Alice Denty Dean

Of all the nineteenth century Dentys, the one whose personal and family life is most accessible is Alice Ophelia Denty Dean, born in 1856. It's revealed to us through her numerous, often insistent, and frequently lonely letters to Rebecca Denty Abernathy. It's also through Alice's pen that we know as much as we do, not only about her own father, William Harrison Denty, but about her uncle John Ramsey Denty and his children. According to a Dean family tradition, Alice may have lived in a Methodist orphanage for a short while after William's death. Why she would not have been cared for by her stepmother Elizabeth Crow Denty is unexplained. Eventually, however, she went to live with cousin Marie Denty Nesbit in Desoto County, Mississippi, remaining there for eight years until her marriage. Marie mentioned her in several of her letters, describing Alice as "a most excellent girl & very popular" and "the busiest little housekeeper you ever saw & one of the very best".[1] On 26 Nov 1877 twenty-one year old Alice married Simon A. Dean, the son of Hardy and Cynthia Dean. Alice's letters to her Giles County, Tennessee cousin begin the following summer, and with only brief interjections, we'll let Alice tell her own story in her own words:

August 10 1878

Received your letter yesterday and will answer this evening. I can assure you it was highly appreciated and to prove it, will write immediately. I have been quite busy for the last two weeks trying to entertain company, cook, sew and attend to other household matters. I have a cook, but he has been sick with chills & fever & so I have had both his work and mine to attend to since his sickness. I have been doing all my work until the last month. Mr. Dean had been sick also, has had chills & fever and is not very well now. I have had very good health this Summer so far, and am in hopes it will continue. Well Cousin I have written to Aunt Susan,[2] directed my letter to H. Ala. I am exceedingly anxious to hear from her, hope she will write very soon. I would like so much to see you all & especially you, as you have seen Pa and Ma. I love to meet with any of their old friends and hear them talk about them. Would give any thing to see Aunt and hear her talk, but I don't think I can leave home now. We have a young man boarding with us, and if he had no one at all, Mr. Dean would not go away from home, and I hate to leave him alone. You wanted to know of me if I knew any thing about Uncle Milton's family. I do not but I thought until I received your letter you were a child of his. Please tell me in your next letter what your fathers name is and excuse me for not knowing cousin for I have never been talked to about any of my relatives since I was a little girl, too small to remember any thing about what was said to me. I am ashamed of myself but I can't help it.

I remember of hearing Pa or Sister Margaret one speak of one of my uncles that went off and they had never heard from him, I think it was Uncle Milton, but do not know. You wanted to know about Pa's family. Well I will try and tell you all I know and in the best way I know. I have a copy of the Family Record[3] to go by or I would not know any thing about them, as most of them died before I was born. Pa & Ma had six children, four girls and two boys, the first was a girl, Susan Elizabeth, who lived to marry & have six children. She married a gentleman by the name of Carrol Cooper. She married shortly after Ma's death and as we moved to Arkansas when I was only in my third year I don't remember of ever seeing her. Three of her children are living and the other three are dead, Laura, William and Margaret Ophelia are living near here. Sister Mary was the next child and did not live but four years, died long before I was born. Sister Margaret was next, married & had three children. She married a brother of Sister Susan's husband & moved to Arkansas with Pa, had one child by Mr. Cooper named Carrie and as he was killed or died in the army, she married again and had two by her second husband Mr. Akin, named William and Minnie Mary Alice. Sister and two of her children are now sleeping the long sleep that knows no waking with Pa. in Ark. Carrie is out here, living with her uncle Mr Cooper. I remember Sister Margaret and Pa and they are all of the family that I remember of ever having seen. Pa. & Sister Susan died in about seventeen days of each other, Pa. in Ark. & her out here & in about a year Sister Margaret & her two children followed them, leaving me the last one of Pa's children. Pa's next child was a boy, Thomas Jefferson, who lived to be only seven years old & died before I was born, as Pa & Ma did not have any after him for twelve years, and then I came next, Alice Ophelia, my full name. The youngest was a boy, but was born dead or did not live but a minute, so I was always call the baby child by Pa & all the family. Ma never recovered from the birth of her last child, but had been in bad health for several years before the birth of the child. This is all I can tell you about Pa's family in a letter and is about all I know any way. Cousin Dock or Nathaniel Denty, has four very interesting little children namely Ervin, Lula, John R. & Margaret. Cousin Marie has never had any children. By the way, while I think about it, I will tell you why Cousin Marie has not answered your last letter. I had it & Cousin Dock asked me to let him have it to carry to Uncle John & told him he could take it to Cousin Marie & if she did not care then it would be all right, but he did not take it to her as he promised to do but carried it with him to Holly Springs, so Cousin Marie says she can't answer your letter until she can see it again. I am very sorry, but hope you will excuse her as I let him have the letter though I am in hopes he will return the letter soon, so cousin can answer it.

I forgot to answer one question you asked me. You wanted to know if I had a photograph of Pa. No I haven't one of him but would give so much I could have one. I have one of Ma's taken when I was a baby, about six months old.[4] She has me in her lap. I did have a lock of Pa's hair but left it in Ark when I came out here, & have written for it several times, but have never heard any thing about it. When will you start to Huntsville and about how long will you expect to remain? Write & tell me as soon as you get this, so I can tell Uncle John. Love to all of my cousins.

Your devoted cousin

Alice O. Dean

Simon, Alice and their son William were enumerated in the 1880 Census in Desoto County along with Simon's older brother and business partner William J. Dean and Alice's orphaned niece Carrie Cooper.

NEW 11 Jan 2011 While many letters from Alice were preserved, only one letter from a paternal relative to Alice has survived - from her aunt, Susan Kent Denty in Huntsville.[4a]

You will think strange that I have waited this long time to answer your kind letter, but I beg of you not to think it was that I have not thought of you many, many times and wished that I could see yourself, your husband and your dear little babe. You will not be angry with me, but forgive my seeming neglect and write me a long letter in reply to this telling me how you are all getting along. I went home with Rebecca about the middle of August and just got back about two weeks ago. I left them all in good health. Rebecca has a little son born the 28th of February. His name is William Delacy. My health improved very much after I went to Tennessee. But I am not so strong as I was before my illness. Dear Alice, I think of you so often and it seems that nothing would afford me more pleasure than to be with you for awhile. And if I feel that I am able to share the means, I want to go to see you sometime. Write and tell me when you heard from Brother John and his children Mary and Nathaniel. I want you to your's, your husband's and the baby boy's photos if you have them. I would like so much to have them. Can't you make it convenient for you and your husband to pay me a visit this summer? It would make me so happy to see you. Ask Mary and Nathaniel to write to me for I would be glad to hear from them. Do not fail to write immediately for I am anxious to hear from you.

