We cannot identify the parentage of Comfort Deen. She clearly a member of the family but her birth 1808 is before the marriage of any of the Deen sons. Is she a neice of Benjamin’s - or a grandaughter by one of Ben and Lucretia’s unnown daughters?

If you go through my posted gedcom on Ancestry, you will find a Comfort Dean who married Joseph Dimmick. I stronly suspect she is a sister of Samuel and Benjamin Dean, sons of Samuel Dean and Nancy McDonnell, or most likely a cousin. She was in all of the right places at all the right times, Morgan County, Ohio and Rushville, Scuyuler County, Illinois, where my Samuel and Jane married. She was also born in Virginia, Samuel and Nancy had 2 boys, Samuel and Benjamin, and 4 girls in the 1820 Ohio Census, Comfort may be their daughter born in Virginia before migrating to Ohio. I cannot prove it, I can't find any documentation as to who her parents were, but most certainly I belive she is tied to our Deans/Deens. I will go for now, I am most interested in getting more information on the Deans farther back. Especially names of the sisters of my Samuel and Benjamin.
BRENDA ALLYN

Database: 1830 United States Federal Census

NameResidence

Ebenezer Dimmick Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Joseph Dimmick Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Samuel Dimmick Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Enoch Dean Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Enoch Dean Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Enos Dean Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Archibald Gragg Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Cornelius Gragg Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
James Gragg Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
John Gragg Manchester, Morgan, Ohio
Thomas Gragg Manchester, Morgan, Ohio

In the 1850 census, Comfort Dean and Joseph Gragg are living in Rushville, Schuyler County, Illinois, near the Graggs and Dimmicks

RECORDS OF THE DIMMICK FAMILY

Joseph DIMMICK b. in New York State, Dec. 23, 1808.
Comfort DEAN DIMMICK born in Virginia, Dec. 24, 1808.

Married in Morgan County, Ohio.

Children born in Ohio:

Ann DIMMICK, b. Jan. 25, 1825.
Thomas DIMMICK, Dec. 7, 1828.
Sarah DIMMICK, b. _____ 1830.
Ellen DIMMICK, b. Oct. 24, 1832.
Athalinda DIMMICK, Sept. 24, 1834.
Ebenezer DIMMICK, Aug. 21, 1836.

Children born in Illinois:

Elizabeth DIMMICK, b. Mar. 11, 1838.
Mary DIMMICK, born Nov. 23, 1840.
Joseph and Benjamin D., born Nov. 5, 1843.
David DIMMICK, b. Feb. 22, 1845.
Lucinda DIMMICK, b. Jan. 2, 1847.
John DIMMICK, b. Jan. 11, 1848.
Samuel DIMMICK, b. Jan. ____ 1850.

MARRIAGES

Ann DIMMICK married Philip STARR.
Sarah DIMMICK married ___________ GILLENWATER.
Ellen DIMMICK married Peter VANNOY.
Athalinda DIMMICK married Azariah STARR.
Elizabeth DIMMICK married George STARR.
Mary DIMMICK married _________.
Lucinda DIMMICK married _________ CAMPBELL.

DEATHS

Thomas DIMMICK died of cholera while crossing the plains in 1853.

Joseph DIMMICK died Oct. 1, 1860, in Benton County, Oregon.




second notation

Husband: Joseph James DIMMICK 1
Born: 23 Dec 1808 at: NY 2
Married: 15 May 1828 at: Ohio Morgan Co.
Died: 1860 at: Monroe, Oregon
Father:Matthew DIMMICK
Mother:Huldah INGRAHAM
Wife: Comfort DEAN 1
Born: Abt 1810 at: VA
Died: 1858 at: Benton Co., Oregon
Father:
Mother:

CHILDREN
Name: Athalinda DIMMICK 1

Name: John DIMMICK 1

Name: Ann DIMMICK 1
Born: 25 Jan 1825 at: OH 2
Spouses: Phillip Mcwilliams STARR

Name: Thomas DIMMICK 1
Born: 7 Dec 1828 at: IL 2
Married: 7 Sep 1848 at:
Died: 23 Jun 1852 at: Crossing Plains To Oregon.
Spouses: Margaret CROXTON

