Dejean

Our family descends from Stephen Dejean and his brothers who escaped Paris as described below, in 1794. It's interesting to note that there were Dejeans in the Chantilly area. In a leather suitcase that was stored in my father's shop area, there were two linen hankies with lace trim, that had blood stains on them. My father, George Dejean Beeson (DeBeeson), said that the blood on those hankies was from Marie Antoinette when she was beheaded. The story in our family was that some of the Dejeans were of the royal blue-blood descent. In any case, the Dejeans came to America and our line is well documented through my father's mother, Eda Dejean. I have an 1854 Bible that gives the family lineage from two cousins who married - Cyrenus Dejean and Eda C. Dejean. They married August 26, 1865 in Lindon Jones Co., Wis. In the genealogy on this site, follow the Dejean hyperlink to William Richard Dejean to get to Cyrenus and Eda. Their children were William C., Amber M., and Genevra M.. Amber married George F. Beeson on November 4, 1885 in Ipswich, South Dakota. Her sister apparently married a Howe and was widowed. Later she married Mr L. G. Schooling and moved to Fairbanks, Alaska and later Settled in Seattle, WA. My father, George Dejean Beeson, had a name change after discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1918 to DeBeeson.

1 Stephen Dejean and His brothers are reputed to have escaped from the Paris of ROBES PIERRE just before the gates of Paris were sealed in 1794. His age is given as around 16 Myrle GRIMES states "one record said 13" They settled in England then came to the New World. It is unclear as to whether they first came to Canada although one branch of the family has that oral tradition. Various sources agree that they were involved in the silk/lace trade and there were DEJEANs in the Chantilly area. They were Protestants and there is a tradition that they were of one of the lesser noble houses. There definitely was a family of DEJEANs who were instrumental in the preservation of King Henry V (edict of Nantes) life and throne. There was also a DEJEAN during the reign of Louis X IV whose wife was a friend of Mdm. BOURBON (said wife was a frequent attendee at court related functions). Interestingly enough Napolean's Field Marshall was one Ami DEJEAN. Ami's son served as an aide-de-camp and apparently went into exile with Napoleon as he is mentioned in Napoleon's will as "my aide DEJEAN. " There are several families of DEJEANs scattered throughout the US and Canada all seem to have hit a roadblock in genealogy when they reach "French shores" whether Catholic or Protestant. There was also a large group of Protestant DEJEANs who fled in 1695 (repeal of the Edict of Nantes) to England. In England the name became DE JEANNE then was further Anglicized into JAYNE. These JAYNE descendants then emigrated to New York State and then to Wisconsin to further add to the confusion. As of today there is a huge body of missing pieces which need to be found in order to "reassemble" this fragmented family.
WI. In 1837 - 1 Copied And Filed By Mrs. Myrle Grimes, Tecumseh, Nebraska, Geneological Records Of Stephan DeJean Family From Paris, 0962798.

Dejean Links:

Cyrenus Dejean

http://www.forttejon.org/oh55/rosterd.html

Pierre F.M.A. Dejean 1780-1845

http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/workers/PDejean.htm

Louis J. DeJean, III

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/crec/louis%20dejean.html

Joan DeJean

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/home/news/dejean.html