Give my love to your husband and all of my relations you may see. But reserve a very large share for yourself. Kiss the little baby boy for me.

The next year a tragedy occurred. In February a business dispute over a mule resulted in Simon shooting a man. He fled to Texas, where he eventually committed suicide in remorse and/or desperation. NEW 11 Jan 2011 The story of Simon's flight and death were printed in the newspapers and are interesting in themselves. See The Death of Simon A. Dean. According to the version handed down in the Dean family, the victim didn't die; Simon only thought that he had killed him. Alice's story, as told in her wrenching letters, is that the man did die, but only because his "hard headed" friends insisted on moving him.

Although Alice gives glimpses of the events surrounding Simon's death in the letter below, she only wrote Rebecca the full story the following year, in the letter dated 22 Aug 1882.

Doubtless you will be surprised to receive a letter from me. I have thought of you so often, and wished you would write to me after my great loss and trouble, but no letter ever came. Cousin I know you have heard all, through Aunt Susan about my dear Husbands sad death, which came so near killing me. He was my life, my all. And yet God took him from me. I do think it is so hard, when others are blessed with kind and loving parents, and Brothers & Sister & and I have neither, ~~yet~~ God saw it, and took my all from me and still is blessing them in the dear love of their husbands and Fathers &c. I look at it sometimes until it nearly kills me and can't help but think it looks unjust but then I know God does all for the best though I can't see now in what way or why it is for the best that my Darling husband was taken from me and his sweet little babe. He was such a devoted husband & father, just idolized his wife and little baby, thought his baby the sweetest child on earth. Cousin I would like so much to see you and talk to you about all my trouble, but want try to write you about it this letter as I think you have heard about all I could write. I thought at one time I would visit Aunt Susan this summer, but I have felt so badly, have not cared to go any where at all. I have not visited any since Mr Dean's death, but all of my friends have been very kind in coming to see me. Cousin Marie Nesbit is now at Eurika Springs Ark. She and Cousin Billie[5] have been out there all summer for her health. I received a letter from her a few days ago, in which she wrote she had been quite well until a few days previous to the letter and she had been suffering with a severe pain in her neck and shoulder. Cousin Billie was well. I have not heard from uncle John Denty but once since Mr Dean's death and that was sometime in the month of March. Mr. Dean died on the first day of Feb, last. Oh! Cousin Rebeca just to think he took his own life when he so much loved me & his little baby. But I know he was crazy or he would never have done it. Poor Darling husband he died in a strange country and away from all that was near and dear to him but he made friends up to the last and they wrote me such kind letters of sympathy, saying how he longed to see me & his little babe, said he would cry like a child & say he would be willing to die if he could see me & his little babe once more. Mrs Bishop said he told her he would be killed that he saw men on the train after him & this is one thing that makes us all know he was crazy, for no one was after him, but on the contrary the man he shot sent to us to send for him & said he was his friend & that he should never be hurt. But alas! he was gone & not one of us knew where he was until we heard of his sad death in Texas. I never saw him after his trouble, he left here and said he would never give up to the officers, that he would die first but that after every thing was over he would come back & stand his trial & if he had all would have been well, for all that knew him said that he was fully justifiable in shooting the man. Cousin he shot the man on Friday & he was doing well on Sunday morning and sent me word that he was much better, could sit up and turn himself over, but some of his hard headed friends wanted to move him because he was at their store & so they did against the wishes of many many & those who told them it would kill him, but they moved him one & a half miles & in less than an hour he was worse and in two he was dead. Oh! if I could see you I would tell you all, but my heart is too full to write any more. I hope to one day visit you. Tell the children to write to me. I would like so much to see them all. Please send me their Photographs. I would appreciate them so much and also yours and your husbands, my cousins but I don't know his given name. Write soon and a long letter. Love to all.

Nesbit, Miss

July 15th, 1882

In looking over a catalogue of Giles College this morning, I was struck with delight at seeing the name of Mr. W. S. Abernathy as one of the well‑known patrons of the school. As I hope this is your husband, or some of your family, I will try and write you another letter. I wrote you fully 18 months ago, and have never received a single word in return, and so I thought you had moved away, or had failed to get my letter ‑ one of the two. I hope this to be the case, and not that you did get my letter, and did not appreciate it enough to answer. But as I see the name Abernathy in the catalogue and your same address, Buford's Station, Tenn, I can't help but have hope, that it is yourself and so I find myself writing again and I do hope my letter will prove to be a welcome little visitor and that in return I may receive a nice long letter from yourself or some of my cousins. Please some of you write to me. I would be so delighted to hear from you. I sometimes think I have the strangest relations in the world any way, they would seem to care for any body, but self, but I am glad I am not that way. I love all of my relatives on both sides as far as I know them and am ever glad to hear from them. I wrote to dear Aunt Susan and she too failed to answer my letter. Uncle John Denty was still living in Holly Springs, Miss when I heard from him last which was about the latter part of May. He wrote he would leave there in a short while for Ark. to live with his son Cousin Dock and I have never heard from him since, but hope he is all right. He lost his wife in Dec. last, and so he is quite alone in the world again the third time, and I reckon the last as he is quite old now, about 74 years old, quite a good old age.

