| Notes |
- RICHARD DEAREN and his wife (Revised 18 Feb 1998)
Richard Dearen was born about 1716-1726 in Virginia, possibly Amelia County. He died in Bedford County, VA, before 23 July 1792, when his inventory and appraisement were recorded in the County Court. We do not have a marriage record for Richard. Jemima Dearing [sic] was his administrator. But if she was his wife, she was at least a secondwifeand very much younger than he--probably younger than some of hischildren.For her children were marrying between 1801-1812. Jemima may have been a favored widowed daughter-in-law.
We do not know the names of Richard's parents.
COURT RECORDS
TAX RECORDS Richard is found listed in the tax records of Amelia County, VA thusly: 1746 in"the upper part of the county". 1747, 1750 and 1751 "above Saylors Creek". 1752 "above Saylors Creek" and"above Flatt Creek" 1754 "Nottaway Parish, upper end" 1755 "between Flatt and Nibbs Creeks" 1756 "Nottaway Parish, upper end" 1761 "below Deep Creek in Raleigh Parish" 1762-63-64 "Nottaway Parish, upper end" Richard was paying taxes in Amelia County by 1746 in "the upper part of the county", so we believe he was born 1720-1726. For you will note that the reference book started recording taxes paid in 1736. If Richard were in the county by 1736, he was either too young to have accumulated property or without taxable property to pay taxes before 1746.
The Court Order Book 1, page 253A The Court Laid the County Levy as Follows: ...Edward Booker & Richard Dearing, 2 young wolves 140. This writer assumes, from the context of other charges that the county paid citizens to kill or capture wolves.
CENSUS RECORDS
The earliest census taken in 1782 lists William and Richard. Richard is listed with 4 "white souls" in his household Dearen, Richard
State: VA
County: Amelia Co.
Page #: 13
Census/Enumeration year: 1782
Age ranges in household: 04-00
In the 1785 census William Dearran is listed, with no out buildings.Richard now has 5 members in his household, 2 dwellings and 1 outbuilding. Since this writer suspects that Richard had a second much younger wife, the addition of one white soul to his household might indicated the conjectured second marriage had taken place recently. By this date, Richard must have been about 60 years old.
In 1787 there was "an accounting of the name of every white maletithable over 21 years; the number of white males between 16 & 21 years; the number of slaves over 16 & those under 16 years; together with a listing of their horses, cattle & carriages..." Richard Dearin was charged with tax in Bedford County, VA. He had 1 black over 16, 1 black under 16, 3 horses, mares, colts or mules, and 3 cattle.
EDUCATION and OCCUPATION
Judging from his land holdings and estate inventory this writer would say that Richard was a farmer/stockman. It appears in his last few years that he dealt only with stock, as he seems to have divested himself of farmland, and farming responsibilities. He seems to have not had any formal education, for he could only sign documents with a big R, his first initial.
It is with sadness that we note that he believed in slavery enough to own two slaves at the time of his death. His son John appears to not have owned any in 1787; but Richard's son William, Sr. owned one slave listed on that 1787 tax list. William, Jr. also owned slaves, as listed in his estate records.
LAND HOLDINGS
As is obvious from the above tax records Richard had property from1746 until late in his life.
AMELIA COUNTY ABSTRACTS: Deed Book 3 & Deed Book 4, p. 34: Deed. John Crawford of Hanover Co., VA to Richard Dearing. D. 2Jan17__ (not given). Consid: 10 £ . 200 acres, plantation & land, adj. John Lovell's cor.[ner & line, & a branch. Witnesses: Thomas Osborn, Stephen(X) Howell & John (X) Lovell.
p. 35: Possession obtained by Richard Dearing on 2 Jan 1747. Deed pro. byoathsof same witnesses & ordered recorded on 18 Mar 1747.
p. 310: Deed John Crawford of South Carolina to Benjamin Hawkins. D. 21 Nov 1749. Consid: 50 £. 351 acres on branches of Flat Creek, adj. Richard Deering's cor.[ner] Witnesses: John Oliver, John Roberts, John Chumbley & Charles(X) Spradling.
Deed Book 7, page 686: (Month & day are blank) 1762 from William Lovell of A(melia), to John Lovell of A, for 5 £ , a certain tract of land of about 40 acres in A on Saylor Cr, bounded by Booker, Benjamin Hawkins, Richard Dearin, David Lovel.Signed- William (X his mark) Lovell. Witness - none. Recorded 23 Sept 1762.
