Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Final Part)

Thomas was the key. Period. This post will be lengthy, since I will be quoting directly from the document I compiled to submit as a final for a class, but it is worth the read: 

In a last ditch effort before moving on from the research objective of finding Mariah’s death date, perusing Fold 3 yielded a true treasure: the entire pension file for Thomas Randle’s service in the War of 1812: There were 57 pages of beautiful pages, containing a variety of information to shed light on the missing items for Mariah. Also, the researcher learned a wealth of information regarding Thomas Randle too. 

            As the widow of Thomas, she was legally entitled to his pension. From the early pages in this file, particulars about his service were provided. Prior to finding this file, his index card for the War of 1812 Pension Application Files revealed that his service was in Illinois under Captain J. B. Moore for the Illinois Rangers. The certificate for this pension was dated June 26, 1872, two years before Thomas’s death.[1] The pension was “consolidated with widow #15506,” October 25, 1878.[2] Thomas enlisted June 11, 1812, and was discharged on June 25, 1812; he served afterward from July 27, 1812 to October 15, 1812.[3] He enlisted at Fort Russell Illinois Territory; the fort was also the location for his discharge.[4]

            Beyond the information for Thomas’s military service, this Pension File provided details relevant to Mariah, besides receiving pension payments. On Page 11 of the Pension File, there was a document titled “Service Pension, War of 1812, Widow’s Brief,” dated between 1878 and 1879. Henry C. Dean was one of the names on this document, providing proof of identity, based on affidavits provided.[5] Richard Shaffer, Mariah’s son-in-law, wrote up a deposition on Mariah: 

            Case of Randle Maria E.,        

On this 7’aintenth day of April, 1888, at Raymond, County of Montgomery, State of Ills, before me W. H. McGuire, a Special Examiner of the Pension Office, personally appeared Richard R. Shaffer, who being by me first duly sworn to answer truly all interrogatories propounded to him during this Special Examination of aforesaid pension claim, deposes and says: My age is 59 years I am a farmer. My P.O. is Raymond Montgomery Co Ills.

I was acquainted with Maria E. Randle, a Pensioner of the War of 1812 as the widow of Thomas Randle I knew the pensioner about all my life.

The Pensioner Mariah E. Randle—died Aug. 13^th 1887. I was present at the death. 

Dr. Caldwell of Zanesville, Ills was the attending physician in Pensioners lo* sickness.

At the date of pensioners death She had in cash $178.80. And some personal effects that I think is worth about $8.00. I was offered $5.00 for the personal effect that I thought they were worth a little more.[6]

At last…Mariah’s death date and death place are provided, and this information is almost as detailed as a death certificate. Also, her place of residence was likely with Maria in Raymond. 

            The first time Mariah’s maiden name is mentioned, is on Page 9 of the file: “his wife’s name was Mariah E. Thornhill, to whom he married at Washington Co Ills, on the (?) day of June AD 1826.”[7] A more detailed record of her marriage to Thomas is provided in later pages. On Page 13, the following information is written: 

She further states that she was married to the said Thomas Randle in the county of Washington, and the State of Illinois, on the 2^nd of June A. D. 1825 by one W. C. Ballard, who was a Minister of the Gospel, and that her name before her said marriage was Maria E Dean (nee Thornhill); and she further states that her said first husband had been previously married to Rebecca Brown who died in Madison Co Ill about Jan’y 1825; and she further state that she [declarant] had been previously married to Jonathan Dean who died about Sept 1822 near Princeton Ky—and further that she has not remarried since the death of said Thomas Randle.[8]

This paragraph alone, contains more information than most documents at this point in research. The researcher learns about the marriages and former spouses of both Thomas and Mariah. The difficulty in locating the marriage records becomes evident according to one affidavit provided in the Pension File, provided as Page 15: 

            State of Illinois, Washington County             J. H. F. Reuter, clerk of the county court

And for the county and state aforesaid, do hereby certify that, there is no record of marriage on file in this office prior to the year 1832, and that I have made diligent search for such record of marriages and cannot find the same 

Witness my hand and official seal of the said court at Nashville in said county and state this the 18^th day of Feb’y A.D. 1879

            H. F. Reuter, Co. Clk.[9]

If the county clerk of Washington County, Illinois could not locate the marriage record in 1879, perhaps there was no record filed or it was lost. 

            To provide further information on the marriage since the official record could not be located, witnesses to the ceremony provided affidavits. Unfortunately, Washington C. Ballard had died already, so the first document was penned by his son, Thornhill Ballard: 

            State of Illinois, Washington County

Thornhill Ballard of said county and state being first duly sworn deposes and says that he was at the wedding of Thomas Randle and Maria Dean who were married at the residence of his father, Washington C. Ballard, on the 2^nd day of June 1825 in the county aforesaid, and that said Washington C. Ballard was a minister of the Gospel and celebrated said marriage but hes since departed this life so that his affidavit cannot now be obtained—affiant further deposes and says that the above facts are derived from his own personal knowledge—that his age is 71 years—that his brother Geo. W. Ballard was also present at said marriage—that his (affiants) residence and Post Office address is Beaucoup, Illinois; that he is not interested or concerned in the claim of Maria Randle widow of said Thomas Randle for a pension. He (affiant) also deposes and says that as he is informed and believes no official record of said marriage can now be found in said county for the reason that the records of said county do not show any marriage earlier than the year 1832.[10]

As mentioned by Thornhill in his affidavit, his brother also provided one on Page 22: 

