MALINDA ANN DEAN 1829

Panola Co. TX

(By great-grandson Gary D. Duke 2005)

Malinda Ann Dean was born August 31, 1829 in Lowndes County, Alabama. She was the eighth of nine children born to her parents, John Madison Dean and Nancy Ann Matthews (her name in the records is sometimes spelled "Mathis" but I will use only Matthews in this sketch)

John Madison Dean was born about 1784 reportedly "at sea" but both of his younger brothers, James Minton Dean and Jarret Dean, were born in North Carolina. The "at sea" contention remains to be proven. His parents were "probably" John Dean and Elizabeth Minton but this remains clouded.

Nancy Ann Matthews was born about 1790 in South Carolina. It is believed she was a daughter of Thomas Matthews who lived in Laurens County, SC.

In the 1830 US Census for Alabama, John M. Dean lived in Lowndes County. The record lists: 1 male 40-50, 1 female 30-40, 1 male 15-20, 1 female 15-20, 1 female 10-15, 1 male 5-10, 2 females 0-5. .

John and Nancy had another daughter Elizabeth, born January 1835 in Alabama.

As Elizabeth was the last child, and John M. Dean is no longer found anywhere, it appears he died before 1840, presumably in Lowndes County (although it has been reported by others that he died in Dale County)

About 1846, Malinda's brother, Jarret Dean born in 1813, moved west with his family from Alabama, settling in Upshur County, Texas, about 50 miles west of the Louisiana border. His wife was Mary Jane Phillips and they brought four children from Alabama and had four more in Upshur. He also brought along his wife's parents, George and Elizabeth Phillips and her 15 yr old sister Mary.

In the 1850 US Census, Nancy Dean is living in Lowndes. She is 60, born in South Carolina. Living with her are her two youngest daughters, Malinda, now 21 and Elizabeth, now 15. Minton Dean lives nearby with his family.

On July 1, 1852, when she was 23, Malinda married in Lowndes County to 54 year old George Washington Jeter. Wash Jeter then lived in Panola County, Texas, and he immediately returned there, taking along his new wife. Their home in Texas was only three or four miles west of the Louisiana border.

In Panola County, Malinda found she was now the step-mother of nine, with three of them being older than she was! She and Wash began to have their own children:

1. George Washington Jeter, Jr 05-20-1853

2. Ora Mae Jeter 01-19-1855

3. Argulus Beauregard Jeter 03-19-1858

Back in Lowndes County, Malinda's mother Nancy died before 1860.

The Civil War began in 1861 and, in 1862, four of Malinda's step-sons joined the Confederate Army in Panola but all of her own children were too young to be involved in the War. She had two more children during the war, both named (by Wash, I'm certain) after Confederate luminaries, the President and a General.

4. Jefferson Davis Jeter 05-09-1861

5. Zollie Coffer Jeter 02-13-1864

Wash Jeter died in 1866 so Malinda was now a 37 year old widow with five children under 13 years of age, the youngest was only two years old. The record isn't clear as to how she managed her affairs, nor is it clear that she inherited any of Wash Jeter's estate. She did have several step-children living around her, with one, Eleazer A. Jeter born in 1821, living on an adjacent farm. It must be assumed that these other family members assisted Malinda and her children.

Malinda's family is not found in the 1870 US Census but they continued living in Panola.

It is interesting to note that her brother, Jarret Dean, was still living about 50 miles west in Upshur County. He owned 320 acres of land and, on December 30, 1872, he "gave" a portion of his land to a railroad company with the proviso that they build a line through his land and found a city there to be called "Gladewater". The railroad was built, the town was founded and it still exists today with a 2000 population of 6,100 people. Until this time, this area had been in Upshur County but in 1873 the new county of Gregg was created.

Malinda's older brother, Daniel Franklin Dean, shortly after 1870 moved his family from their home in Alabama to Anderson County, Texas. Daniel had married Anne Jeter Hatley March 14, 1837 in Montgomery County, Alabama. She was a daughter of Anderson Hatley and Mary Jeter. This Mary Jeter was a younger sister of George Washington Jeter......so.....Daniel F. Dean's mother-in-law (Mary Jeter) was a sister of his brother-in-law (George Washington Jeter). Anderson County is about 75 miles due west from Panola and about 30 miles southwest of Gladewater, Texas. Daniel Dean died there April 17, 1874.

About 1874, Malinda's daughter, Ora Mae, married in Panola to William Monroe Holt.

In 1876, Malinda's first son, Wash Jr, married in Panola to Louella Fortson.

On June 11, 1880, the US Census shows Malinda still living in Panola. She is now 50 years old and her sons, Arg 19, Jeff 18, and Zollie 16, are all still living at home. Son Wash Jr lives nearby with his wife and two young daughters. On the farm adjacent to Malinda is Eleazer (Eli) Jeter, now 57 with three daughters and a son living at home, and two more of his sons, Henry and Thomas are now married and live nearby with their families.

Not long after this census was taken, Malinda with her three sons and her daughter Ora Mae Holt with her husband Monroe, Eli Jeter with his family and both his sons, Henry & Thomas with their families, all moved away from Panola. They moved together, first going to Kaufman County where they lived for two years. While in Kaufman, Malinda's son, Argulus, married to Rebecca Henrietta Cox on October 12, 1880.

In 1882 they all moved again, about 40 miles further west, to the town of Argyle in Denton County.

In Upshur County, Malinda's brother, Jarret Dean, died on Feb 13, 1883

Malinda's son Jeff Jeter decided to return to Panola and he married there on April 3, 1887, to Dora Alexander.

In Argyle, Eli Jeter died on June 2, 1891 and his wife Martha died there on November 16, 1894.

But Malinda and her sons, Arg (as he was called) and Zollie, and the children of Eli Jeter, sons Henry, Thomas and Edmond, and daughters Nettie and Rupert, had all moved again, about 50 more miles west into Wise County where they all settled west of the City of Bridgeport near present-day Lake Bridgeport.

On December 15, 1889, son Zollie married in Wise County to Margaret Scoggins.

In the June 8, 1900 US Census, Malinda was 70 years old, and living in the Willow Point District of Wise County in the household of her son Argulus Jeter. Arg is now 42 years old, his wife Henrietta is 40, and they have eight children ranging from 18 down to one. Nearby in the City of Bridgeport lived son Zollie Jeter, now 36, with his wife, Maggie, and three small children. Her son Jeff Jeter, still lived in Panola County in 1900 with his wife Dora, and four children. Her first son, Wash Jeter Jr, still lived in Panola with his wife and now has ten children. Also nearby in Wise County, was Henry E. Jeter, son of Eli, with his wife and five children.

Malinda Ann Dean Jeter died January 29, 1907 in Wise County and is buried there in the Wilson Prairie Cemetary. She lived 76 years and 5 months. She was married once for fourteen years, had five children and forty grandchildren!