by Joseph Seward, January 2022
Simeon Dean and his mother Jessie (Dalton) Dean. Photo taken on Dean’s Room c1942. (Photo donated by Leslie Dean)
Jessie Dalton was born on November 16, 1882, in White Rock, (could be Harcourt) Trinity Bay, Newfoundland.1 To Alexander Dalton (1857-1883) and Elizabeth Ellen Pittman (1860-August 1891). Her father died when Jessie was one year old, and when she was eight years old her mother passed away. Not much is known of her early years. When she was 20 years old, she married Henry Thomas Dean on 5 September 1903 in Fox Harbour, now Southport. They had the following children.
Ellen Grace Dean, (1903-1978), was born and died in Fox Harbour/Southport, Newfoundland.
William James Dean, (1904-1904), was born and died in Fox Harbour, Newfoundland.
Alexander George Dean, (1906-1966), was born in Fox Harbour and died in Hickman’s Harbour, Newfoundland.
Mary Caroline Dean, (1908-1908) was born and died in Fox Harbour, Newfoundland.
Amelia Elizabeth Dean, (1911-2009) was born in Fox Harbour, and died in Clarenville, Newfoundland.
Rosanna Blanche Dean, (1913-1991) was born in Fox Harbour and died in Gander, Newfoundland.
Charles Wilson Dean, (1918-1991) was born and died in Southport, Newfoundland.
Arthur Frederick Dean, (1921-2003) was born in Southport and died in Adeytown, Newfoundland.
Simeon Dean, (16 February 1924-19 February 2016) was born in Southport, and died in Queen’s Cove, Newfoundland.
Jessie (Dalton) Dean (1882-1961), widow of Thomas Dean (1878-1930) of Southport, and her grand-daughter Marion Pardy. (Photo donated by Leslie Dean)
For many years, Jessie and Henry Thomas tilted at Black Duck Cove, at the entrance to the Northwest Arm, where Henry cut firewood for the next year, timber for framing and boat planking, and lumber to be used as required. He would haul it in a slide, to the cliffs of Fords Head where he would recover it later in the spring by tossing it over the cliff and pulling it out of the water into a boat.
At the outbreak of WW2, Aunt Jessie’s son, Arthur Dean, joined the Military where he served until the war’s end in May 1945. At about 6:30 pm, she would arrive at our home and take her seat at the end of the table near the radio, Dad would have the battery-powered radio on, and at 6:45 pm the announcer would break in with “This is London calling with today’s news.” Aunt Jessie with her head in her hand would hang on to every word, always hoping for good news. Which was a long time coming, but come it did, the war ended, and the day came when Dave Benson’s mail boat came through the narrow channel heading towards Dean’s dock. With the Union Jack flying in the wind, everyone in Southport knew Arthur Dean was home. The men brought out guns and fired off volleys of gunfire. Everyone gathered at the dock to welcome Arthur home it was a very emotional meeting for him and his mom. Over the next few days, Arthur took time to visit every home in the village.
During the war, Aunt Jessie married Charles Langer, my great uncle. It was his third marriage. My mother, Rebecca Ivany, always made split peas soup for Saturday dinner, but I went to Aunt Jessies for dinner, she also made split peas soup and she would have a place set at the table for me.
In 1950, our family moved to Clarenville, and shortly after I joined the Canadian Military. Sometime in the late 1950s, I was home on vacation and Aunt Jessie came and spent a week with mom. That was the last time I saw her.
She was living with her son in Hickman’s Harbour, in 1961 she died. She was buried in the United Church Cemetery in Southport. She was 79 years old.
- There are other places listed as the birthplace of Jessie Dalton. I got my information from a copy of her birth records, not her birth certificate, published by the Department of Public Health and Welfare, St. John’s, Newfoundland. At times the records do not have the actual place of birth, this may be one of those times.
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Note: Aunt Jessie was also a midwife – for more information click here.