***** Next Generation in America *****
John Deever (M)
(1730/40 – 1810)
Pedigree
Father: unknown ( - )
Mother: unknown ( - )
John Deever was born about 1730/40, and moved from Hampshire County, Virginia (later known as Mineral County, West Virginia) shortly before his death in 1810 in Belmont County, Ohio (near the town of Flushing in eastern Ohio.) One of the younger sons of John Deever was James Dever, born in 1770.
Family
Unknown ( - )
Children
- an unknown number of unknown, older children
- James Dever (1770 – before 1853)
***** Next Generation in America *****
James Dever (M)
(1770 – before 1853)
Pedigree
Father: John Deever (1730/40 – 1810)
Mother: unknown ( - )
James Dever born in 1770 in Hampshire County, Virginia. He was one of the younger sons of his father, John Deever. He was married on September 10, 1794 in the part of Bath County, Virginia, which became Highland County. His wife’s name was Catherine Bird. Together they had eleven children all born in Pocahontas County, Virginia. One of their daughters was Elizabeth Ann Dever who married Archibald Davis. Elizabeth Ann and Archibald Davis raised the orphaned Jesse Deever. (see below) There are land transactions in Bath County, Virginia involving James Dever and his wife Catharine (Bird) Dever in the years 1810, 1811, 1824, and 1828.
Family
Catherine Bird ( - )
Children
- John
Dever (1797 – after 1850)
[note: died in Ohio] - David
Dever (1799 - )
[note: living in Virginia in 1853; married in 1827] - William
Dever ( - )
[note: living in Ohio in 1853] - James Jr. Dever ( - before 1853)
- Samuel
Dever ( - )
[note: living in Ohio in 1853; married in 1841] - Sarah Dever (about 1810 - )
- Margaret Dever (February 25, 1807 - )
- Jane Dever (1810/20 - )
- Elizabeth Ann Dever (April 1, 1812 - )
- Mary Dever ( - )
- Adie Dever ( - )
***** Next Generation in America *****
William Dever (M)
( - )
Pedigree
Father: James Dever (1770 – before 1853)
Mother: Catherine Bird ( - )
William Dever is the brother of Elizabeth Ann Dever, and therefore the possible father of Jesse Deever, an orphaned child. (see below) Jesse was an orphan in that his mother died about 1830 after caring for a sick relative, and his father was either also dead at the time of Jesse’s birth or he was unwilling/unable to be a parent to Jesse and gave him to his sister, Elizabeth, to raise.
Family
Unknown ( - about 1830)
Children
- Jesse
Deever (February 27, 1822 – July 17, 1902)
[note: there is no direct evidence of this relationship other than Jesse names his first son William]
Not Verified
Verified
***** Next Generation in America *****
Jesse Deever (M)
(February 27, 1822 – July 17, 1902)
Pedigree
Father: William Dever ( - )
[note: there is no direct evidence of this father/son relationship as indicated
above]
Mother: unknown ( - about 1830)
Jesse Deever was an orphan in that his mother died about 1830 and his father was either dead at the time of his birth or was unwilling/unable to be a parent. Jesse was 5’6”, blue eyes, fair complexion and light hair. Jesse was born in Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He is known to have lived as a teen-ager with his aunt and uncle, Archibald Davis and Elizabeth Ann (Dever) Davis.
Places of residence include Warren County, Indiana; Green County, Wisconsin and Kansas.
Jesse Deever and his wife, Mary Ellen Morgan, first met when he went back once to “the old home place” of his mother and father in Pocahontas, Virginia. They were later married in Warren County, Indiana on September 26, 1842. Jesse and Mary Ellen were farmers. They had 12 children together.
The first three children were born in Wisconsin, where Jesse was a landowner of 40 acres. The next three children were born in Jasper County, Indiana between 1848 and 1855. John Bixler Deever was born back in Wisconsin when Jesse and Mary were on a trip to sell the land there. The 40 acres of land was sold in May of 1856 to uncle Archibald Davis for $600, as he was the one paying the taxes on it all of those years and not Jesse. Jesse never received the $600.
Jesse and Mary Ellen moved from Indiana to a farm near Holton, Kansas in 1857. They used two covered wagons as part of a United Brethren caravan lasting three months. The Civil War broke out after their arrival in Kansas. Jesse and his son, William, were drafted and served in the war effort. William died on August 4, 1864 in Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, probably from injuries sustained at the Battle of Ezra Church (July 28, 1864). The war ended in 1865.
