John Dickens he died. The death certificate listed the cause of death as: "Rupture of the urethra from old standing stricture and consequent mortification of the scrotum from infiltration of urine." Dickens depicted his father in the character of Wilkins Micawber in his semi-autobiographical novel "David Copperfield". John Dickens was buried in Highgate Cemetery, where in 1863 his remains were joined by those of his wife Elizabeth. John Dickens John Dickens (21 August 1785 – 31 March 1851) was the father of English novelist Charles Dickens and was the model for Mr Micawber in his son's semi-autobiographical novel "David Copperfield". The son
T.P. James T.P. James Thomas Power James (better known as T. P. James) was a publisher in Brattleboro, Vermont best known for publishing a completion of Charles Dickens' "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" claimed to be written by the spirit of Dickens channeled through a spiritualist summoning. The book, published in 1873 under the title "Part Second of the Mystery of Edwin Drood," was reviewed by the "New York Times," as well as regional newspapers, like the "Salem Observer". With a successful marketing campaign, the book became an item of comment in the literary community, with an essay by Arthur Conan Doyle