Name: Sarah J. DIMMICK 1
Born: 1830 at: OH 2
Spouses: Unknown GILLENWATER

Name: Elleanor DIMMICK 1
Born: 24 Oct 1832 at: OH 2
Spouses: Peter VANNOY

Name: Ebenezer DIMMICK 1
Born: 1836 at:
Married: 1860 at:
Died: 1900 at: Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon, USA
Spouses: Sarah Jane CROXTON

Name: Elizabeth DIMMICK 1
Born: 20 Mar 1838 at: IL 2
Spouses: George Mcwilliams STARR

Name: Mary DIMMICK 1
Born: 23 Nov 1840 at: IL 2

Name: Benjamin DIMMICK 1
Born: 5 Nov 1842 at: Schuyler Co., IL 2
Married: 30 Nov 1869 at: Oregon Benton Co.
Spouses: Almina BUMGARTNER

Name: Joseph DIMMICK 1
Born: 5 Nov 1842 at:

Name: David DIMMICK 1
Born: 22 Feb 1845 at: IL 2

Name: Lucinda DIMMICK 1
Born: 2 Jan 1847 at: IL 2
Spouses: Unknown CAMPBELL

Name: Samuel DIMMICK 1
Born: 1850 at:

SOURCES
1) Frances Larie Michaud
2) Benton Co., Oregon Pioneers


Third citation

Contributed by Greg Croxton

Joseph Gragg started across the plains in April 1852. As to the exact date, he is not sure, but thinks it was the 5th or 6th of April. Members of the company were:
Joseph Dimmick and Comfort Dimmick, his wife and their children.
Ann Dimmick ; Thomas Dimmick , died on the plains; Sarah Dimmick ; Ellen Dimmick; Athalinda Dimmick; Ebenezer Dimmick ; Joseph Dimmick and Benjamin Dimmick ; Mary Dimmick; David Dimmick; Lucinda Dimmick; John Dimmick; Samuel Dimmick .

Ebenezer Dimmick, brother of Joseph Dimmick. His family remained in Illinois, and he returned in the Spring of 1855.

Thomas Croxton and family.

Elijah Croxton and family.

Thomas Ollivant and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Croxton, parents of the above, both died on the plains. Mrs. Croxton died at Kanesville, a fitting-out place for immigrants in southwestern Iowa on the Missouri River. She retired for the night in good health and was found dead in bed during the night. Mr. Croxton died of Mountain Fever on Little Sandy – the first day west of Pacific Springs. He was taken to Big Sandy and buried as the ground on Little Sandy was low. The day he died the train suffered much for water, before reaching Little Sandy having failed to find the watering place mentioned in the guide.

Those coming with the Croxton and Ollivants were Robert Stewart, Jeff Skyles and Phillip Chambers. Phillip Chambers stood guard with Joseph on the plains and knew him in the Yreka mines. He later returned to Illinois and died there. Joseph never heard from him after leaving the mines in the fall of 1860, until visiting Illinois in 1891 and he had been dead several years. Joseph pronounced him an excellent man. Joseph visited Jeff Skyles in Illinois in 1891. Robert Stewart then lived in Missouri, so he did not get to visit him.

The Croxton families and those with them came over the Cascade Mountains.

The Williams boys were from Bureau County, Illinois, and joined the company at Kanesville.

Margaret Croxton Dimmick, wife of Thomas Dimmick and their children, the oldest, a girl, name forgotten, died on the plains, and a son, George Dimmick.

Joseph C. Gillenwater, Mat and John Williams and Berry left the company at Salmon Falls on the Snake River, where the rest of the company crossed by corking their wagon beds and using them for boats and swam the stock across. Thus they secured excellent feed for the cattle the balance of the way.