I wrote you all about my husband's death which came near killing me. It was so hard, cousin, to give him up so soon. We were so happy together, each lived to please the other. But I know we all have our troubles sooner or later. My cup it seems is often over run with sorrow. Into each life some rain must fall. Some days may be dark and dreary. We all have our dark days and it seems I have had mine in double measure. Mr. Dean has been dead 18 months now. My little boy will soon be three years old, the 17 of August he will be three. He is a great blessing to me, life would indeed be dark without him. I think sweet and handsome, but of course I think so, but all tell me so. I think him almost perfect. My brother‑in‑law lives with me, also Carrie Cooper my niece, sister Margaret's only living child. She is grown and a heap of company for sure. Brother William Dean has been a devoted brother to me since my husband's death & seems to idolize my boy. He is named after his Papa & Uncle Bill, also both grandfathers. "Simon William Hardy Dean", quite a long name isn't it. We first named him William Hardy, but after Mr. Dean's death added his name which was Simon. Tell Cousin Rebecca[6] I am looking for a cousin to visit me on Ma's side. Uncle David Dotherow's son, he is 25 years of age, just one year younger than myself. I did not know until lately I had any relatives on Mother's side, but by accident have heard from them and find I have many, 2 uncles with large families living in Noxubee Co, Miss. They thought all of us were dead & I thought them all dead of course, as Ma & Pa died so early. I did not know but little about relatives. Will close by asking you to write soon. Love to all & tell some of my cousins to write to me.

Alice Dean

P. S. Please send some of your photographs, all of you if you can, I would appreciate them so much.

Your highly appreciated letter came to hand a few days since and I assure you it was a most welcome little visitor, but I fear I cause you trouble by writing to you, as you cannot find time to answer my poor letters. No Cousin I did not get mad with you for not answering my letters, because I thought you had failed to get them, and not that it was for the want of time to answer them, or because you did not appreciate them enough to answer them. I had hoped you had not received them and you tell me in plain words that you did receive them, but I don't think you have ever received one I wrote you or you would have known all about the sad death of my Husband. I wrote you a long letter soon after his death & told you all about it.

I don't think I can ever write and tell you all in a letter Cousin, as near as I did in one I wrote you more than a year ago, but will try to make the sad affair as plain as possible. Last Feb. was a year ago a strange gentleman (or man) who had married a friend of mine & my Husbands while on a visit in Ark. Moved back here to make this there home as our friends relatives all lived out here and she was not happy in Ark, as her husband drank very hard, so they came here and he was quite friendly with Mr Dean & we loved his wife & they soon became friends & in a few days after he had gotten here, he spoke to Mr Dean about getting a mule on time, from him & Mr Dean didn't know any thing about him & so told him he would see about it, but that he did not think he would have more than what his old custermers would want & so in a few days he let the last mule go as he had made no promise to the man, but he came in town drunk & went to a Brother of Mr Dean who was a partner & told him he had let the mule go he wanted & my Brother said to him he never specifide any mule & that they had never promised to let him have a mule. He then left our Store & said he would see another firm and get one from them, & my Brother told him to do so & he left & went out as Bud Billie[7] thought to see Farrington & Bros, but instead of that he hunted Mr Dean up & cursed him & struck him. When a friend handed Mr Dean a pistol & as he rose from the blow, he fired at the man & shot him, and Mr Dean left without ever seeing me or his brother, his friends told him to go for a few days, until the excitement was all over & so he left & went to friends or was on his way to friends in Texas and before he reached them he killed himself. He was crazy, he could not stand it. He was so noble hearted & true & then to have to leave me and his little baby it killed him. We received one note from him after he left home saying he was fully Justifiable in the act, & that he was on his way home & that he was foolish for ever leaving. All would have been well if he could only have been here, it would not have cost but little. Now dear Cousin I have told you all I can by letter or as near as I can. My poor heart is full. My Darling was such a noble & kind husband, had so many dear friends and all loved him that knew him. I have a number of articles that was written for the papers about his death & would send them to you to read, but am afraid they would get lost, I am keeping them for my little boy. He will never know the love of a devoted father. But I hope to live many years, to love and care for him. At Mr Deans death I wanted to die, I could see nothing to live for, but now, I know it was wrong in me to feel so. I have a heap to live for, a dear sweet little boy, (a part of his Papa) to love & teach to be a noble man, & my prayer may God help me teach him in the way he should go. We received a dispatch from Hearne Texas saying Mr Dean had killed himself & from the way he acted he was crazy, the friend he was on his way to see went to him & took charge of his remains and shiped him back to me & his little baby so cold in death. He had been dead five days before the corpse got here. Oh! Cousin I have seen trouble enough to kill any woman, if it would kill. I loved Mr Dean with all my heart, he was Husband, Father, Mother all in one to me, I looked to him for every thing. I have found a devoted Brother in Mr William Dean, he is the one that I spoke of being in business with Mr Simon Dean my husband. He still lives with me & carries on the Store & other business.

You wanted to know where I lived in Town or on a farm. I live right in Nesbit, have a beautiful little home on the M & T. R. R.[8] Our house cost us one thousand dollars when we got it, but I would not take it doubled now. We have only two acres of ground, have a splendid little orchard garden & other small paches. Mr Dean left me well cared for. He was a member of several societies, The Knights of Honor & a life insurance company. But nothing will ever fill his place in my heart. Well I will close. Please excuse all errors & write soon.

The relationship between Alice and her brother-in-law William J. Dean must indeed have been warm, and increasingly close, for they were married in 1883.

I have thought for a long time I would write to you, but have put it off time and again thinking maybe you would treat me as you did the last time I wrote you, not answer my letter. I have just received a long letter from Aunt Susan saying she had received a letter not long since from your little girl Desie stating that your health was bad & also that of your Mother's. I am quite sorry to hear of your bad health, but hope you are all O.K. Now. I received one letter from Cousin Susie[9] about three years ago and appreciated it so much, answered it immediately and never received a single word in return. Tell her I am still looking for an answer to my letter. Well, Cousin Rebecca I [had] Uncle John Denty to spend the night with me on the 15 of this month. He came on the 3 o'clock train that day & remained until yesterday. He is now at Mr. Sam Johnson's, Cousin Docks father‑in‑law's. Cousin Dock is now out on a visit to his little children & so Uncle John came so as to be with him. You have heard of Cousin Dock's losing his wife.[10] If not, why she died in Ark. about five months ago & he came over with his little children, 5 in number, to their grandfathers, Mr Sam Johnson's, to make their home.