The final five children of Jesse and Mary Ellen were all born in Kansas, the family’s home state for over 45 years. Jesse helped start a church in a schoolhouse there, and did lay ministry when he could. He had a very evangelical style. Later in life (1874/75), blinded and crippled, Jesse and Mary Ellen moved to a farm near Richland, Kansas. Jesse died at the age of 80 and is buried in Rochester Cemetery, north of Topeka, Kansas.
Jesse Deever was also known as “Pap”
Family
Mary Ellen Morgan (February 18, 1824 – July 26, 1905)
Children
- William
Deever (December 29, 1843 - August 4, 1864)
[note: died at age 20 while serving in the Civil War] - Hester Ann Deever (December 1, 1846 – April 7, 1897)
- James Albert Deever (October 23, 1848 – July 6, 1916)
- Joseph
Deever, (December 5, 1850 – December 7, 1850)
[note: died as an infant] - Sarah E. Deever (February 8, 1852 – September 15, 1881)
- George W. Deever (March 15, 1854 – November 9, 1901)
- John
Bixler Deever (March 6, 1856 – March 26, 1934)
[note: nearly drown when falling off the wagon crossing the Mississippi River on the way to Kansas; Mary Ellen saved his life] - Henry Deever (April 27, 1858 – February 14, 1909)
- Mary Ellen Deever (October 1, 1860 – June 10, 1898)
- Thomas
Deever (March 8, 1863 – April 9, 1863)
[note: died as an infant] - Charles Deever (March 18, 1864 – July 8, 1920)
- Levi Deever (November 11, 1868 – July 26, 1944)
***** Next Generation in America *****
John Bixler Deever (M)
(March 6, 1856 – March 26, 1934)
Pedigree
Father: Jesse Deever (February 27, 1822 – July 17, 1902)
Mother: Mary Ellen Morgan (February 18, 1824 – July 26, 1905)
John Bixler Deever was the seventh of twelve children. He was born on his great-uncle’s farm near Monroe, Wisconsin. He always knew in his heart that he should become a minister and felt that God had given him a definite sign to do so, following the survival of a train accident when he was in his early twenties. John had met his wife, Jennie, at Lane University in Lecompton, Kansas. Initially Jennie wasn’t sure she wanted to be the wife of a minister, but John and Jennie married on September 9, 1880 in Overbrook, Kansas. Thy made a home in Lecompton. In 1881, John began taking the steps necessary to become an ordained minister of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, serving both as parish pastor and conference superintendent for nearly 40 years. He was ordained in October 1885. He was an eloquent pulpit preacher. His evangelical calling consumed a lot of his time, as his was a traveling ministry. Sometimes when he was out on his circuit (assignment) visiting his charges (congregation) at classes (teaching points) it created hardships at home for Jennie. However, John was known to be a devoted husband and father. Jennie kept up family worship in John’s absence – held at bedtime each night. Giving birth was often hard on Jennie. She almost died giving birth to their eldest, O.T. One year she was so ill, she was bedridden the entire time. Diligent medical care, her strong will to recover and prayer saved her. The family moved around a lot, no less than 18 times. John and Jennie lived in Kansas most of their lives, chiefly in and around Topeka following John’s retirement in 1920. Three of his four sons got, “caught in the Gospel net,“ and followed John into the ministry.
Family
Jennie Brown Etherington (May 19, 1856 – October 11, 1931)
Children
- Otterbein Thomas Deever (June 11, 1881 – November 19, 1973)
- Orlando Henry Deever (April 5, 1883 – November 16, 1970)
- Azama Florence Deever (June 25, 1885 – February 8, 1965)
- Azell Lawrence Deever (June 25, 1885 – March 30, 1958)
- Roy Malcolm Deever (September 12, 1889 – March 14, 1945)
- Charles Morton Deever (June 11, 1893 – February 2, 1894)
***** Next Generation in America *****
Otterbein Thomas Deever (M)
(June 11, 1881 – November 19, 1973)
Pedigree
Father: John Bixler Deever (March 6, 1856 – March 26, 1934)
Mother: Jennie Brown Etherington (May 19, 1856 – October 11, 1931)
Otterbein Thomas Deever, born in Kansas, was educated at Lane University at Lecompton. He attended the Union Biblical Seminary (later Bonebrake Seminary), Dayton, Ohio, completing the B.D. in 1907. O.T. married Florence Maude Wilkin on October 20, 1908 in Topeka, KS. The wedding took place in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ where O.T. had been preaching for about a year. He also served other pastorates at Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City Telescope. In 1913, the United Brethren general conference called him to be general secretary of Young People’s Work, whereupon he and his family moved to Dayton, Ohio. When a church merger with the Evangelical Church formed the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1946, he continued as a general secretary of Christian Education. He traveled extensively in the United States to fulfill these positions, and also abroad. Upon his retirement, he continued his travels. He was an outstanding minister and churchman. He served the church for 50 years. He first retired in Newton, Kansas, but later lived at the Otterbein Home, Lebanon, Ohio. Following his wife’s death in 1959, O.T. spent four years writing a book, “God Leads the Way.” In 1968, six years after the book was completed, the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged with the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church.