Those not crossing did not fare so well, as the feed had been largely consumed by the former trains. At the Dalles the train camped on the river just below town, and Joseph on returning to town, ran across the Williams boys, who on leaving the train had two yoke of bulls and one yoke of cows that worked as leaders. All their cattle perished but one and they packed their things upon this one, but that morning had sold it and had started to go the rest of the journey on foot. Joseph told them that his train was going to raft down the Columbia and invited them to go with them; so they came and helped construct rafts.

They crossed the Mississippi at Churchville, which is situated in the northeast corner of Missouri. Then went through Iowa to the Missouri River. We fed oxen corn and whenever a good supply was to be had they secured enough to last a day or two. Grass was getting pretty good, but young. When they arrived at Kanesville they herded the cattle in the bottom lands of the Missouri River where excellent grass was found, but still fed some corn to keep the cattle in good condition for the heavy work before them.

We waited at Kanesville a little over a week. Part of the delay was caused by waiting for some who came by St. Louis, by boat, to arrive; one day’s delay on account of Mrs. Croxton’s death and some delay in crossing the Missouri River. The steam ferry was some 5 or 6 days behind, but Thomas Croxton who had been elected Captain of the train, as he had been across the plains before, heard of a Mormon ferry about 12 miles above Kanesville and went up and engaged crossing. The train of 11 or 12 wagons drove up there, arriving in the evening and crossed in the morning of May 23, 1852. Kanesville was about where Council Bluffs stands now .

After crossing they struck out into the wild west and saw no more settlements until reaching the Willamette Valley, except there were government posts at Laramie, at the junction of the Laramie River with the North Platte River; Fort Hall, east of where the Portnif River flows into the Snake River and the Dalles.

Joseph’s recollection is that they, leaving the Missouri River in the morning of the day they crossed, traveled that day, camped, and early the next day they reached the Elk Horn River, a narrow deep stream over which they ferried. When they reached the Loup River [eastern Nebraska, about 90 miles west of Kanesville, Iowa - GLC], they forded the quicksand that gave some trouble in crossing. All of the teams were double, except Joseph’s. Crossing double occupied so much time that he did not care to wait to wait so long, and having a good team he crossed alone. His team consisted of three yoke; two belonging to his uncle and one yoke, the leaders, to him. The wheel yoke were very strong oxen and good pullers, the middle yoke were unbroke on starting, but by this time were working quite well and the leaders were a good yoke. This was his first experience with quicksand and in crossing streams, and also the last. The water was about hip deep to a man. The wagons were bolstered up to keep the wagon beds above the water. The river was perhaps 70 yards wide and they had to wind about considerably to keep in the shallow water. The wagons jolted like running over rocks. One of the leaders had a sore neck caused by the ox bow. This caused the ox to slacken or turn and this checked the other leader and the middle yoke and all were a little slackened and immediately the wagon began to sink rapidly in the quicksand which would have soon engulfed it, but he struck the strong true wheelers a sharp crack with his whip and got all to pull together and they were soon going again and crossed in safety.

Joseph took down with mountain fever on Bear River at Steamboat Springs and was not able to eat anything scarcely until they got him some salmon and was not able to sit up until some time later. The first time he drove a team afterward was up a hill out of Grand Rounde Valley. [The Grand Ronde River is in the very southeast corner of Washington. - GLC]

The streams ferried were the Mississippi, Missouri, Elkhorn, Green [northwest Colorado, south-west Wyoming - GLC], and two crossings of the Columbia. At Green River was a Mormon ferry [There’s an “Old Mormon Ferry” in SW Wyoming, on the Green just south of La Barge – GLC] where they hired the wagons ferried across and swam the stock. The Mormons had flour to sell or trade for tea, coffee or sugar. But their train had no more of these articles than they desired. The second crossing of the Snake River was just below the mouth of the Boise River, near by was Fort Boise, a deserted adobe Hudson Bay Company fort. Some kept on the south side of the Snake and thus avoided crossing it at all, but by crossing it, good grass was obtained all the way. While the country on the south was rocky, poorly watered, the localities where the river was accessible were pretty much divested by the trains of the earlier part of the season. Joseph and his uncle Joe came on land with the cattle, crossing on a ferry about 3 miles above the Cascades, thence following what is now Washington State until they came opposite the mouth of the Sandy when they crossed, landing below the mouth of the Sandy. They made portage at the falls with the teams.

