thaddeus could very well rest in one of the unmarked graves. See also "The Old Burying Ground of Fairfield, Conn. A memorial of many of the early settlers of Fairfield".