ABIGAIL (DOLTON) DEAN
By: Louis Dolton, Jr. of Topeka, Kansas
Richmond Dolton (1815-1899) born in Kentucky
Abigail was born in March of 1843 in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois. When she was born her father, Richmond, was 27, and her mother, Priscilla, was 19. Richmond was a farmer.
Galesburg, Illinois, was founded by George Washington Gale, a Presbyterian minister from New York state, who dreamed of establishing a manual labor college which became Knox College. A manual labor college was one in which students and staff was required to spend half of each day doing manual labor. Galesburg's success and growth was tied to the railroad industry. Local businessmen were major backers of the first railroad to connect Illinois' two biggest cities - Chicago and Quincy.
In 1850 Abigail and her eight siblings were living in Township 13 N 1 E, Knox County, Illinois. She took a year off now and then, but for the most part Priscilla had a child every year from 1843 to 1854. They had 12 children in 20 years. Priscilla died when she was thirty-seven years old. One author writing about Priscilla's labors said she would have died a lot sooner. All of Priscilla's children had been born in Illinois. Abigail was six years old and she might have been going to school depending upon the minimum school age at the time in Illinois. Otherwise, her older brother was the only one in school and the other seven or eight children were at home with mom. Richmond was a farmer.
By 1860 Richmond had moved his large family to Washington township, DeKalb County, Missouri. Did he know that war was coming? He left Illinois which was up north and was not a slave state. He went to Missouri which was a slave state ever since it adopted statehood in 1821. But, there is no indication that the Dolton's ever had slaves. If he was moving to Missouri to get away from the War, then he made a mistake because Missouri was a hotly contest border state during the American Civil War. And much of the fighting was by irregulars or bushwhackers, so you never know if a body of men riding across the countryside were soldiers likely to burn your farm or just a group of men riding together for mutual protection. But, Richmond was just interested in farming and that's what he and his boys did. Abigail was sixteen years old and was attending school. Since she was the oldest girl she was responsible for getting all the kids ready to go to school and helping mom with breakfast and packing lunches. When Abigail got home she would help fix dinner, corral the kids around the table, clean up after dinner, help with homework and then help put the kids to bed. There were six children under ten. But, Abigail had help as there were four other teenagers in the house. Richmond and Priscilla had eleven children: Abigail, Euphaemia, Lucetta, Thiron, Alis, Nahum, Araminta, Loradumia, Edward, Kate, and Ennis. On 28 Dec 1857 Elizabeth Dolton (age sixteen years) and Green Atterbury were married in DeKalb County, Missouri. Hence she does not show up with the family in the 1860 census.
The American Civil War began in 1861 and ended in 1864. While the War boiled up around them Abigail's family appears to have remain unscathed. No one in her immediate family was killed during the War.
On 3 Feb 1870 Abigail Dolton and Joseph H. Dean were married in Mercer, Illinois. Now, why did they go back to Illinois to get married? The marriage usually takes place wherever the brides family lives and is paid for by the brides family. But, Richmond had seven daughters and maybe the Dean's agreed to pay for the wedding if it were held in Mercer. Or perhaps Abigail being 27 years of age had left the family and returned to Mercer to live on her own and there she met Joseph. And maybe the fact that her mother had died nine years before her proposed wedding had some effect. I'm just spitballing here. I don't know why the wedding didn't take place in DeKalb, Missouri.
In the 1870 US Federal Census for Rivoli, Mercer, Illinois, is the household of Joseph and Abby Dean enumerated 23 July 1870 by Noah Guthrie. There were five members of the household. Joseph H Dean age 34 years, white, male, farmer, born abt 1836 in Illinois. Abby Dean was 27 years of age, white, female, keeping house, born about 1843 in Illinois. George W Dean was 10 years old, male, white, born about 1860 in Illinois, he attended school during the census year. Samuel Dean was 8 years old, male, white, born about 1862 in Illinois, he attended school during the census year. Frank Dean, age 3 years, male, white, born about 1867 in Illinois. Since Joseph and Abigail were just married six months before this census these must not be Abigail's children, but they are likely Frank's children. The 1880 US Federal Census to follow indicates that Frank S. Dean, white, male, age 13 years is the son of Joseph. According to the 1880 Census Frank's father was born in Illinois and his mother in Ohio. This supports the proposition that Abigail is not the mother of Joseph's first three children.