They arrived at The Dalles, September 24th; got to this part of the Willamette Valley about the first part of October.

The first work he did was for Ransom Belknap for about three weeks. He made shingles for Ebenezer Dimmick during the winter, near north of Black Tail Park until along in February. He hewed the timbers for Jesse Belknap’s barn, where is now the Woodcock place. He got the timbers from the hill above George Belknap’s. Ebenezer Dimmick took money for his part of pay for the shingles and sent it to his family in the east, Joseph took a horse for his part. In the spring they went to Yreka, California, packing their things on Joseph’s horse while they walked. They remained about 6 weeks or 2 months. Joseph bought a claim with George M. Starr, Warren S., John Starr and Chris. Anthony and worked until they thought the claim was about worked out.

Some Interesting Incidents

July 4th the train came within a few miles of Independence Rock [central Wyoming, about 45 miles SW of Casper – GLC] on Sweetwater River, about _ days travel east of Devil’s Gate. On the morning of the 5th we drove on to Independence Rock and stopped and celebrated the Fourth of July. Joseph, Bob Stewart and Phil Chambers went buffalo hunting, climbing about over the mountains and rocks and returning to camp in the evening very tired but without buffalo meat. This was not more than 2 or 3 days east of South Pass.

Thomas Dimmick died in June at a point 2 or 3 days travel west of Loup Fork [eastern Nebraska, probably between Central City and Grand Island – GLC] – had just got into buffalo country. He and two others had been out on a buffalo hunt on the afternoon of the previous day and the weather being very hot, he drank quite freely of poor water which was found quite abundant. In the latter part of the night he was taken sick with the cholera and died about six or seven o’clock. During the forenoon hasty preparations were made and his body buried with his bedding and clothing alone on the plains in a grave about 4 _ feet deep, thought to be sufficient to prevent the wild animals digging into the remains. In the afternoon the train moved sadly on leaving the grave of this loved one – a grave never again to be looked upon by anyone who had ever seen him, whose quickly wasted form was laid to rest with its silent walls. Yet, sad as it was, such sights were not uncommon that year. New graves were passed daily in the journey up along the Platte River – sometimes...

A Cutoff and its Results

On the day the train reached the Boise River, where the river comes out of the canyon, Ellen, Athalinda, Mary and Lucinda Dimmick, sometime in the forenoon started on a cut-off which led north of the road. They were accompanied by other young ladies from Kent and Crow trains which had been traveling near our train most of the time since crossing Salmon Falls and camping with them at night, thus making more secure against the Indians whom we might meet at any time as this was especially an Indian region.

The girls had been accustomed to cut across by-trails and coming to the road again, to rest until the train arrived. The teams being somewhat jaded, they walked most of the time through the last part of the trip, and indeed the stronger ones walked most of the way across the plains. But this time the trail proved to be somewhat different from those they had previously taken. The girls were not missed until noon as they were accustomed to visit among the accompanying trains and sometimes going on by themselves. But with the train stopping for dinner the girls were not found in the train and some men coming along on foot were asked if they had seen any girls along the road as they came. They said that they themselves had, during the forenoon, taken what they at first thought was a cut-off but which as they traveled farther on had decided was a trail leading to an Indian Camp and that they then returned to the road and came along it. They said that they saw the girl’s tracks along this trail and that they would surely fall into the hands of the Indians, if not already.

