The path leading to John R. Deason‘s parents is strewn with circumstantial evidence and 30+ DNA cousins who seem to all be pointing in the same direction. While I would prefer an irrefutable “smoking gun” proving what I am about to put forth, one doth not yet exist. Nevertheless, it appears that the most likely and logical candidates for John’s parents are William Deason and Elizabeth Rushing.
Lets take the evidence for a stroll:
1. William’s last name is Deason which is the same as John’s. Okay, this is a bit lame but if I had suggested Mortimer Schmidt was his father you’d have thought I had lost it.
2. William and Elizabeth’s marriage was the 2nd for both of them. Research from other Deason-trackers indicates they had tied the knot by 1809. Fine. John was born about 1810 according to the 1850 and 1870 censuses. The 1860 census says 1809. Had they said anything earlier than this, William and Elizabeth would not be good candidates.
3. Elizabeth and her first husband were married in Anson County, North Carolina. The Deasons hailed from North Carolina and it is here that John was born according to all three censuses.
4. William and Elizabeth did have a son called “Jack” which, as you know, is a common nickname for John. Just because they had a son named John, however, doesn’t mean he’s my John.(William had two sons named John – one from each wife. Who does he think he is… Martin Trantham?)
5. John’s middle initial is “R”. While it most likely stood for “Rushing” there is no evidence to support this. HOWEVER, John’s grandson by his son Thomas was named “Henry Rushing Deason”. This appears on his World War I draft card. The name “Rushing” obviously meant something to Thomas and his wife Vandalia who was not a Rushing.
6. John’s firstborn child was named “Alzada Elizabeth” – perhaps she was named for his mother. It’s a stretch I realize but…
7. John also had a son named “William”. Why does this matter? None of John’s male children bore the names of the other possible Deason candidates who might have been his papa: Abraham, Enoch and Joel.
8. DNA, DNA, DNA. As I mentioned, DNA seems to indicate strongly that there is a “Rushing” in my family tree. (Same goes for my dad and aunt.) It is most certainly on the Trantham side.
9. Ah, the icing on my circumstantial cake. The closest thing I have to a smoking gun is my DNA cousin “KChudley529”. I love her. I adore her. I’ve never met her but her existence on this planet makes me giddy. She is a descendant of Elizabeth Rushing and her first husband, James Lytle. Both of us inherited DNA it would seem from Elizabeth only.
I am still holding out hope that buried somewhere in the annals of some courthouse in Tennessee or North Carolina is a document that will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that John’s parents were William and Elizabeth. But I am not holding my breath. This will have to do for now.
Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: 4th great grandfather
Common ancestors: “Evidence” and DNA strongly suggest that William and Elizabeth (Rushing) Deason are my 5th great grandparents and John’s parents