            State of Illinois, Madison County

George W. Ballard of the county and state aforesaid, age 58 years, being duly sworn according to law, poses and says that he was present at the marriage of Thomas Randle and Maria Dean on the 2^nd day of June 1825. That his (affiants) father, Washington C. Ballard now deceased was the officiating clergyman—that, although he (affiant) was only about five years old at that time, he remembers the circumstances well—that the marriage took place in his father’s house and the fact that said Maria Dean at that time resided with his father’s family and that said Thomas Randle on the day of the wedding was so late coming his father and other present became somewhat anxious about the matter—that the affiant also remembers seeing said Randle on that day when he first came in sight on horseback—that Thornhill Ballard and older brother of affiant was also present of said Marriage the he (affiant) has no intent whatever in the claim of said Marie Randle for a pension and is not concerned in its presentation—that he resides near Edwardsvill and his Post Office address is Edwardsvill Madison County Illinois.[11]

This affidavit was the most informative for the circumstances around the marriage. Mariah was living with the Ballards, likely because Washington’s wife may have been Mariah’s older sister (still determining this relationship). Additionally, she may have met Thomas through Washington, since both were ministers of the MEC. Finally, the marriage took place at the Ballard residence.

            After years of puzzling over this puzzle, the answer was through the second husband and stepfather, not even through records that should be located, namely a marriage and a death. Because both of these vital dates and places could not be easily found, it became necessary to reach outward to find what became of Henry’s father and who Mariah’s family was. At last, these objectives have been met, the hypotheses proved or disproved, and a whole new avenue of resources and family members have appeared as the story continues to unravel. 

---

[1] “War of 1812 Pension Files,” digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 22 July 2020), pension file for Thomas Randle and his widow, Mariah E. Randle; War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, The National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.; Roll RG15-1812PB-Bx2825.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid. this information concerning his military service was provided by Thomas. 

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid. 

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 4)

Researching the itinerant preacher and his religion became the next step in my quest to discovering more about Henry’s life and upbringing, and locating more information on Mariah. There is a lot to be had from the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). They kept a pretty decent record, using conference minutes and journals (many of which still survive). Also, there are several histories of Methodism for specific locations, such as Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, etc. 

When it came to researching family members in Illinois, MEC, state, and county histories were indispensable. I learned a lot about Thomas Randle during the process, and how his life choices and work may have impacted Henry and Mariah. Fortunately for me, Thomas Randle was the key to finding what became of Mariah. 

Stay tuned for Part 5, the final post on how Mariah’s tie to her preacher husband helped to break down the 40 year old brick wall.  

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 3)

Through the efforts it took to research the Dean line, Harry Fenton Dean was a piece of cake next to his father, Henry C. Dean. Through piecing together his life story, it took learning to research in the following manner:

·      Learning to perform in-depth research in Illinois

·      Using Inter-library loan to obtain books and microfilms

·      Making trips to the Salt Lake Family History Library for special books

·      Doing contextual and supplemental research through newspapers

·      Using a digital microfilm scanner

·      Researching genealogy in 1800s southern Illinois—my new specialty, thanks to this family

·      Using territorial, pre-state records

·      Learning about 19^th century farming communities

·      Using court and probate records (even widow’s relinquishment)

·      Performing research on hypotheses based on indirect and, at times, circumstantial evidence

·      Chasing after elusive cemetery listings

·      Doing research outside of the Big 4, especially Ancestry. It was my comfort zone for too long. Btw, Illinois State Archives and Illinois Digital Archives have some great materials.

I could go on and on, but you see why it took me 8 years to learn research techniques piecemeal and finally find Henry’s full story in time. 

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 2)

         The first steps I took in learning about the Dean line, came with hands on experience. I had to learn how to use FamilySearch, census research, newspaper research, locality research, etc. It did not come overnight, but rather line upon line. It was through concerted, often unfruitful efforts that I learned what worked and what didn’t work. Piece by piece, the story of the Deans began to unravel.

         In learning to do genealogy research, I found LDS family history centers as helpful resources. The missionaries were experienced in doing research and participating in finding temple ordinances. Also, the LDS Church had subscriptions to the big research websites, like Ancestry. These were in the days before LDS church members could get partner access through their FamilySearch accounts, so I made lots of library trips to use Ancestry. 

         Within a few weeks, and then what became a few months, the Dean genealogy was coming together. All of the sudden, Harry and Ida Dean’s boys took on more than names and vital information; they took on careers, personalities, family members, and stories that came to life through Google searches and newspapers. The two brothers of B. G.’s that assumed the greatest personalities were Doc and Frankie. I learned that having one prominent individual in the family helps to round out the stories and involvements of others when they talk about their own backgrounds and experiences. Soon, Harry Fenton Dean and Ida Jane (Pepperdine) Dean had their own narratives come to light. 

         From there, it was time to move backward in the tree. 

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 1)

My great-grandfather, Beryl G. “B. G.” Dean, descended from a family of terrible record keepers. My mother tackled researching his family for 30 years, before turning it over to me back in 2010. From that year on, I became the official researcher for the Dean line. 

         I literally started from scratch, having only a collection of old family letters to work with. Working from B. G., I found his father and brothers, then eventually his grandfather and grandmother on his father’s side. The true brick wall was the objectives of finding the name of Henry’s father and identifying Mariah’s maiden name. Mariah and Henry’s unknown father became a research stop around 2012, when New FamilySearch was the LDS Church’s genealogy site. 

         No matter how long and hard I searched, I could not find Mariah’s maiden name, Henry’s father, or other family members related to Henry C. Dean. That is until 2020. The tools for bursting down this brick wall proved to be a set of skills that required methodical dismantling, rather than a good old dynamite blast.