Samuel A. Dean died Nov. 8, 1871, at the age of nine years. This was Joseph's second son.
George W. Dean died Mar. 8, 1880, and was buried in Rio Cemetery. He had been born about 1860 and was twenty years old when he died. You'll remember this was Abigail's step-son and Joseph's son.
In the 1880 US Federal Census for Rio, Knox County, Illinois, is a record of the household of Joseph and Abby Dean. Joseph H. Dean, 44 years of age, white, male, born about 1836, working as a butcher and running a market. His father was born in Virginia and his mother in Indiana. Abby Dean was 37 years old, white, female, wife of Joseph, keeping house, born about 1843. Her father was born in Illinois and her mother in Ohio. This is wrong. Her father was born in Kentucky and her mother in Indiana. Frank N. Dean age 13 years, born about 1867, white, male, son of Joseph, attending school. Theran C. Dean was 8 years old, white, male, son of Joseph, attending school. Julia E. Dean age 6 years, born about 1874, white, female, daughter of Joseph, attending school. Everyone in this family was born in Illinois.
In the 1900 US Federal Census for Custer, Custer County, Nebraska, is a record of the Joseph and Abagail Dean household. Joseph H. Dean, was a white, male, born July 1836 in Illinois, age 63 years, married 30 years, his occupation is that of a farmer. His father was born in Tennessee and his mother in Indiana. Abagail Dean, Joseph's wife, white, female, born Mar 1843 in Illinois, age 57 years, married 30 years, she had two children and they were both alive. Whoever responded to the enumerator's questions said that her father was born in Virginia and her mother in Indiana. This is wrong and doesn't match up with the information she gave in the 1880 US Federal Census. Her father was born in Kentucky.
Joseph, Abby's husband of 22 years died 18 Apr 1902 at the age of 65. He was buried in Rio Baptist Cemetery back in Illinois.
By 1910 the US Federal Census for Lincoln, Lancaster, Nebraska, shows Abbie Dean living in the household of T. C. and Lilian Dean; Abby's son and his wife. T. C. Dean was a white, male, 38 years of age, married thirteen years, born about 1872 in Illinois. T. C. Dean is the son of Joseph and Abigail Dean and his given name is Theron Curtis. Theran worked as barn foreman for a "Transfer Co." The family rented a home at 919 Vine Street and on each side of them lived coworkers of Theron who were teamsters at the Transfer Company. According to the Lincoln, Nebraska, City Directory, Theron worked for Lincoln Transfer Company. Theron's wife was Lilian Dean a white, female, age 41 years, she had 3 children and all three were still living. Lilian was born about 1869 in Illinois and her parents were born in Indiana. Donzolse Dean was Theran's daughter and was a white, female, eleven years of age, born about 1899 in Illinois, and attended school during the census year. Glen Dean was Theron's son, white, male, six years of age, born about 1904 in Nebraska, and atteneded school during the census year. Wenona Dean, daughter, white, female, seven months old, born 1909 in Nebraska. Abbie Dean, Theron's mother, white, female, age 67 years, widowed, mother of two and both still alive, born about 1843 in Illinois. This census year she said that both her parents were born in Ohio. I don't think she knew where her parents were born and either she or the census taker just made it up each year.
The Great War began in Europe in 1914. President Wilson managed to keep America out of the War until April of 1917 and the War ended the following year. So, the US was in World War I about eighteen months and our troops were in combat for about a year of the War. Again, none of Abigail's family was lost.
Affordable cars didn't become available until plants retooled after World War I. It's likely that Abigail walked or rode in a horse drawn buggy or wagon to get to where she was going her entire life. Neither electricity or natural gas was available. She would have had to rely on kerosene lamps or candles for light, and wood or coal for cooking and heat. There were no refrigerators. Ice boxes (using ice to cool the food) came into fairly common use about 1860. A 1907 survey by the New York Charities Publication Committee found that 81% of the families surveyed were found to possess the ability to keep their food cool either by using ice stored in a tub or iceboxes. On farms they often had underground cellars where they could keep food cool and smoke houses to preserve meat. There was no TV and in 1925 ten percent of households had radios. And yet Abby lived a long, productive, and happy life.
Abigail "Abby" (Dalton) Dean, died in 1921 at the age of 78 and was buried in Rio, Knox County, Illinois, where Joseph and a couple of their children were buried. There were ten members of the Dean family buried in the Rio Baptist Cemetery.
