1.
Kent County Coroner's Inquest, Jesse
Dean, 1842. Original on file at Delaware Archives, Dover, DE. Kent
County
The
deposition of Wm Jones who being duly sworn deposeth and State of
Delaware saith that he is nearly twenty three years old, and that
on the second of March after sun down in the evening he passed by
where Jessee Dean was cutting down a tree near his dwelling house,
that said Dean appeared Sober and in good health, that the deponent
stopped a few minutes and talked to said Dean and then passed on,
that having occasion to pass by the same place the next morning
he found the tree down and the said Dean was laying partly under
the lap of the tree, and that he was dead when he found him and
further deponent saith not.
March 3d 1842 William B Jones seal Attest John B Hodge Kent County.
The
deposition of Thomas Carney who being duly sworn deposeth State
of Delaware and saith that he is sixty-six years of age, and that
on the second of March 1842 about noon Jesse Dean came to his house
and ground his axe that he left his house about Two Oclock and left
the deponents house in company with him that the deponent went on
to his work and that Dean went on with the Team that were moving
Prince Powell, he saw no more of Dean until the next morning when
Fanny Jackson who keeps his house for Dean came running to the deponents
house saying that a tree had fallen on Dean and killed him. Deponent
in company with his hired hand started to Deans on the way they
met Nathan Davis who went with them to the tree where they found
Dean perfectly dead under the lap part of the tree with a small
limb laying on his head and a larger one under his chin that Dean
was cold and stiff as though he had been dead some time, that they
took Dean from under the tree and carried him to his own house,
that his head was severely injured, and that one of his thigh bones
was broken. And further the deponent saith not.
March 3d. 1842 Thomas Carney seal Attest John B Hodge State of Delaware
Kent County.
The
deposition of Fanny Jackson (M) aged about forty five years having
been duly sworn deposeth and saith that that on the evening of the
second of March Jessee Dean came home to his house gave her directions
about getting his supper and went out to fell a tree in front of
his house about one hundred and twenty five yards distant that she
saw an individual standing with him at the tree and that just before
dark she saw the tree fall, that said Dean did not return home,
and that early in the morning she went out to the tree and found
the said Dean beneath the tree and dead, one of the limbs laying
on his head, that she went immediately for Thos Carney who with
others took him from the tree and brought him into his house where
he still remains. And further the deponent saith not.
Attest John B Hodge Fanny Jackson seal her X mark Kent County.
The
deposition of Washington Seeny aged twenty five years having State
of Delaware been duly sworn deposeth and saith, That on the evening
of the 2nd of March he went to where Jessee Dean was cutting down
a tree near his dwelling house, that said Dean seemed to be in good
health, sober, and in his right mind that he left him just after
sun down, and before the tree was down on which he had been cutting.
further the deponent saith not.
Attest Washington Seeny seal John B Hodge his X mark.
Know
all men by these Presents that we whose names are here unto subscribed
authorised and impower John B Hodge, Coroner for Kent County to
collect and Receive each and Evry one of our faese*
what may be due us for our services as Jurors on an inquestion*
Indented*
and taken at the house of Jessee Dean Decd on the view of the dead
body of Jessee Dean Decd Kent County for which we give a final acquittance
for the same Given under our hands and Seals this third day of March
AD 1842.
*partly illegible
Wm R. Cahoon seal John Green seal Wilson Stidham seal John T. Cheaves
seal William T. Campbell seal Moses Jones seal Mason Bailey seal
Jessey Jones seal William Scotten Jr seal Wm. F. Hawkins seal Silas
Jones seal Washington Seney seal Wm. Scotten seal William Morris
seal James Wilson seal Isaac Shorts seal John F. Hendrickson seal
William Butler seal Sewell Green seal John Milboun seal KENT COUNTY,
SS.
An
inquisition taken the third day of March AD one thousand eight hundred
and forty-two at the house of Jesse Dean Decd in said county, before
John B Hodge Coroner of the said county, upon view of the dead body
of Jessee Dean by the oaths and affirmations of Wm R Cahoon, Wilson
Stidham, William T. Campbell, Mason Bailey, William Scotten Jr,
Silas Jones, Wm. Scotten Sr, James Wilson, John F. Hendrickson,
Sewell Green, John Milboun, Jno Green, John T. Cheaves, Moses Jones,
Jessee Jones, Wm. F. Hawkins, Washington Seeny, William Morris,
Isaac Shorts, and William Butler, substantial and judicious men
of the said county, who being in due manner sworn or affirmed, say
that the said Jessee Dean came to his death in consequence of a
tree's falling on him which he cut down on the evening of the second
of March 1842. In testimony whereof, as well --- said Coroner as
the said Jurors, have hereunto set their hands and seals, the day
and year aforesaid.
Making
marks: Moses Jones, Jessee Jones, Washington Seeny, Isaac Shorts,
William Butler, Silas Jones, John Milboun
Signing:
John B Hodge, Wm. Scotten Sr., Wm R Cahoon, John F. Hendrickson,
Wilson Stidham, Sewell Green, William T. Campbell, John T. Cheaves,
Mason Bailey, Wm. F. Hawkins, William Scotten, William Morris, John
Green, William Scotten Jr.
2. Probate record: Jesse Dean, 1842, late of Little Creek Hundred.
Original on file at Delaware Archives, Dover, DE.
Appraisers
appointed 11 Mar 1842: Isaac Hasle & Obadiah Voshall Thomas Butcher
adminstrator for Jesse Dean's
estate. Accounting 27 Jun 1843:
To
John Cott and John Durham for digging grave
To Frances Jackson for keep
Accounting by Hiram Finlow, administrator for Thomas Butcher's estate,
who in turn is administrator for Jesse Dean's
estate, Butcher having also died. 10 Mar 1851.