Maude had three brothers and sisters: Clara, Glenn and Wyatt. The four of them were the children of Philip Ira Wilkin and Ellen Katharine Saville (February 8, 1860 - ) who were married in Xenia, Ohio and moved to Burlingame, Kansas. Philip Ira Wilkin’s parents were David Wilkin and Louise Hicks Wilkin.
Otterbein Thomas Deever was also known as O.T. Deever
Otterbein Thomas Deever was also known as “Beiny”
Family
Florence Maude Wilkin (February 18, 1885 – December 18, 1959)
Children
- Philip
Otterbein Deever (February 1, 1912 – April 28, 1993)
[note: Philip was 11 lbs. at birth and was a minister and Religious Studies professor in life.] - John
Wilkin Deever (September 25, 1913 – February 16, 2002) THE PIGEON (1933)
- Kathryn Jennie Deever (October 19, 1918 - )
- Ruth Maude Deever (August 4, 1922 - )
***** Next Generation in America *****
John Wilkin Deever (M)
(September 25, 1913 – February 16, 2002)
Pedigree PHOTOS
Father: Otterbein Thomas Deever (June 11, 1881 – November 19, 1973)
Mother: Florence Maude Wilkin (February 18, 1885 – December 18, 1959)
Dr. John W. Deever was born in Kansas City, MO. He married Roberta Plank on August 22, 1937 in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated cum laude in 1935 from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, with a bachelor’s degree and in 1939 from Albany Medical College in Albany, N.Y. with a medical degree. His career was a, “ministry of medicine.” He interned at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. He was employed for more than 40 years as a physician in private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana, retiring in 1978. He specialized in children’s health and delivered more than 6,000 babies at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Beech Grove, Indiana. During this same time he was employed as a doctor on the campus of Indiana Central University (later renamed: University of Indianapolis). He was a member of the American Medical Association, Indiana State Medical Society, Marion County Medical Society, University Heights United Methodist Church, Southport F&AM 270, Murat Shrine and Scottish Rite in Indianapolis, Indiana. He enjoyed traveling, photography, hunting, fishing, golf and bowling. Following his retirement, he and Roberta moved from Indianapolis, Indiana to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Dr. John W. Deever, 88, died at Franklin United Methodist Community in Franklin, Indiana. His son, John Kermit Deever, preceded him in death on November 7, 1964.
Family
Roberta Valerie Plank (December 10, 1914 – August 26, 2003)
Children
- John Kermit Deever (February 20, 1941 – November 7, 1964)
- Karen Jane (Deever) Melick (January 10, 1943 - )
- Andrea Marie (Deever) (Otto) Norwood (January 19, 1945 - ) PHOTOS
***** Next Generation in America *****
Karen Jane (Deever) Melick (F)
(January 10, 1943 - )
Pedigree PHOTOS
Father: John Wilkin Deever (September 25, 1913 – February 16, 2002)
Mother: Roberta Valerie Plank (December 10, 1914 – August 26, 2003)
Richard Phillip Melick and Karen Jane Deever were married on December 19, 1964 in Indianapolis, Indiana. They belong to University Heights United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Richard Phillip Melick is also known as Phil Melick.
Family
Richard Phillip Melick (December 21, 1942 - )
Children
- Richard John Melick (May 2, 1967 - )
- Michael Joseph Melick (September 2, 1969 - September 4, 1994)
- Maelee Ja Melick (February 9, 1971 - ), born in Pusan, South Korea and adopted __________
- Kim Lee Melick (September 27, 1972 - ), born in Seoul, South Korea and adopted __________