Uncle John asked me about you & seemed very anxious to hear from you, said he would be so happy to visit Aunt Susan and yourself once more during his short stay in this world. He is now in his 77 year of age & in good health & I think one of the happiest men I ever saw. Has a contented mind & this alone is happiness. I do wish you could be with us, think I would be more than happy to hear you all talk. I want you to answer my letter immediately and be sure and write me all the news about your family. Uncle J. & Cousin Dock will remain about a week or more & I want you to please write soon & let them hear from you while here. I will let them see your letter, which will give Uncle John much pleasure. I have one now to show him from Aunt Susan & want one now from yourself. I am not at all well & will have news to tell you in my next.[11] Wish you could be with me. Give me the names of the children & tell them to please send me a photo. My husband & little boy are both well & my little boy is now four years old & is quite a "little man". Wish you could see him. I think I wrote you his name. If not, it is a long one, Simon William Hardy Dean. I will close. Write me soon & a long letter. Love to all.

Your very interesting & more than welcome letter came to hand all O.K. but was too late for Uncle John to see. He didn't stay with us as long as I thought he would. He would have enjoyed reading your letter I know, ever so much, for he seems to think so much of you & then you wrote something about each member of your family, which would have been very interesting to him as well as myself. I always enjoy just such letters & I am glad to know I have so many cousins, & think they all have sweet names, & know they must have pretty faces & loving hearts. I would be so happy to have a photo of them all in a group and this would not cost much. So tell Cousin Abernathy (your husband) to please have them taken & send them to me. You have never told me Cousins name, so I want you to do so in your next letter, so I will know what to call him. And the Aunt.[12] I do think she might have sent me some word in this. I did not know she was living or would have remembered her in all my letters. She must remember I was left a little orphan when young, & then away from them all in another state made quite a difference. Cousin Marie is not like me in disposition (or I am not like her I should have said). She seemed not to care whether she ever heard from any of her relatives or not, & never talked about them to me at all. So all I know now is what I have learned by hunting them up by letter & writting to them. I don't remember that Cousin Marie ever wrote a letter to any of her kin, except Uncle John, during the eight years I lived with her. Kiss Aunt for me & tell her to write me & tell me all about herself. And tell Cousin Susie to write again & not to stop because she makes mistakes, for my letters are full of them, but I hope you will excuse them. My little boy is now talking & running up against me all the time I write, but I hope you will be able to make it out. He is our baby & we all make a great pet of him, will be five years old the 17 of next Aug. My husband seems to love him as devotedly as he could our own child & says he can never love one of his own any better. And William just idolizes his papa. I tell him he loves his papa better than he does his mama & I think he does. Well Cousin, you will have to excuse this letter for I am in pain, though I am still up and able to assist in the house work. I have no help at all except that of a Negro girt 14 years old. I have had her three years. I have a woman to stay with me one month, but she hasn't come yet. Carrie is not with me now, she is keeping house for her Uncle.[13] Cousin Marie Nesbit is still living in Ark. Her health is not good. She will come over on a visit this summer, so she writes. I will try to give you the names of Cousin Ds children, or Nathaniel I think you call him. His eldest a boy named Ervy, his second a girl Lula, next a boy, John R. for Uncle John, next Maggie & then the little baby boy Samuel for his grandpa on his mothers side. Write soon.

Your Cousin

While one necessarily feels sympathy for Alice's emotional plight after the death of her first husband, one also can't help but notice the rather demanding tone in the majority of her letters. Despite such lines as "And the Aunt. I do think she might have sent me some word in this", Rebecca continued the correspondence, although never as frequently as Alice would have liked.

Mrs. Rebecca Abernathy

I received a letter from Aunt Susan Denty not long since, and in her letter to me she wanted to know if I ever heard from any of your family. I answered and told her I did not, but thought I would write you again and see if you would answer my letter. I know I wrote last or at least have never received an answer to my last letter to you. I know you have heard all about Uncle John's death. Cousin Marie told me she had written and told you all about it I think, and so I won't try to say any more as she knows more about his death & illness than I do. The last time I ever saw him he spoke so lovingly about you, "said he had two nieces he loved as well or almost as well as he did Marie" and that was yourself & I did love Uncle John and know he was a good man, & I think he is now in a blessed home, Heaven. I do wish some of you would write to me. You have so many children looks like some of you might write once & awhile anyway. My little baby boy has been sick all summer, but is better now & I do hope he will soon be well. We have all been on the sick list this year, but are all up now & looking better the last few days. I recond Cousin Marie wrote & told you a little about our Va. kin folks. The Denty's out there? Greatgrandchildren of Jonathan Denty's the same we are. They live at Springman P.O. Fairfax Co. Va. I correspond with one or two of them & have their photographs, Miss Annie Denty, Messrs Alex & Frank Denty. I would very much like to meet them. They are our cousins & quite a number live out there.[14]

William and the children are both very well, but the baby is very fretful, has had a very sore throat & mouth & suffered very much with it. I have a young lady cousin of mine on my Mothers side visiting me and is still with us. She is a Miss Dotherow, my mothers brothers daughter, lives about two hundred & fifty miles from here at Brookville, Miss. She is fine looking and takes well with all. Well I will close. Write soon. Love to all & a kiss for yourself. Please send me photos of you all.

Your loving cousin

Alice O. Dean

The next letter was written just after the death of Alices's aunt Susan Kent Denty in Huntsville, a death which resulted in doubts regarding the proper dispersal of her estate. Susan's numerous Denty heirs questioned many practices and claims on the part of the O'Reilly family, former boarders of Susan.

Received your very welcome letter not more than a week or so ago, and was quite glad to hear from you, was glad to know you were all alive and well. I read your letter and then sent it to Cousin Marie to read and sent her word to write you, but have not heard whether she did or not. Cousin Bill, her husband also read the letter and as he had read and practiced law I thought he knew more about it than any of us & so asked his advice, and he said he would write and find out about Aunt Susan's business, how it was at her death and now. And then he would know more about what to do.

