THE DEAN FAMILY Of
Wells Township,
Jefferson County, Ohio

Chapter member, Jane pinkerton compiled the following history and submitted it Feb, 20, 2010 She can be contacted at: janepinkerton@sbcglobal.net

The first mention of a DEAN family in Warren and subsequently Wells Township, Jefferson County, Ohio was a notice in the “Western Harold Index”, announcing a coroner sale 4 March 1808 page 3 for William DEAN. Nothing more has been found about a family member until the 1810 census when William Dean was included in the record for Warren Township. The same census shows Thomas Dean as a resident of Brooke Township, VA. In deed book C, a purchase of land in Wells Township by George Fetter and Daniel Fetter as trustee from Bazeleel Wells and his wife Sally (Sarah Griffith) for the benefit of Elizabeth Dean was recorded. George Fetter was a resident of Brooke County VA and his wife was Lydia Griffith, sister of the above mentioned Sally. Upon Elizabeth Dean’s death the land was to be given to Thomas Dean. Because there are so many Thomas Deans involved, this Thomas is called for the purpose of identification as “Original Thomas Dean”. Original to Jefferson County that is.

Book L page 200 is the next Dean record to be found. It records a purchase of land by Thomas Dean and Abraham Litton from Hezikiah Griffith to establish a school in School District 4. Book R 334 Daniel Fetter of Louisville KY sells to Thomas Dean for the sum of $1.00 the land purchased and recorded in Book C.
This transaction was made on the first day of August 1836. The land for the benefit of Elizabeth Dean was to be given Thomas Dean for his use. In 1836 when this transfer was complete, George Fetter was deceased having died in Jefferson County in 1817. According to the tombstone record shown on the “Barrett Cemetery” site of Wells Township, Elizabeth Dean died in 1834.

There are a whole series of deed transactions involving the DEANS and others in Wells Township. Book N 429 records a deed from William and Campbell Tarr to Thomas Dean dated June 2, 1832. In 1838, Book V 80 “Original” Thomas Dean deeds to his two sons, Thomas Dean, Jr and John Dean what appears to be the land purchased from the Tarrs in 1832. Then in 1842 Book W 290, Margaret Dean (wife of “Original” Thomas Dean), Thomas Dean, Jr., John Dean and Martha (Barrett) Dean, wife of John, sell the same land to Daniel Tarr.

The above are the original Dean documents in Jefferson County relating to this family and the relationship records a sparse. However, we know that the Original Thomas Dean’s wife was Margaret and she is buried in the Barrett Cemetery. Margaret and Thomas had another son, William, who married Isabella McKinley February 22, 1831. This couple had at least one son, Thomas Dean, III. William must had died shortly after as Isabella married Henry Bucy October 26, 1837. Isabella died February 28, 1839 and is buried in the Barrett Cemetery. Son, John Dean, married Martha Barrett, April 14, 1835. Thomas Dean, Jr. married Mary Lewis of Clark County Indiana July 1835. Other children of Margaret and Thomas may be Anna who married Benjamin Linton April 9, 1829; Mariah who married Lucelius Marsh April 3, 1821; Mary Dean who married Samuel Bartholomew Dec 27, 1836.

By the 1850 Census, the “Original” Thomas was deceased, but the families of John Dean and his wife, Martha and Thomas Dean, Jr. and his wife, Mary, were recorded twice in Wells Township. The mother, Margaret, was said to be a native of Maryland and Mary a native of Indiana. Everyone else was born in Ohio. However, Thomas Dean, Jr. and his nephew, Thomas, son of William Dean and Isabella McKinley, were not in Jefferson County, Ohio. As ‘49ers, they had gone west either in 1848 and 1849 to the Golden State, California, in search of same and were actually in the 1850 census of California in Calaversas County and hence were in the 1850 census three times. In California, they were listed as Thomas Dean, Sr. and Thomas Dean, Jr. The adventure of these two is another story!!

Dean-Barrett relationship is as follows: Elizabeth (Kelly) Barrett married John Barrett. JP. Among their children was Martha Barrett who married John Dean April 14, 1835. Thomas Dean, Jr. married Mary Lewis in Clark County Indiana July 1835. Mary’s parents where John Lewis and his wife, Martha Kelly. Martha Kelly and Elizabeth Kelly were the children of Lawrence Kelly and his wife, Martha (Pasty) Smith who were originally from Northumberland County, PA and who moved West spending a short time in Jefferson County, Ohio, before arriving in Clark County Indiana by about 1810. This family is well documented. Therefore, Martha Dean, wife of John, and Mary Dean, wife of Thomas, Jr, were first cousins. And all those people who are buried in the Barrett cemetery are related one way or another!