Deed Book 8, p. 174: 8 Apr 1763 John Lovil (Loving) and Mary, his wife, of Nottoway Parishin A[melia], to Richard Dearing of same, for 10 £ VA money and 1000 pounds neat tobacco, a certain tract of land of about 40 acres in Nottoway Parish and A and bounded by said Richard Dearing, William Lovil, David Lovil, Brooks, Hawkins. Signed - John (AZA his mark) Lovil, Mary (- her mark) Lovil. Witnesses: Benjm Hawkins, Tiree Oneal, John Dearing. Recorded Jun23,1763.
Deed Book 8, p. 213: 26 May 1763 from Benjamin Hawkins of A, to Thomas Tabb of A...adjoining the lands of Richard Dearing, Abraham Beadell, and James Foster. Signed - Benjamin Hawkins. Witnesses: Robert Jones, Charles Jones, Guy Smith, Richard Pringle, Joseph Mayo, William Ray. Recorded 22 Sept 1763.
On 11 March 1786 Richard sold a piece of property, for a hundred £ of current money of Virginia, to his son, William, Sr. This land consisted of 140 acres lying in Amelia, "...along Pride's line...by a branch in Phillip Williams' line..." to which Richard signed his mark "R". This indenture was exhibited into court and acknowledged by Richard Dearin... and ordered to be recorded on 26 Oct 1786.
Richard must have left Amelia County soon after this land transaction, for he is found in the above census record in Bedford county by 1787. Yet he is found back in Amelia County in the 1790 Federal Census. How can that be? Did he move back to Amelia for a short time?
Then on 10 June 1788, Richard, of Bedford Co., VA, we find another deed of 100 acres that Richard is selling to James Chapman, of Amelia County for the sum of 100 £. This land lies in Amelia County, bounded by the lands of Edmund Bashan, David Lovell, Augustine Bedle, Rowlett Pride, William Dearin, and Johnston's lines. This land "being the place that I formerly gave to my son William Dearin and sold by him to Allen Jeter...Jeter sold to John Chapman...and Chapman given to his son James Chapman but no deed made previous to this by me..." William Dearin (Sr.) set him mark X and Richard Dearin made his mark "R". Is this indeed the same land as mentioned above, that did have a deed; or is this an additional tract?
BEDFORD COURT RECORDS
Richard "Dearin" was a witness to the Will of Richard ROUTON on 15Aug1791. Routon's inventory is listed in same, on page 81, dated 30 Mar 1792.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
In the book of Virginia Publick Claims, we have record, apparently of items that citizens sold to the Continental Army during the Revolution:Richard Dearen 1 beef 300# Sept. £3-15.
The above record would indicate to this writer that some unit of the Continental Army passed close enough by Richard's farm to locally buy needed supplies.
Believed to be in the book, Virginians in the Revolution, by John H. Gwathmey, is the record "Dearen, Richard, Aud. Acct. XXII, p. 76".When requested from the Library of VA, the reply was that for $18.00 they would send a xerox copy of "A pay warrant issued to Richard Dearen for service in the Militia, 9 June 1784." Feeling the charge exorbitant, this writer decided to pursue further research elsewhere, perhaps by microfilm.
In that same book there is this listing: Dearren, Wm, (14 V.R.) W.D.(War Department) 268,1." This, too, needs further research.
RICHARD's ESTATE
The next record we have is the appraisal of the estate of Richard Dearen, deceased, recorded 23 July 1792. The items listed are: 1 Negroe Woman Jude; 1 Negroe Boy Dare; 1 bay mare & colt; 1 Bar-- colt; 1 sorrel horse; 1 stallion colt; 4 feather beds with bedsteads & furniture; 3 cows with3 calves; 2 heifers; 4 yearlings; 1 loom; 1 pair of steel yards(?); 2potts,1 D. Oven & skilett [sic], 1 pail; 2 pails, 1 churn, 1 water can & atub; 2 sythes & four reap hooks; sundry plantation tools consisting of hoes, axes, plows & 1 crosscut saw, 1 hand saw; 1 grind stone; 2 butter potts, 1 jug;a sugar box, 1 coffee pott, 1 skillet; sundry pewter consisting of dishes, plates, basons and spoons; 1 spice mortar; 1 parcel of Queens Chinaware;1 parcel of knives & forks; 2 guns 30/, 1 pair of saad [sic] irons;1 case of bottles; 2 chests & a trunk; 2 wheels & 2 pair cards (for carding fabric fibers; 1 woman's saddle; 1 ewe & lamb; 3 old hogsheads; 22 hogs;7 chaines 14/ 1 hackle 5/; leather in tan. Total appraised value: £ 200 Shilling 1 D 6.