"By this amt from the estate of Thomas L. Butcher to the Estate
of Jesse Dean being a balance for Land Sold by Jesse Dean to James
Richardson and Recd by said Thos Butcher after the death of Jesse
Dean and not accounted for by the said Butcher in his admr repts...."
$30.58
--No
ages given in either document.
--No relationships given in either document.
--The Jesse Dean to James Richardson transaction was not found in
the Grantor index at the Delaware Archives (grantor Jesse Dean,
grantor Thomas Butcher, grantee James Richardson). But see e-mail
thread below.
3. E-mails between members of the Mitsawokett group:
From Charles Martin 12
Jul 1998:
While searching deeds I came across some very important Dean information.
Jesse Dean, the one who was killed by a falling tree, died 3 Mar
1842 without heirs or anyone who could legally inherit his property
so the Delaware assembly, senate and house of representatives, passed
an Act on 3 Feb 1843. ...
"Whereas
it has been represented to this General Assembly, that a certain
Jesse Dean mulatto late of Kent County and State of Delaware now
deceased the illegitimate son of one Selah Okie (Okey, Oakley) late
of Kent County now deceased also having been born out of wedlock
and the illegitimate brother of the half blood of the said Thomas
S. Butcher, Rebecca (Dean) Durham (wife of Daniel Durham), Mary
Dean, John Dean and Phebe Dean the said Thomas S. Butcher, Rebecca
Durham, Mary Dean and John Dean being the illegitimate children
of the said Selah Okie born of the said Selah Okie out of wedlock;
and that the said Jesse Dean in his lifetime purchased ...fifty
acres ...." (my embelishments)
For some unknown reason, none of Jesse's heirs of law recorded the
deed with the recorder of deeds, within a year of its passage, as
was required by law. The assembly had to pass the act a second time.
This they did on 10 Jan 1845. This time the heirs recorded it.
Following
the paper trail, by Jan 1846 Phebe Dean had married Thomas Benson,
Mary Dean had married Robert Miller and John Dean was unmarried.
I feel confident that three of the the four Kent County Jesses have
been placed with their respective families. I would like to find
some proof as to the parentage of the Jesse Dean who married Hester
Conselor in 1814 and died ca 1816.
From
Charles
Martin:
I took another look at my copy of the assembly act chapter 422 of
the 1843 term. The act was originally written to include only Thomas
S. Butcher and John Dean as heirs. Then it was amended and the names
Rebecca Durham, Mary Dean and Phebe Dean were added.
From
Ned
Heite 12 Jul 1998:
Charles
Martin wrote: While searching deads. I came across some very
important Dean information. Jesse Dean, the one who was killed by
a falling tree, died 3 Mar 1842 without heirs or anyone who could
legally inherit his property so the Delaware assembly, senate and
house of representatives, passed an Act on 3 Feb 1843. Following
the paper trail, by Jan 1846 Phebe Dean had married Thomas Benson,
Mary Dean had married Robert Miller and John Dean was unmarried.
What
was the relationship of Mary's Robert to Deberix? Deberix was tenant
on the Bloomsbury tract many years after our site went down.
Is
this the John Dean who got the seaman's protective papers? He would
have been 20 in 1846.
The Oakey (Okie, etc.) family aren't found much in Kent County,
but there are many in Sussex. Russ McCabe theorizes that the modern
Ake family are descended from them, which is possible in the environment
of Sussex County linguistics, where no syllable is safe. I don't
know this Selah Oakey.
There
was a Selah Butcher, who died in the late eighteenth century. Interestingly
enough, the names on his 1795 administration were Jesse Dean and
Thomas Butcher.
Can someone sort out those two?
MORE
ABOUT THE OKEY FAMILY IN AMERICA
A
Thomas S. Butcher was administrator of the Jesse Dean who died in
1839.
There were two Thomas Butchers present in the late eighteenth century.
The one on the Selah Butcher administration was not the same one
who received the acre Daniel Durham promised and Benjamin Durham
conveyed in 1786. The one who administered Selah Butcher's estate
is probably the one who died in 1823 and was the grandfather of
the Thomas who inherited half-interest in the five acres at Fast
Landing. Chuck Martin found out who bought that lot from the heirs,
I believe.
Saunders
Oakey married Nehemiah Handsor's widow, and Nehemiah's children
did not like him one bit.
Back
a hundred years before that, there is the confusing relationship
between the first Oakeys and the first Handsors, entirely too many
of whom were named Aminidab.
From
Ned
Heite 14 Jul 1998:
I
went back to the archives and got a copy of the draft law on the
Dean (1842) estate, which is chapter 422 of the 1843 term. I couldn't
find the petition. Originally it was written to vest the land in
Thomas S. Butcher, and then the Dean siblings were added. This is
why I think there is a second Dean mother, who bore the other children.
It's a little difficult to illustrate in the limited capabilities
of computer communications, but here is my attempt. Here, in a more
graphic form, is my reading of the data.
The
draft bill clearly indicates that there were two different, possibly
competing claimants. All were half-siblings of Jesse, which means
that he was the only one with that particular mother. Thomas was
also an illegitimate half-sibling. Acting alone, he applied for
the law.The other half-siblings intervened as a group, which indicates
that they had a different mother. They all had the surname Dean.
If they had had the same mother as Jesse they would have been full
siblings, and therefore eligible for full shares without the law.