I am like you about it, think some of us should go and see after it. I did receive a letter from Mrs. Radford[15] about Aunt's death, also funeral notice, but no dispatch whatever. The letter was written by Mrs. Radford and in it she said Aunt died without a will and that during her illness she never spoke of death a single time. I had not heard from Aunt Susan for a long time before her death, not since shortly after Uncle John's death. On the letter written by Mrs. Radford to me was added a postscript, written by a man by the name of James P. O'Reilly, administrator, saying "Mrs. Dean your Aunt's debts over run the value of her house & lot". This is all that was said by him, but Mrs. Radford went on to say Aunt had every attention given to her by her mother's family and that her brother had her buried in as elegant a casket as was in Huntsville beside her father and mother.[16] She also wrote that brother had dispatched to you but did not say any thing about having sent a dispatch to me and I thought a little strange about this but then I took the second thought and that was that you knew them & had visited Aunt and I had not, but now I fear they never sent to any of us and they can will get all they can. I sent the letter & funeral notice to Cousin Marie to read when I received them and as she had nothing to say and was older than myself and I thought knew better, I never said a thing, only to my husband about it. I thought of course you knew all about it and am surprised to find out you knew nothing. I will now stop writing about this business and tell you about our home and little ones. We are all well now. Think I wrote you about poor little Tommie my second boy. He was sick and could not walk for quite three years but is all o.k. now and is one of the smartest boys you ever saw and finer looking with it.

I have four children, three by my present husband & our eldest boy by my first, Willie, is now nine years old but well grown to his age and attending school every day, stands well with DeLacy[17] in school. Little Mary Alice comes next. She is our only girl and a great pet with her papa and our baby boy Oscar David is my best baby. He is the only good baby we have ever had and so can appreciate him. He is the baby and is not quite eight months old yet, has two teeth. Wish so much you could come and see them all. Cousin Marie was over to see Cousin Dock on train_____ not long since. He lost his second wife[18] this last Spring and so has had a sad time of it. He was on a visit to see us this Summer and spoke of you, said he would like so much to see you again & how well he remembered his visit to your house during the war & how you met him &c. He now lives at Donaldson, Ark. Two of his children are out here, Irven his eldest & his youngest by his first wife. Cousin M has the youngest Sammy. Irvine is with his grandma.[19] Well, I will close for this time, hoping you will be able to read this letter and that you will excuse me for writing with pencil as it is the Sabbath and I have no ink from the store. Love to dear Aunt and all of your family. Send me a photo of yourself and family when you write, and write soon.

It has been quite a while since I last wrote to you and I do hope you will excuse me for my long delay. I received both your letter and your photo[20] and should have answered long since and thanked you for them. I have had sickness is the reson why I have not written long ago. My baby boy has been quite ill I feared that we would loose him, but he is all 0.K. now or about well. He is cutting teeth now, which goes hard with the little man.

It seems that some of us are always sick. My husband has had a very bad cough for two or three months and I am a little uneasy about him, but hope he will soon be well. Well cousin I think your photo so much like Aunt Susan and your little boy is such a sweet little fellow. Thank him for me for the picture I do appreciate them all so much. Keep on & send me one of each one of your family & I will return the favor soon.

Well Cousin Dock Denty has been over to see us since I heard from you & we had a long talk about you all & he said he would go home & write to you. Did he do so, or not? He seemed glad to hear from you all spoke of his visit to your house during the war, and how well pleased he was with you all. I am more anxious now than ever since he has talked so much about you to me. Wish so much you could come to see me, think we might visit each other. Can't you come to see me? You have so many girls you can leave at home, where I have no body at all, but a negro girl. I can't leave home at all or at least I never leave to stay any length of time. Well how is your garden? We have had mustard, lettuce, onions and radish's but our garden is not as early this year as it always is.

And I have 2 or three little chickens and 15 chicken hens setting & three turkeys, yes four turkey hens setting so if I have good luck I can give you turkey to eat when you come to see us. Well you wanted to know how far Cousin Marie, Laura[21] and them lived from me. Well Cousin M. lives in this place in sight of me also Carrie, Sister Margaret's daughter, and Laura Johnson fives at Horn Lake about 8 miles from me on the same R. R. M & T. She was to see me not long since. And by the way, she said she would pay her part and so did Cousin Dock. He said tell your husband to go ahead that he was the proper one to try to get Aunts property & that he would do his part about it, not that he could do much about the estate but he wanted Aunts rights and that is what we all want, Cousin James[22] to get it if he can. We know he is the one to try to get it any way. Hope all will come out all right. Will close for this time. Write soon & let me hear all the news. Love to all the kin and a heap for yourself. Cousin Marie Nesbit's health is very bad.

I think I wrote the last letter dear cousin, but as I am quite anxious to hear from you will write again. I never write a letter to many, unless I get an answer, but will not do you this way, as I would not like for you to treat me so. I have had but little time to write this summer. It takes all of my time it seems to attend my husbands mouth and the little ones & when I do have any leasure time I go over to see Cousin Marie. Poor woman. She suffers so much. I fear she will not live much longer as she now has Consumption. Her left lung is gone so her last Dr. says & her right is diseased & have told them she could not get well but about all that could be done was to keep her stimulated. I was over to see her this eve. She seemed to be suffering very much and was quite nervous. Could not see any of her friends but said she wanted me to come though she was very nervous indeed. I do feel so sorry for her. She can't bear her pain with any patients. She is looking for Cousin Dock and his new wife[23] to see her. They wrote they would be hereabout this week. They will take his little child[24] she has back with them as she is not able to care for him. Poor little fellow doesn't want to go back at all. Cousin Marie has no children & so made a pet of him & now her health has failed her, she will have to give him up. It will be sad for both. Well Cousin, I will now tell you a little about our little family. They are all asleep now but myself and my c girl and she is almost asleep. I wont have her company many minutes. William is not very well, has had a cough for some time. My baby is now 18 months old & is a fine little chap & just as smart as can be.[25] The rest are all up, but I am not very well having been having fevers though I keep out of the bed and go all the time at some kind of work sewing or something. Wish you could come to see us. Love to all & write soon.

