Draft:William Dean (soldier)

William Dean (c. 1699 – 1773) was an Irish-born immigrant and provisional soldier who served in Lieutenant Colonel George Washington's Regiment during the Battle of Fort Necessity and the Battle of Jumonville Glen in 1754. He is notably recognized as the father of Reverend William Dean and grandfather of Joseph Dean (merchant).

Early Life and Immigration

William Dean was born around 1699 in Antrim, Ireland to a prominent Irish family. His cousin, Joseph Deane served as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, whose father in law was John Parker, Archbishop of Dublin and Primacy of Ireland. General Richard Deane was Dean's great uncle.

In the wake of the Jacobite Rebellion and the growing scrutiny on religious tolerance, Dean decided to seek a new life in Pennsylvania where he followed other prominent Scotch-Irishmen from Northern Ireland who found new sanctuary under William Penn's colony, to include William Tennent. Who, William's son was taught by at the Log College. By 1739, Dean was able to immigrate his wife and children to Pennsylvania, with several grandchildren and extended family continuously coming years after.

Tennent introduced Dean to Mayor of Philadelphia James Logan, also from Northern Ireland. Logan's father was a former Anglican minister, and his mother was Isabelle (Hume) from Berwickshire,Scotland whose family part of the Hume baronetcy. Her cousin, George Hume, was deported to Virginia after being banished for participation in the Jacobite Rebellion. George Hume's cousin, and by proxy Isabelle's cousin, was Alexander Spotswood.

Virginia

Dean migrated to Virginia after the death of his son Rev. William Dean to take custody of his property in 1748, where his daughter Mary and at least one other son, John, had also moved to. During Rev. William's travels to Virginia in August 1745, he was accompanied by 23 year old English merchant William Morris, a cousin of Anthony Morris, former mayor of Philadelphia. Dean had introduced Morris to the Hume family where William would purchase 392 acres from George Hume on August 27, 1745.

His son John Dean would marry Agnes McClanahan, whose brother was Robert McClanahan, an original overseer of the same tract George Hume purchased from 1741, from Spotswood's original patent.

Military Service

In 1754, William Dean volunteered in Captain Andrew Lewis’s company of Rangers and participated in the Battle of Fort Necessity at Great Meadows, a critical early engagement in the French and Indian War. Prior to his service in Captain Lewis's company, Dean fought in the Battle of Jumonville Glen as part of Captain Peter Hog's Company. His name appears in George Washington's journal as a member of the Regiment, where his involvement in these key engagements is documented.

Dean's service record notes that he transferred from Captain Hog's Company to Captain Lewis's Company after the Battle of Jumonville Glen. During this period, a report dated July 9 mentions that Dean was "lame on the road," indicating an injury that rendered him unable to march, likely necessitating the use of a horse for transportation. However, Dean recovered and fought in Fort Necessity. His contribution to the colonial militia was recognized by the House of Burgesses, which approved the granting of a pistol as a bounty to every soldier present at the Battle of Great Meadows.

Later Life

On May 19, 1754, less than one week before marching to Jumonville Glen, Dean purchased a 327 acre tract for £75 adjacent to his daughter Margaret (also known as Mary) from Adam Dickenson. This acquisition took place just a day after his son-in-law, John Bird, purchased land along the Jackson River near Fort Dinwiddie. William Dean's will was proved on August 17, 1773, and likely died shortly before the date.