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William E. Dean

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Decision

Supplemental Brooks-area settler with a strong-probable family bridge to Barney. The 1860 Brooks County census places Robert Dean, age 10, in William E. Dean's household. A later Dry Lake tax record lists Robert D. Deen directly below William E., and R. D. Dean married Martha J. Gornto in Brooks County in 1880. Robert later headed Barney household #95.

Family and identity

The combined age, place, tax, and marriage evidence makes William E. Dean Robert's strong-probable father. The relationship is not verified: the 1860 census has no relationship column, and no probate, death certificate, Bible, deed, or guardianship record names William as Robert's father.

The 1870 household requires separate treatment. The young man recorded with William and Dillilah or Delilah Dean is Daniel Dean, age 19, not Robert. Daniel may have been Robert under another given name, a brother, or another relative. The record does not prove Robert Daniel Dean, so Daniel remains unplaced.

William E. Dean is also kept separate from the earlier Henry Dean and John Dean. No evidence reviewed proves that the three men were related.

Barney bridge

Strong probable family bridge: William E. Dean → Robert Dean → Robert and Martha Dean's 1900 Barney household.

Robert and Martha's verified household included Anna, Katie, Ida, and William. Martha, Ida, and William remained together at Barney in 1910. The Robert D. Deen who lived with Eliza in Florida in 1910 is not treated as the same man; his age and reported first marriage conflict with the Barney record.

Remaining work

  • Find a parent-naming record for Robert or Daniel.
  • Identify Dillilah or Delilah's maiden name.
  • Locate William's death and estate records.
  • Determine whether Daniel and Robert were the same person or separate relatives.
  • Test any new evidence connecting William to Henry or John Dean.

Sources

  • 1860 U.S. census, Brooks County, Georgia, William E. Dean household, including Robert Dean, age 10; Ancestry collection 7667, record 10755406, image 4211371_00055.
  • 1870 U.S. census, Nankin district, Brooks County, Georgia, William and Dillilah Dean cluster, including Daniel Dean, age 19; Ancestry collection 7163, record 3670229, image 4263363_00016.
  • Brooks County tax digest, Dry Lake district, volume covering 1872–1877, Deen Robert D. directly below Deen Wm E.; Ancestry collection 1729, record 2724864, image 40141_1220705227_0748-00445.
  • Brooks County marriage return, R. D. Dean and M. J. Gornto, married December 16, 1880; Ancestry collection 4766, record 184569, image 40951_294515-00633.
  • 1900 U.S. census, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, Robert and Martha Dean household #95.
  • 1910 U.S. census, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, Martha J. Dean household.