Yours lovingly

Alice Dean

Your letter received and read with great pleasure and I should have answered ere this but it seemed I could not find a chance to do so. Cousin Marie was dead ere I received it. She died the 13 of last month after suffering so much. Her whole life was one of pain and then she died so hard so all said present at death. She knew she was going to die sometime before her death, talked to many of her friends about death, and give full instructions about her death and burial. Sent for our Pastor and talked to him and told him the Text to preach from at her funeral and about how long he must talk at the grave etc. She thought of all of her friends both far & near and give near all as she could a little keepsake of some kind though Cousin Docks two daughters got the most she had, and some of the Nesbits. She give off everything & sent a great many presents off before her death & those she could not see or send to she had locked up and put away before she died so they could get them. She was a woman of great peculiarities and carried them to her grave. She had her dress made & brought to her bedside for her to look at & ordered her casket & had them keep her out of the earth until the third day after her death in imitation of our Savior's resurrection and her funeral was preached from this portion of the Bible. Lula Denty is now over here. She came before her death and is still out here at her grandmothers about 6 miles from us. She is quite fine looking. Wish you could see her. She is Cousin Dock's oldest daughter and second child. She will leave for home soon. I am looking for her here this eve. She was here a week ago today and said she would be back in a few days to stay some with me before she left for home. Well I will tell you a little about my little family. Mr Dean is not well but up, he has an awful cough. The children too have bad colds but never stop for any thing but to eat & cry, they do enough of both in this way. Well I will close. Write soon & give my best love to all.

I fear you think hard of me for not answering your letter ere this, but some of us have been sick with first Catarrhal Fever and then La Grippe.[26] I was quite sick for several weeks with Catarrhal Fever & am not well of it yet and now, I have La Grippe. William, Mary and Oscar our baby all have it also, but we are all up and able to work. Seven of us were sick at one time with Catarrhal Fever but it hurt me more than any of our family. I had fever for twenty odd days and a fearful cough and it has left one side of my head effected yet, & I bleed at my nose every day and suffer with headache. I think my condition has something to do with it. I am in the same fix Cousin Mollie[27] is and will be confined in March or April so I can sympathize with her though she is blessed to what I am: I have no mother, or mother‑in‑law or sisters to look after me where she has both and Dr. for her husband. I always take the blues before hand for fear I want yet some one to stay with me that will be good & kind to my little children. My husband trys to get the best, but love nor money won't pay sometimes sufficiently for them to do their duty, unless some white person is there to watch after them. Mr Dean's business is such he can't leave it in the Spring and Fall and it keeps them quite busy to attend to the wants of the people. Their minds are never at rest it seems. Cousin Bill Nesbit was in to see us last eve and read your letter, but before he had finished reading quite a crowd of young ladies came in, and he did not say but little about it. He said he would send you one of Cousin Maries Memorial Cards. And about the Denty's peculiarities I am like your self, know but very little. My father died when I was quite small, only eleven years old and I don't remember any of them except Cousin Marie and Uncle John. He was a good Christian and a Methodist and a good man. The Dentys were always said to be proud, but about this I know but little. I know my Pa was & all I knew of them. I will be 33 this July. I am the youngest child & only living one of our family & Cousin Dock is the only one of Uncle Johns. He has two children grown or about it. One of my sisters[28] left three children, two of them are married & one single. One[29] is living about 8 miles from me. She lives at Horn Lake and is doing well has three little children and her brother is married also but not doing so well.[30] My other sister left only one. She lives here & has two sweet little ones. [31]

P.S. Please excuse this and will write soon. Love to all of your family & send pictures to me of all. I will try and send you some soon.

I was looking over some of my letters this eve, and among them was one from you written May 11^th & I have forgotten whether I ever answered it or not. I think I have for I know I have thought of you often & wished for a letter from you, for I always enjoy your letters so much & wish I could hear oftener than I do. I am forgetful now, and often forget whether I have answered letters or not, but if I should don't stop for you have so much better chance to write than I, have so many large girls to take Mama's place while she writes, but poor me have no one but myself that will half do. Negros will not do, only when they are compelled to do and then only half way. I would give anything if only I had one girl old enough to take hold and do with me. I have five little chaps and my oldest is only 11 years old & a boy, & then next a boy 6 years & then my only girl four years & then my 2 year old boy & little boy baby he will be 6 months old tomorrow & has on short dresses. I had his picture taken in long dresses & they are splendid, could not be more like him than they are. Write and tell me if you have a large size photo of Tommie? I think I sent you one and also one of Mary but I don't think you have one of Willie, but let me know and I will try to send you one of each of them that you havn't got. Have you one of Oscar? Let me know when you write & be sure & tell Cousin Mollie to send me one of herself, husband & babe. Send me one of the Aunt's, and Cousin Jas and send one of all the children. I do appreciate pictures of my relatives so much and I can't see them & talk face to face with them so I want to see a photo of each one of them. Love to all of the girls & tell them to write to me. Dear Coz – Susie wrote me one or two sweet letters several years & then I heard no more from her. I would be so glad to have you all come to see us, can't some of you come. You wanted to know if I were getting grey? Well I have a few grey hairs, but not many. And about Aunt Susan's picture I have only one and would like so much to get a copy of the one taken soon after Grandma's death as she was younger then. I have but one of Cousin Marie & that is a large one in a frame of herself and Cousin Billie. Tell me something more about your washing machine. I fear we will all have our own washing to do out here for negros are getting so they do not like to wash at all. Tell me how much you had to pay for it & how you have to work it&c & give me the address so I can get one if I wish. I have the barrel churn & like it fine. I will send you a photo of my baby boy. "Henry Denty Dean" is his name. Love to all & a heap for yourself. Write soon.

P.S. I forgot to tell you how we are all getting on &c. Mr. Dean has gone to see his old father this eve, carried little Tom with him, my oldest boy by him. And the children all went to S. School this morning & little Mary Alice was given 25¢ for being such a sweet little girl. Willie my oldest boy is doing well at school now, got a splendid report this month and the teacher complimented him very much, said she was proud of him. I wish I could show you all of my children. I think like all mothers that they are all sweet &c.

We have all very good health since I wrote you last until here lately, have had fis___ &c. Little babe & myself were both sick enough to have a Dr. with us last week, but are both up now. William is very well, but still coughs some at times. How is your garden? We have second crop of beans and potatoes, also other things but our potatoes are fine. Come and see us. We have had no fruit this year & can't promise you any caned fruit but will try to make you pleasant if in our power. Love to all again. Write soon. Goodbye.