As stated before, Jemima Dearing was the administrator. She put her mark "X" on the inventory. Witnesses were: Robert Cowan, William Lee, HenryBrown.
RICHARD's CHILDREN
Though there are dual listings of a Richard and a William Dearen (Dearran) in the 1790 census, this writer believes the duplication to be a census taker's error--and not two Richards and two Williams present. Because a 1787 tax list records only one each and other records reflect this point. The dual listings for Richard list 4 whites and 5 whites. SinceWilliam and John were already heads of household, we infer that at the most Richard had 3 additional children.
FIRST MARRIAGE?: JOHN John born about 1740 probably in Amelia County, VA. Because of the close geographic proximity of John Dearen to Richard through out Richard's life, and because John begins paying property tax in Amelia County, VA, about fifteen years after Richard, perhaps denoting John's youthfulness, we believe John to have been Richard's son. In 1778 John sells 150 acres in Nottaway Parish of Amelia Co. and one of the common lines is with Richard Dearin. Was this land sale the precursor of their move to Bedford Co.,VA?
This is the record of John's taxes paid in Amelia: 1762-63-64, in "Nottaway
Parish", upper end" (same location wording as Richard's). This writer's first records of John as being in Bedford County, VA, is the sales list of Jesse Womack's estate, dated 24 Jan 1783. In that record his name is written "Dearing", "John Dairin" and "John Dairing".
It appears that Richard followed or perhaps moved with John to Bedford County, VA. By several deed records we know that John's wife was named Sarah, but with no available marriage record, her last name is unknown.
John probably died in Bedford County, for there is a long line of Deariens mentioned in court records of that county, in that era, and throughout the nineteenth century.
WILLIAM, Sr. William, Sr., born about 1745-1755 in Amelia County, VA. We know this William to be Richard's son, for he is so designated in a land record.We do not know whom William married, though it may have been Rachel_______ (see speculative documentation in William, Sr's chapter). William and his wife had at least three sons and one daughter. William, Sr. died about1823 in Green County, KY. For further information on this family see the chapter entitled "William Dearen, Sr. and his wife".
The following possibilities could be either Richard, Sr.'s children, or they could just as easily be his son John's.
1. Catherine Jimmerson, b. ca. 1780, (with a young Richard Dearing in her household) in the 1850 Bedford Co. census. This Richard could easily be her grandson.
2. Lewis, who married in Bedford, in 1796 to Obedience Hurt, daughter o fJames?
3. Richard, who married in Bedford, in 1803 to Elizabeth Thurman,daughter of Pri___.
SECOND MARRIAGE for RICHARD?: Court records mention a Jemimah as being the executor for Richard's will. Since census records list a Jemimah as head of household for several decades after Richard's death, this writer is leaning toward the conclusion that she was indeed the much younger widow of Richard. Jemima is not found in the 1840 census of Bedford County. This bears investigation in both Amelia and Bedford counties.
This is a listing of marriages of Jemimah's children, which may also be Richard's children: 23 Nov 1801 Dearien, Lucy to Wm Adams dau of Jamimah 8 May 1802 Dearing, Mason to David Jenkins dau of Jemimah 24 Oct 1804 Dearing, Gracy to Amos Jenkins dau of Jemimah 8 Feb 1808 Dearren, Joel to Patsey Foster son of Jemimah 31 Jan 1812 Dearren, Parkey* to Jacob City (or Setty) dau of Jemimah
*Is this actually Frankey instead of Parkey? For court record lists: Grantee Deed Bk Page 1800 Dearen Frankey Lewis & ux WM Settle [Setty?] 11 150
Dearen, John Master: George, Nicholas, Jr. Beginning date: 06/04/1764 Sex: male Source: Dettingen Parish Vestry Book 1745-1785, 44 Prince William Co. Occupation: shoemaker Ending date: unspecified Race: white
- (Research):Found Dearen families in Shropshire and Staffordshire Counties
of England. Not sure; but may be a research clue as to origin
of family outside of United States.
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1726 - Bef 1792 (76 years)
