1850 United States Census - McLean Illinois

Washington, IA 1860 Federal Census Index
1 22 Deen David M. 8/12 Iowa
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9 28 Deen Goodwin 20 Illinois
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1 20 Deen J.M. 27 Ohio
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9 27 Deen John 24 Illinois
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1 21 Deen Rebecca 24 Penn
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According to records James Marsh was born in Illinois, not in Ohio.
If J.M. was born in Ohio that means the Deens left for Illinois after
1833.

Moved to Limecreek Township, Washington County, Iowa. Worked as a
mechanic.

Extracted from The Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, published
1915; pages 1091-1094.
JAMES M. DEEN.
Iowa has been especially honored in the careers of men active in
industry. Shelby county, especially, has produced some noted
inventors. In every section of the state, men have been born who
have forged ahead in the various vocations. They have overcome
difficulties because of their superior intelligence, natural
endowments and force of character. It is always profitable to study
such lives, weigh the underlying motives which have induced the
individual to proceed and hold up their achievements as incentives to
greater activity and higher excellence on the part of others. These
reflections are suggested by the career of a Shelby County citizen
who has forged his way to the front ranks, the account of whose fight
for success makes interesting reading. Possessed of inherent ability
and optimism of a high degree, he is a credit to Harlan and the
county in which he resides. In James M. DEEN, of Harlan, we have a
striking type of the self-made man, who began as a poor boy
James M. DEEN was born November 11, 1870, on a farm in Washington
County, Iowa, and is the son of James M. Deen, who died before the
birth of the son, James. His mother was Rebecca WELLS, who was born
January 20, 1836, in the city of Philadelphia. She came to Harlan
from Washington County in 1888, with her family of seven children, as
follows: D.M., a monument manufacturer of Harlan; Anna, who lives
with her aged mother; Henry of DEEN & JOHNSON, restaurant
proprietors, Harlanl; Mrs. Solomon KING of Iowa Falls, Iowa; Mrs. J.
R. PORTER of Monroe township, Shelby County; Lewis, died at the age
of 13 years; James M. with whom this narrative is directly
concerned. Left a widow in 1870, Mrs. DEEN has performed a noble
work in rearing her family to become useful and capable members of
the communities where they reside.

James M. Deen received his education in the schools of his native
county. He was 18 years of age when he came to Harlan with his
mother. When a youth, he was constantly developing the latent
inventive genius with which he was endowed by nature.. He spent
considerable time with the flying shuttle carpet loom, which is his
chief invention. He spent five years in perfecting this machine and
it has proven to be a wonderful success. The story of this invention
and the consequent building and development of the Deen Loom Works,
however, followed in an additional paragraph.

Mr. Deen was married July 11, 1908, to Miss Tessie LORENZ of St.
Cloud, Minnesota. To this union has been born one child, James
Russell, born April 21, 1909. Politically Mr. Deen is allied with
the Republican party but does not take an active part in political
affairs because of the fact that his time is continually occupied
with more weighty affairs. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church and is fraternally connected with the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He is one of those men who are born to succeed and
whose fight for eventual success along well defined lines has made
him a citizen who takes a keen interest in the development of his
home city.

The Deen Loom Company, of which Mr. James M. Deen is owner and
general manager, had its inception in a small beginning as has been
the case with many other successful enterprises. it had its
beginning in the bedroom of Mr. Deen's mother in 1889, when Mr. Deen
started to weaving carpets and rugs with a handmade carpet loom. The
business gradually increased until he erected a small shop, twelve by
twenty feet in dimensions. His ingenuity began to assert itself. He
had been studying for some time methods of improving the old handmade
loom which he had been operating. He experimented until he had
perfected a machine according to his own ideas of what constituted an
efficient loom. He then began the manufacture of looms and had the
satisfaction of selling his first loom to a New Jersey man in 1895.
The business outgrew the old quarters which were located in his
mother's yard, and he rented the front part of a blacksmith shop in
which to continue the work. A number of in the construction of the
machines is operated in connection with the factory. The upper floor
of the factory building is devoted to rug weaving in which a number
of women operatives are employed.

The products of the factory are the advance and peerless fly shuttle
looms, the economy hand shuttle loom, the wonder worker pressed four
harness fly shuttle loom, the climax steel built rug loom, the Deen
combined cutting and fraying machine, and a complete assortment of
loom supplies. A feature of the management of the business is
noteworthy inasmuch as the looms are sold on the payment plan to
responsible people. Many factories for rug weaving, located in
various parts of the country, had their beginnings in a single Deen
loom. The perfection of the machine made at the Deen factory has
been attained by years of struggle. The idea of the manager has been
to attain perfection in the factory products and in this he has
succeeded. The machines are sold by catalogue. Mr. Deen has evolved
a very handsome and attractive one which set forth the descriptions
of the various machines and factory products in an attractive and
lucid manner.

The Deen Loom Company is the outcome of twenty-five years of constant
labor. During all this time, Mr. Deen has been at the post of duty.
In accomplishing his purpose, Mr. Deen has worked without the
incentive of mere money making but the sole desire to evolve loom
machinery which is as near perfection as human ingenuity can
contrive. Experiments have continually swallowed up his profits but
he has had the satisfaction of accomplishing his heart's desire.
Aside from constantly putting his earnings into the business, he has
made considerable money and is one of the substantial men of Harlan
and one who is universally trusted and highly esteemed. The business
policy of the Deen Loom Company reflects the personal attributes of
its proprietor and manager. Patrons and purchasers of looms are
always looked upon as friends of the company and manager.

The life story of James M. Deen and the story of the success of the
Deen Loom Company of which he is the founder and proprietor should
prove inspiring to those of the coming generation desiring to succeed
along similar lines.

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