I have been waiting and watching for a nice long letter from you for so long, but not one word have I yet. Do please answer my last letter. It has been so long since I wrote I have forgotten when it was but several months, and no answer yet.

You had just returned from spending sometime with Cousin Mollie & a new babe and I wrote and asked you to send me a photo of them all but have never received a one yet. Hope you will not forget me when you have some taken. Times are awful, awful dull and hard here, no money to be had hardly. Merchants have had a hard year and times are hard with them all though we have been blessed to some. My husband stands a head or among the best in this country. He would have been blessed in every way, but stood for a brother of his in the merchantile business and the business was new to him and consequently he lost money and my husband stands for the debt. He will have to buy him out and pay the debt, which is quite hard, and money is so scarce with every body. Mr Dean had been in successfully in the merchantile business and had made a nice little sum of money & land ahead, but I feel we are still blessed to some of our merchants in this place. He stands better than any we have in this place and his merchants tell him in Memphis that he is the best man on their books. But enough of this. You are not like me think of his business. Hope you are all well and happy and that this may be a happy New Year with you all. John R. Denty, Cousin Docks boy from Ark, has been over to see us. They were all well and Cousin Dock has a new boy baby.[32] Lula his eldest daughter is married. Laura Johnston, my sisters oldest child, died last June, left three sweet little children, one girl & two boys. Mr J. I think is trying to get them a new Mama. Don't take long for men to forget.

Cousin Billie Nesbit has tryed some to marry so all say but has not found the right one yet so he says. Write and tell me all the family news. How is Auntie now. She was not very well when you wrote last. My old man is not very well, nor but 2 of the children have awful colds & coughs. We have all been sick with colds since Xmas night. Head quite a time that night with a negro rober. He came in the house at 4 o'clock in the morning (or we didn't find out until that hour). We have no idea what he would have done but my little babe in the crib by my bed cryed & Mr Dean got up to give him to me when up jumped a big buck negro in our room. He give three jumps and was out the door and then he fell to just as he got to the door. He got a gold watch out of Mr Deans pockets and did not have time or would have got money also out of my trunk as he was near it when we woke up. We all flew about in our night dreses and never thought a thing about our dress until all was over and it made us all sick, that and fright together. I can hardly stand to stay alone at all since, feel like that negro is over me all the time. We think he will be caught yet, 15 or 20 shots were fired at him last Friday night by a party of men & they had their hands on him & then let him get away. Mr Dean will have him arested tomorrow I think and I hope he and others will get their watches back. Mr Dean & his nephew fired 3 shots but did not see him after he shut the door. I will close. Write soon and a long, long letter. With much love to all I am your loving cousin

In Alice's next letter, the family is once again involved with the lengthy probate of Susan Kent Denty's estate. Alice's own concern might have been heightened by the economic hard times she had described in a previous letter.

As I have not heard a word from you in sometime will write tonight though we are all sick & I am sitting up with my little girl now. She had been quite sick today or this eve, Temp. 103 though better now, & and is now sleeping nicely. We are all sick with La Grippe. Win D. myself and four of the children have been sick with it & three of them are still ill. Mr Dean & I are almost ready to give up, but can't. No one can take our place. Hope all are well with you all. Well I will try and tell you the latest news. Col. W. T. Nesbit is married and gone to New Orleans with his bride. And by the way he has been writing to those lawers at Huntsville and I don't think he had his mind on what he was doing & hope Cousin Jim will see about it. They wrote and asked him all about who were the heirs of William Denty, Thomas Denty, John R Denty & when & where was Elizabeth Ward, or John Milton Denty. Cousin Bill didn't know any thing about them & I don't know much but will write all I know & you can do what ever you think best. A letter was written to my father by Uncle Milton Denty I think in the year 1869 just before his death but he never saw it as the letter was directed to Pleasant Hill, Miss & my father had been gone from this state several years & was in Ark at the time & died & never rec'd the letter, but it was published in the County paper out here & Sister Susan Cooper sent to Hernando or Pleasant Hill & got it & read it so her husband (Mr Cooper) tells me & as she died in a very short time the letter was misplaced & has never been found though Mr Cooper says he read the letter & knows it was from Milton Denty & that he was living up North somewhere but can't tell the add. And Aunt Ward or Lizzie was in Texas so Uncle John said when he heard from her last but I can't tell how long it has been nor nothing about it. My father as I wrote before left three children, namely Mrs Susan E. Cooper, Mrs Margaret Ann Denty or Cooper (I should have said) and myself. Sister Susan died & left 3 children, namely Laura, Willie & Olie Cooper. Margaret died & left one child Carrie Cooper now married to Mr Lee Lewis. And Uncle John only had two children as you all know, Cousin Marie & Cousin Dock or Nathaniel as you all call him, & Cousin Dock is living & can speak for himself, but I want to know is Cousin Bill Nesbit rightly an heir? Cousin Marie is dead & never had a child & it was not her property but an Aunt's, now it seems to me it should go back to cousin Dock or to all of us. Am I right or not? Some think Cousin Bill will get it & others do not. If it is rightly his I for one am willing, but if not I say not. Do the lawyers know his wife is dead & left no heirs nor never had any? Please see into this & oblige. Mr Caroll Cooper says he will go and see the lawers & tell them all he knows about the family & do all he can for us if we want him but I told him Cousin Jim Abernathy was attending to it, but heard today that Cousin Bill N. said he was attending to it. Now please do not let on about what I have written, but see about it.

Mr Cooper has a relative now living in Memphis who came from Huntsville & says his family all knew Aunt Susan & as well as he could remember he thought her worth two thousand dollars but that he might be mistaken. Please let me hear from you all soon and keep what I have written to yourself as I do not want to cause hard feelings but only want our rights.[33] Please excuse me for little Mary is quite sick & I will have to attend to her. Write soon & a long letter. I think I wrote last & told you about getting a letter from Cousin Dock? If not, I did & he is willing to do any way you do or say do. With much love to each & everyone I now bid you each a good night. God bless you all.

