Been off this blog for quite a while, but still working on the Dean Family, and the matriarch Elizabeth. I called her "Shady Lady" in my book, Somewhere Over the Rhine, as I couldn't ever find if she was a Dean by marriage, or if her given name was Dean.
On every census, she listed her birthplace as Virginia, circa 1750. I first found her on the 1850 census in Morgan County, Kentucky, mother to sons Elisha and Daniel. Then I discovered on a later census that Daniel's last name was Martin. Didn't know what to make of that. Daniel continued to be a Martin his entire life.
Elisha, born in Tennessee about 1824, seems to remain Elizabeth's son and lived to a ripe old age in Kentucky, married to Betsey (Elizabeth) Jenkins. Her family goes so far back that I'm tired of dealing with them.
Elisha and Betsey were the parents of my 2nd great grandparent John Dean, father of my Grandfather Frank Bernard Dean.
I've done my DNA and am finding many, many cousins, aunts and uncles, but nowhere is there a link to Elizabeth Dean nor a husband. I have literally lived online for two years now, plus the years spent writing the book, and every side of my family I have been able to find, including the Jenkins family who were Quaker. I've even found photos of these characters.
Betsey, if you're up there somewhere, I'm proud of your family. They sound like great folks. I just would like to find some other family members, aka the Deans! I might ask you also, is James Newton Jenkins Dean really the son of Elisha? I mean, that's real sketchy since he was born before you married Elisha.
So there you have it, a problem for sure I cannot solve. I realize I am going to have to have my brother send in his DNA or one of my male cousins. Makes for a swell Christmas gift for all of them. And Ancestry is having extended Cyber Monday!!!!
