John Melville DEAN

DEAN, LEMBKE, MOORE, HEMSTEAD, KELLER, SPITLER, HILL, POTTS, MARTY, PORTER, BROWN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 10/11/2014 at 15:47:16

February 10, 1848 --- August 16, 1923

Death of J. M. Dean
John M. Dean, one of our well-known and respected citizens, died at 10 o'clock Thursday morning at the family home in the west part of town. He was about 74 years of age and leaves a wife and seven children. A proper obituary will be published next week. The funeral will be held from the Christian church at 5 o'clock, and burial will be in the Meridian cemetery.

Meridian Times - Meridian, Idaho
August 17, 1923

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John Melville Dean was born in Steuben county, Indiana, on February 10, 1848, and died at Meridian, Idaho, on August 16, 1923, aged 75 years, 6 months and 6 days. At the age of four years he moved to Iowa [Goldfield, Wright County, Iowa] with his parents. They were among the early pioneers and knew many of the hardships. They escaped the Indian massacre by leaving the neighborhood.

In the year 1868 he moved to Kansas, and in 1870 he was united in marriage to Nancy Jane Moore. After a time they returned to Iowa and later moved to Kansas again. To them ten children were born: three of whom died in infancy. Those surviving are the widow and the following children: Mrs. Anna Spitler, Clarion, Iowa; Mrs. Jane Hill, Topeka, Kansas; Elbert L. Dean, Meridian; Mrs. Mattie Potts, Blanca, Col; Mrs. Pearl Marty, St. Maries, Idaho; Mrs. Mina Porter, Melvern, Kansas; and Ray A. Dean, Gypsum, Kansas. Besides these he leaves twenty grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He also leaves an aged sister, Mrs. Mary J. Brown, and the following nieces; Mrs. Ella Hemstead, Mrs. J. B. Keller, and Mrs. L. R. Lembke of this place. He was a kind and devoted husband and father and highly respected by all of his friends and neighbors.

The burial was in the Meridian cemetery. The local Christian minister, Arthur A. Harriman, preached the funeral sermon.

Meridian Times -- Meridian Idaho
August 24, 1923