This produced some excitement and the mother of the girls, Comfort, declared that she would not move a step until the girls were found. But the lay of the country seemed rather to indicate that the trail would be a cut-off, at least to those considering the matter cooly. The matter was carefully considered during the brief noon hour and it was decided that the train should proceed on its regular journey, except that the horse wagon should remain there while Mr. Dimmick and Mr. Kent returning should pursue the trail which the girls had taken and the two others of the younger men, Ebenezer Dimmick and Phil Chambers, should go on ahead and see if the girls could be found. Joseph was not yet sufficiently recovered from Mountain Fever to walk and remained alone to guard the horse team.

Mr. Dimmick and Mr. Kent followed the trail to where it crossed the same creek on which the trains made their noon camp. And seeing that it led toward the dust clouds of the moving train decided that the girls were safe and Mr. Dimmick followed along the creek to the noon camp where Joseph was waiting with the horse team. Then they drove on and a little after dark arrived at camp where they found all safe and sound.

The cut-off being longer than usual the girls had become somewhat anxious and reaching the road and fearing that the wagons had passed, went ahead and becoming thirsty descended the steep bluff to the Boise River and returning up the bluff to the road met the young men who having found where the cut-off trail returned to the road that the tracks of the girls went forward they followed on and found them there.

This information is from Dianne Hurley, Mt. Angel, Oregon.

At the Library of the University of Oregon they have letters and miscellaneous papers of Joseph Gragg. Data from 1859-1930 including 607 letters and one diary.

Some of this information is from Donation Land Claim records, and is being placed in other parts of this narration with the person the information pertains to.

In earlier issues of “The Schuylerite” we published the story of the Gragg family that was written by Viola Swanson. Dianne sent some genealogical excerpts from the Oregon Collection which we will publish at a later date. The letters are from the family members in Pleasantview to Joseph in Oregon, and some of his letters in return.


Copyright 1999-2001 Greg Croxton; all rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use of the information contained in these pages is strictly prohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright must appear with the information.

Fourth citation:

Joseph Dimmick

As a pioneer to the western state Joseph Dimmick was like many others, having attained a good age before he ventured into a new land and new conditions, among which he must hew out a pathway for himself and the children for whom he must win a competence. He was born in Connecticut early in the nineteenth century, and when quite young he accompanied his parents to the state of Ohio, where he remained for many years.

On attaining manhood Mr. Dimmick married Comfort Dean, a native of Virginia, and they lived in Ohio until 1828, when they removed to Illinois, and there remained for twenty-four years, in 1852 being tempted to change their location by the glowing narrations of the brilliant opportunities to be found beyond the Rocky mountains. Breaking the ties and associations of many pleasant and profitable years, they prepared for the journey across the plains, making the same by means of ox-teams. Beyond the events incident to a trip of this nature in the early days they met with no mishap and arrived safely at their destination, the state of Oregon, the broad, rich lands, rather than the wealth of gold, having attracted them from the comparative affluence of the middle west. Mr. Dimmick at once took up a donation claim, located fourteen miles south of Corvallis, and which William Porter now owns. He here engaged in general farming and remained until his death, both himself and wife living to be over fifty years old.

Of the children born to them Joseph and Benjamin are twins, the former now located in Oakland Cal., and the latter in Grant's Pass, Josephine county, Ore.; John and Samuel are in Spokane, Wash.; Athie is now Mrs. Starr, of Benton county; Mary is in eastern Oregon, and Lucinda is now Mrs. Campbell, of Grant's Pass.

source - "Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley"

fifth citation:

I am seeking info on Comfort Dean born 1807 in Va. She was married to Joseph Dimmick May 15, 1827 in Ohio and she died in 1858 in Monroe, OR. Would like info on parents and siblings if anybody knows anything.
Cheryl

I have a Joseph Dimmick that was born in 1808, and lived in Morgan County, Ohio about that time . There are also Deans in my line. Maybe this could be the Joseph you are looking for. I have a lot on Dimmick's, and a lot on Deans.
Brenda,

It sounds like you have the guy I am looking for. I would be very interested in talking with you and seeing what info you have. I have been working on these two for quite sometime and have gotten no where. Especially on Comfort Dean. You can email me directly at . I will be looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheryl