1. JOHN1 DEANE was born Abt. 1770. He married MARY NICELY 03 Mar 1787 in Rockingham County, Va., daughter of ANTHONY NICELY.
Notes for JOHN DEANE:
John Deane's birth date of abt. 1770 is an estimate.
There are conflicting opinions on who John Deane married.
At least one internet site lists John Deane's wife as Elizabeth Mays. The book The Monger's: A Family of Old Virginia [p. 240] by Billie Jo Monger, lists Elizabeth Mays as the wife of John Dean [father of James Thornton Dean]. Elizabeth Mays' marriage to John Deane is included among the following early marriage records of Orange County, Va.
Virginia Marriages to 1800
Spouse 1 Spouse 2 Marriage Date Marriage Location
Deane, Rebecca Jones, Zachariah 15 Nov 1787 Virginia Orange County
Boston, Sarah Deane, William 02 Jun 1789 Virginia Orange County
DEANE, JOHN MAYS, ELIZABETH 18 Aug 1790 Virginia Orange County
Although John Deane is said to have married Elizabeth Mays on 18 August 1790 in Orange County, Va., he is not present in any of the early Orange County census records, with the possible exception of the 1830 record below. A John Dean of approximately the correct age is found in the 1830 Orange County, Va. census. See below:
1830 Orange County, Va., p. 304
John Dean 2 males [5-10], 1 male [40-50], 1 female [5-10], 1 female [10-15], 1 female [20-30]
There happens to be an Elizabeth Dean listed as head of household in the 1810 Rockingham County, Va. census. This Elizabeth Dean is living next door to a Mary Hensley. The Deans of Dean Mountain were said to live close to the Hensleys [as well as the Shifflett, Breeden, and Meadows families], so it is possible that this Elizabeth Dean may be Elizabeth Mays, the widow of John Deane. If this is true, John Deane and Elizabeth Mays would have had to migrate from Orange County to Rockingham County sometime after their marriage, and John Deane would be deceased by this time. See below.
1810 Rockingham County, Va. census
Elizabeth Dean 1 [male under 10], 3 [males 10-15], 1 [male 26-44], 1 [female under 10], 1 [female 10-15], and 1 [female 26-44].
Other researchers list John Deane's wife as Mary Nicely. There is a marriage record to support this found in Rockingham County Marriages 1778-1850 by John Vogt and T. William Kethley, Jr., Iberian Publishing Company, Athens, Georgia, 1984 [p. 78], "Deen, John and Mary Nicely---1787; b-Joseph Sampson, d. of Anthony."
I have another record from an unknown source that states that John Dean married Mary Nicely, daughter of Anthony Niceley and Mary on 3 March 1787 [pp. A232-3] by Anderson Moffett.
Even though John Deane is said to have married Mary Nicely in Rockingham County, Va. in 1787, no John Deane of any age is found in Rockingham County, Va., in the 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, or 1840 census records.
I have chosen to list John Deane and Mary Nicely as the parents of James Thornton Deane in this report. John Deane and Elizabeth Mays were married in Orange County. John Deane and Mary Nicely were married in Rockingham County. I see no proof that John Deane and Elizabeth Mays are the parents of James Thornton Deane. However, it has been reported that John Deane and Mary Nicely are identified as the parents of James Thornton Dean on his marriage license to Sarah Monger. I have not seen this record. Also, many of the early Deans in this report were born and raised on Dean Mountain, in Rockingham County, so given the location, John Dean's marriage to Mary Nicely seems more reasonable to me. I am open to any conclusive proof to the contrary.
Notes for MARY NICELY:
Alternate spelling Knicely.
Some researchers show that John Dean married Elizabeth Mays on 18 August 1790 in Orange County, Va.
Mary Nicely married John Dean [Deen] in 1787 in Rockingham County, Va. [Bond Book A]. This marriage is also listed in Rockingham County Marriages 1778-1850 by John Vogt and T. William Kethley, Jr., Iberian Publishing Company, Athens, Georgia, 1984 [p. 78], "Deen, John and Mary Nicely---1787; b-Joseph Sampson, d. of Anthony."
Child of JOHN DEANE and MARY NICELY is:
