Butler County Mo Biographies THE DEEM FAMILY By David B. Deem Submitted by: Sherry Link 2003 Deem's History of Butler County Missouri by David Bruce Deem, Probate Judge, Butler County, MO Biographies THE DEEM FAMILY By David B. Deem Tradition, seemingly authentic, fives the Deem family as English, migrating to Ireland and Scotland very shortly after the Conquest by William the Conqueror, and later to the New World long before the Revolution of the Colonies against Great Britain. But the first connected and authenticated account of the family begins with Adam Deem, Sr., who was born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1757 and who served with honor in the Continental Army during the revolution and was honorably discharged. This same Adam Deem removed from the place of his birth to Pennsylvania in his early manhood, and then to Ritchie county, West Virginia where he spent his later years on what is now known as the "Deem Homestead" just across from the mouth of Goose creek, where he died in 1861 at the age of 104 years. He was the father of seven sons and five daughters. The sons were named Adam (2), Phillip, John, James, David, Isaac and Jacob, all of whom married and raised large families. Adam Deem (2nd) married his cousin, Hannah Deem, and came to Ritchie county, West Virginia in 1810 and settled and a farm near the mouth of Goose creek. He was the first settler in the then wilderness. He served with honor in the war of 1812. He was a typical farmer and pioneer hunter and died in Ohio in 1867. He reared a large family. His sons were Abraham, Adam, (3), Isaac, Phillip and Jacob. His daughters were Margaret, Charlotte, Malissa and Elizabeth. Phillip Deem, son of Adam (2nd) served with distinction in the war of 1812 and was honorably discharged at the close. Adam Jay Deem, another son, was a man of much ability who moved to Owen county, Indiana, about 1830. He had 5 sons Silas, Lowry, James, Thomas and John W. and a daughter, Rachel. Two of the sons, Silas and James, served in the union Army in the civil war. James was killed in battle and Silas served all through the war being wounded several times. He returned and lived to be over 90 years of age. My father, Hiram Phillip Deem was a son of Adam Deem who was a son of Phillip Deem who was a son of Adam Deem Sr. and who came to Illionis about 1825 and settled in Edgar Co7unty, and raised a large family. My father, born in 1834, was a school teacher who came to Greene county, Indiana, about 1856. He married Margaret Williams in 1858. He enlisted in the 70th Indiana regiment and lost his life in August 1862 leaving the writer as his sole child living. One son died in infancy. Such in brief is my knowledge of the Deem family, not mentioning the multitude of the family I have come in contact with in person or by correspondence, never having found any one named Deem but what we found we were of common ancestry. My sources of information, being my personal knowledge (I am now in my 80th year, born April 14, 1860, a year before Fort Sumpter was fired on) and associations with older members of the family, now deceased. Coming in touch with relatives in West Virginia where I received much valuable information, I was fortunate enough to get to read "History of Ritchie County, West Virginia" edited and published in 1911 by Minnie Kendall Lowther, a very intelligent historian who devoted a chapter to the Deem family. Also to Mrs. J. E. Donnelly of Cairo, West Virginia, Mrs. Ella Cantner, Route 1, Petroleum, West Virginia and other who were very kind in furnishing information. ************************************************************************ PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non- commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. Unauthorized use for commercial ventures expressly prohibited. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ******************************************************************