Preface

My research on the Dean surname started with the hunt for the parents of Isaac Dean of Brown County, Ohio. Based on cemetery records, Isaac was born about November 16, 1782, and census records gave his birthplace as Pennsylvania. Census records also gave the first name of his wife as Rebecca. My search for his parents was fruitless until I met Larry Dean of Vancouver, Washington, on the Internet. His research on the Dean surname and his paper What I Know and What I Don’t Know About the Dean Families of South-central and Other Parts of Pennsylvania, About 1780 to 1810 sent me rushing off to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, where I found the will of John Dean, naming Isaac as one of his heirs; and, the land record where Isaac of Brown County, Ohio, and his wife Rebecca, sold his fraction of the Pennsylvania land inherited from John Dean to his brother William. The combination of these two documents provided the proof of Isaac’s parents.

That John and Ann Dean of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, were the parents of Isaac was clearly proven by these documents; however, the question of Ann Dean’s maiden name is not clear. J. Simpson Africa in his book, History of Huntingdon County Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, published in 1883 gave her name as Ann B. Isett. However, the family papers of one branch of the family list her maiden name as Bissett. While I have used the name of Isett, as given by Africa, as her maiden name in this narrative and in my paper, Descendants of John and Ann B. (Isett) Dean, August 2003, further research is needed to substantiate her maiden name.

Continued research into the Dean family led to the conclusion that this John Dean was the son of Richard and Priscilla Deane of Washington County, Maryland. This research can be found in Beverly Dean Peoples’ paper Richard Deane (1701-1788) and His Children and in her family history compilation Country Cousins Descendants of Samuel Dean – 2^nd edition.

The following is a digest of the early descendants of John and Ann Dean, extracted from the information I compiled in Descendants of John and Ann B. (Isett) Dean, August 2003. The complete paper contains additional descendants and information and includes five generations in report form. The complete paper consists of 47 pages; 26 pages of endnotes listing sources, two color photos of John Dean’s Huntingdon County land taken in 2002, and a five page every name index with approximately 475 names. Copies of the paper are on file at the Huntingdon Co., PA, Historical Society; the Brown Co., Ohio, Genealogical Society Library; and the Clermont Co., Ohio, Genealogical Society Library.

LAD (15 Jan 2005)

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Descendants of John and Ann Dean of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania

John Dean was born about 1734 to 1739. By the early 1770s he had moved into Pennsylvania were he is credited with being one of the first settlers in Trough Creek Valley. Later, he moved to the Raystown Branch. J. Simpson Africa in History of Huntingdon County Pennsylvania, Vol. 1 writes “Mr. Dean’s wife was Ann B. Isett, and their children were six sons and one daughter, all of whom reached mature age, and were the progenitors of numerous representatives of this region . . . .” The1800 Census of Hopewell Twp., Huntingdon Co lists a female born between 1775-1784 living with John Dean. This female has been presumed by me to be the unnamed daughter, however, I have found no further evidence of a daughter. John’s will, dated December 10, 1819, names his wife Ann and six sons. No mention is made of a daughter in the will.

The Six Named Sons of John and Ann Dean

Samuel Dean. Samuel was born about 1770 in Pennsylvania. and died between 1850 and 1860. He married Julian Hagey before 1810 when they appeared in the 1810 Census in Hopewell Twp., Huntingdon Co., next to J. Dean. A male under 10 years of age was enumerated with them. This male is presumed to be a son who died at an early age. There is no other evidence of children. On February 14, 1849, Samuel Dean made an agreement with John Thompson, Jr., husband of his niece Mary (Dean) Thompson, to provide for his and his wife’s elder years, to wit: “. . . provide a suitable house for the said Samuel Dean and the said Julian his wife and therein support, maintain and provide and the survivor of them furnishing them or the survivor of them with necessary food, clothing, fuel, tobacco and other necessarys and with medical and other attendance, and with such nursing care and attention as their situation shall from time to time reasonably require so as to render them provided for and comfortable during their lives and the live of the survivor of them.” In return, John Thompson received all the real and personal estate of Samuel. Samuel died between 1850 and 1860 and his wife Julian died after March 1, 1871.