The above 1891 letter was the last Alice wrote to Rebecca Denty Abernathy. Perhaps Rebecca ceased answering her letters. But also, Simon William Hardy Dean, Alice's son by her first husband, died in 1894.[34] By 1900 the Dean family had moved to Gainesville in Hancock County, Mississippi, located on the Gulf Coast west of Biloxi, Mississippi and northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, just over Lake Pontchartrain. When the family was enumerated there in 1900, William described himself as a farmer.

Alice died in Hancock County in 1926. By her second husband William, she had seven children, at least three of whom lived over ninety years:

Birth year based upon 1880 Census; supported by a letter Alice wrote in 1890 stating that her father died when she was only eleven.

Birth date of Simon Dean: 1850. Parents were Hardy and Cynthia Dean; brothers Thomas Jefferson and William J. Dean. [Louise Rourke, 6 Feb 1993]

Marriage 1: 26 Nov 1877. Murray, Computer Indexed Marriage Records 1843-1900: Desoto County, Mississippi, p. 78. IGI supplies marriage date of 27 Nov.

Alice wrote on 6 Feb 1884 that she had lived with Marie Denty Nesbit for 8 years before her marriage in 1877. In letter dated 12 Aug 1874 from Avie Webb to Elizabeth Abernathy Denty, Avie wrote that Marie Denty Nesbit "was in very bad health and was then at Bailey's Springs and that she had a cousin living with her by the name of Alice Denty". [Alice Denty Dean, 6 Feb 1889: Copy appearing in Abernathy and Smith, The Descendants of Thomas Jefferson Denty and Elizabeth Abernathy Denty]

1880 CENSUS, Nesbit, Desoto Co, MS: "Simon Dean" = Merchant age 30; Alice age 24, MS AL AL; 10 month old William born Aug 1879; brother William J. age 34; niece/boarder Carry Cooper age 18, MS MS MS. [ED 61, p. 17]

According to Louise Rourke, the story handed down in the Dean family was that Simon shot a man and fled to Arkansas where he eventually committed suicide in remorse. The problem was, the victim hadn't died after all. In the Dean Family Cemetery is grave of "Simon A. Dean, Son of Hardy and Cynthia". [Bell and Scott, Desoto Cemetery Inscriptions, p. 78] "S.A. Dean, dec'd" can be found in Docket 3, p. 212, Case #1380 of the Estate Records.

19 Oct 1882: Alice O. Dean and Simon W. H. Dean, "heirs at law of S. A. Dean", purchased lot on east side of public square in Nesbit Station, "now occupied by Dean Brothers", from J.J. Gartrell, former member of "S. A. Dean & Co". [Deed Book 3, p. 572]

13 May 1891: Named in Madison Co, AL probate proceedings as one of the heirs of Susan K. Denty, dec'd. Alice is described as the "wife of William Dean, a resident at Nesbit's Station", MS. [Probate Record, Vol. 38, p. 74]

Probably moved from Desoto Co to Hancock Co abt 1894 or 1895 when daughter Cynthia Ellen was three years old. According to Louise Rourke, he went there "to do logging".

1900 CENSUS, Gainesville, Hancock Co, MS: Farmer William H. Dean born Jul 1845, age 54, MS TN TN, married 17 years; Alice born Jul 1956, mother of 8 with 7 living, MS AL AL; Thomas 16, born Mar 1884; Mary A. 14, born Mar 1886; Oscar 12, born Mar 1888; Henry D. 10, born Apr 1890; Syntha 8, born Jun 1892; Willie H. 4, born Jul 1895; Aaron 1, born Dec 1898. [ED 24, Sheet 18]

[1] Marie Denty Nesbit, 18 Jun 1877 and 1 Dec 1877.

[2] Susan Kent Denty

[3] Alice may have been referring to a Family Bible.

[4] In the mid-nineties this photograph was in the possession of Mrs. Alma MacArthur of Pearlington, Mississippi.

[4a] Transcription by Nancy Breidenthal from original contributed by Kevin Kennedy

[5] Marie's husband William T. Nesbit.

[6] As the letter was written to Rebecca, it's unclear to whom Alice was referring.

[7] William Hardy Dean.

[8] Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad.

[9] Susan Kent Abernathy, another of Rebecca's daughters.

[10] Nancy Johnston Denty, Dock's first wife.

[11] Alice was pregnant with Thomas A. Dean, born in March 1884.

[12] Elizabeth Abernathy Denty, Rebecca's mother.

[13] Carrie Cooper was the daughter of Alice's sister Margaret Denty Cooper. Her uncle was presumably Carroll Cooper, with whom Carrie had lived after her mother's death.

[14] Unfortunately, none of the photos they sent to Alice were preserved.

[15] Mary O'Reilly Radford.

[16] Susan was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery next to her parents, John and Susannah Denty.

[17] William Delacey Abernathy, Rebecca's son.

[18] Laura Johnston Denty.

[19] Minerva Leonard Johnston.

[20] Like the photo from the "Fairfax Dentys", this was apparently not saved.

[21] Laura Cooper Johnston, who died in June of the following year, was the daughter of Susan Elizabeth Denty Cooper.

[22] James Abernathy, Rebecca's husband.

[23] Kate Riley Denty.

[24] Samuel Johnston Denty.

[25] Oscar David Dean.

[26] "Catarrhal" referred to an inflammation of mucous membranes, usually as a result of cold or allergy. "La Grippe" was influenza.

[27] Mary Hardaway Abernathy Campbell, Rebecca's daughter.

[28] Susan Elizabeth Denty Cooper.

[29] Laura Cooper Johnston.

[30] Alice is referring to William Cooper, who was born in 1864.

[31] Margaret Ann Denty Cooper, Alice's sister, had daughter Carrie Cooper Lewis.

[32] Nathaniel Wynne Denty.

[33] Alice eventually received $25.06 from Susan's estate.

[34] The dates on his tombstone in Cedar Rest Cemetery are 17 Aug 1879 and 28 Jun 1894.

Chapter 15

Alice Denty Dean

August 10 1878

Your devoted cousin

Alice O. Dean

Nesbit, Miss

July 15th, 1882

Alice Dean

Your Cousin

Mrs. Rebecca Abernathy

Your loving cousin

Alice O. Dean

Yours lovingly

Alice Dean