William Dean

William Dean was born in Kent Co., DE sometime around 1803. He was the son of Jesse Dean and his wife, Rebecca. According to Jesse's will, William and his brother, Jesse Dean Jr., were born before their father and mother married. Consequently it is unlikely that they were born on the Dean family farm along the main Dover to Smyrna Rd.

On December 9, 1824 William Dean married Ann Cork in Duck Creek Hundred. {DE Marriage Bond: Vol 21, pg 344}. It is believed that Ann was the daughter of Peregrine Cork (d. 1833)

The 1830 Kent Co., DE Census Records list: Males Females
pg. # Name Residence Race 0-
10		 10-
24		 24-
36		 36
-55		 0-
10		 10-
24		 24-
36		 36
-55
237 William Dean Duck Creek Hd. Free colored 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
267 William Dean Dover Hd. Free colored 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

The 1830 Kent County census records show two William Deans. One (age 24-36) was living in Duck Creek Hundred with a wife and three children. The other (age 10-24) was living in Dover Hundred with a wife and one child. It is not clear yet which was our William but they were probably related.

After he inherited part of his father's farm in 1839, William and his family moved to Little Creek Hundred to the five acres he inherited on the east side of the main Dover to Smyrna road. He was a farmer and he appears in the 1840 records enumerated next door to his brother, Jesse Dean (d.1868).

Again the census shows two William Deans living in Kent County DE and, again, it is difficult to determine which is the son of Jesse and Rebecca but the fact that brother Jesse Jr. was enumerated on page 35 suggests the William on page 34 was his brother and both were living on the land they inherited from their father.

The 1850 Kent County DE Census
Page Dwelling
# 		Family
# 		Names Age Sex Color Occ. BP
60 William DEEN
Ann
Wilson
Robert
William
Mary E.
Louis
Sarah
Sarah Briant		 47
46
19
16
13
11
5
3
47 		M
F
M
M
M
F
M
F
F 		M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M 		Farmer
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.		 DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE

We know that Jesse Jr. continued to live on the Dean Family Farm up until his death in 1868. In the 1850 census he is enumerated with his family on page 66/67. Brother William is several pages away on page 60 so it is possible that William was no longer living on the land he inherited from his father in 1839. On the same page with William, living in the Jefferson family household, we find 3 of Jesse's children: Robert, William and Mary. The Sarah Briant living with William in 1850 will later be found living with Robert in the 1860 census.

William and his family disappear from DE after the 1850 census and by 1860 several of them are living in Wayne, MI. Information on the family after it left Delaware has been supplied by Don Fisher and Joseph Romeo. You may contact Don Fisher if you have any questions or comments.

The 1860 Romulus Twp., Wayne, MI Census
Page Dwelling
# 		Family
# 		Names Age Sex Color Occupation Birthplace
William DEAN 54 M M DE
Ann 52 F M DE
Lewis 16 M M DE
Sarah 13 F M DE

The 1870 Romulus Twp. Wayne, MI Census

Page Dwelling
# 		Family
# 		Names Age Sex Color Occupation Birthplace
William DEAN 67 M M Farmer DE
Mary A. 65 F M keeping house DE
Lewis 25 M M Farm Svt. DE

The children of William and {Mary} Ann Dean were:

  1. James Dean (b 1825 in DE)
    he died on January 18, 1902 in Huron Twp., Wayne, MI

  2. Wilson Dean (b.1831 in DE - d. Oct. 20, 1910) married Nancy
    He moved with his family to Romulus Twp.,Wayne, MI where he is buried. It does not appear that there were any children

  3. Robert Dean (b. 1834 in DE -1914 in MI) married Angeline
    He moved with his family to Romulus, MI where he is buried

  4. William H. Dean (b.1837 in DE- )

  5. Mary Elizabeth Dean (b.1839 in DE- )

  6. Louis Dean (b. July 1844 in DE - d. 1918 in MI )
    moved with his family to Romulus Twp, Wayne, MI

  7. Sarah Dean (b. 1847 in DE- d.1929 in MI) married Perry Perkins. Sometime before 1860, she moved with her parents to Romulus Twp., Wayne, MI where she is buried

It is possible there were other children as yet unknown.

William Dean died in 1879. His wife (Mary) Ann died in 1894. Both are buried in Romulus Twp.,Wayne County, MI.