Thomas Dean. Thomas was born about 1776 and married Catharine Eastep/Estep on September 1, 1803. Their children were: Nancy/Ann who married Cornelius Decker and died before November 1842; Rachel who married James McCall; William, born about 1805 who married Martha Buchwalter/Bookwalter; Mary Jane, born about 1806 who married John Thompson on April 14, 1844; Thomas, born about January 1806 who married Lydia Ridenour January 28, 1830. This Thomas died May 21, 1872. Other children were David, born about 1810 and died April 14, 1839, leaving a wife, Mary; John, born about 1810, married either a Catherine or Cynthia; James born about 1818 who married a Malinda and died May 8, 1881 in Kansas; and Alexander, born about 1820 who married Jane Adams Yocum on November 2, 1849. Thomas died April 22, 1823, and was originally buried in the Dean cemetery. In the early 1970s, prior to the creation of the Raystown Lake, the Army Corps of Engineers moved the graves in the cemetery to the White Church Cemetery, Hesston.

John Dean. John was born in 1773 and married Elizabeth Dock September 23, 1806 in Columbiana Co., Ohio. He died October 30, 1836 leaving his wife and nine children: Anne/Nancy born about 1806; William born July 29, 1811, who married Aurelia Burch Butler on November 3, 1837; Mary born September 5, 1812, who married William Cooper Howells July 10, 1831; Elizabeth, born about 1814, who married William Barnes October 4, 1838; Samuel, born November 9, 1816, who married Sophia Stevens; Catherine, born 1819, who married Elisha Lewis on October 21, 1838; Jesse born 1820 who married Tabitha Murphy; Alexander, born 1821 who married Elizabeth Emily Johnston; and Delila born about 1823 who married Absalom Martin on July 27, 1848. The four sons, William, Samuel, Jesse, and Alexander were all river men.

William Dean. William was born about July 15, 1781 reportedly in Washington Co., Maryland. He married Elizabeth Mountain. In an extract made from Orphans Court Docket H 1860 No 195 we have the following: “In petition of Wm Dean Jr. one of the children and lineal descendants of Wm Dean of Penn Twp, Huntingdon Co dec'd . . .” Wm Dean died on 8th March 1853 intestate, leaving to survive a widow Elizabeth still living and eleven children viz. “Ann Eliza, intermarried with Caleb Swoop who now resides in Union Twp in Hunt Co; Mary Jane; James B. the eldest son who has aliened his share to the said partioner and who resides in Jackson County, Iowa; said petioner; Thomas, Harriet, Margaret, Issac who has also aliened his share to said partioner, and who resides in the state of Minnisota, John who has aliened his share to the said partioner, Samuel, who was a minor above 14 and Prudence who was also a minor above 14 and has no guardian of their persons & estates. . .”

Isaac Dean. Isaac was born about November 16, 1782 and married Rebecca (maiden name not known). Children of Isaac and Rebecca are: John, born between 1815-1820, who married Sarah Jane Ross May 24, 1846; Ann Eliza, born about 1821 who married Henry R. Willis on August 6, 1840; William H., born October 30, 1821 who married Sarah D. Willis March 11, 1841; David, born April 1823 who married Anna M. Garnett, September 24, 1851; Isaac, Jr., born about 1825 who married Mary Rumery December 5, 1853; Fanny Jane, born between 1825 and 1830 who married George W. Plummer March 15, 1849; Rachel Amanda, born about 1828 who married Jonathan D. Rumery May 24, 1849; Rebecca, born February 19, 1830 who married Robert H. Duncanson; Peter, born about 1832 who married Lydia Willis Bredwell September 6, 1854; Susan, born about 1834 who married William Neal, January 7, 1855; Elmore, born August 1, 1836 who married Jeminia M. Smith; and Thomas Benton, born April 1840, who married Lorenda Thompson September 10, 1867. Like many families of this time, Isaac’s family had at least one member on each side during the Civil War.

James Dean. James was born after 1783. Little is known of James except that on October 31,1848, he sold his 1/6 part of his father’s estate to brother William for $200. In the deed conveying the land, his residence is given as “Derim County, Upper Canada,” although it appears he was physically in Huntingdon County at the time of the sale.

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go to Richard Deane (1701-1788) and His Children

go to Dean Families in PA 1780-1810

go to Dean Surname Genealogy Home Page

contact me, Larry Dean: ladean23 AT gmail DOT com

last revised 20 Oct 2010