DEANE
DEANE
DEANE, Charles, historian, was born in
BiJwetorJ, Maine. Nov. 10. 1813; sou of Dr. Ezra
and (,Moody) Deane; grandson of the Rev.
Sihis Moody ; and a de-scendant of Walter Deane, who, with his brotlier John, came from Chard, near Taunton, England, and settled in Taunton, Mass. He attended Saco academy for a time and also a classical school, and was employed in mercantile houses in Maine from 1829 to 1833, when he removed to Boston, Mass. He became a successful mercliant. and retired from business in 18G4, removing to Cambridge, Mass., where lie devoted his time to literary work and historical research. He was married in 1841 to Helen Waterston. He was elected a member of the Massiichusetts historical society in 1841 and was later its vice president ; a member of the Ameri- can antiquarian society in 1851, succeeding George Bancroft as secretary for domestic corre- spondence in 1880; a member of the American academy of arts and sciences in 1866, and of the London societ}' of antiquaries in 1878 ; and was a member of numerous other historical and scientific societies. He collected a large and ex- ceedingly valuable library, comprising a fine col- lection of rare Americana, including early voyages and discoveries, which was distributed by public sale in March. 1898. He received the degree of A.M. from Harvard in 1856 and that of LL.D. from Bowdoin in 1871, and from Harvard in 1886. His writings include : many memoirs ; contribu- tions to Justin "\Vinsor"s Xarrative and Critical History of America ; contributions to jieriodicals ; edited works; many es.says, privately printed; LieHtenant-General John Burrjoyne and the Con- vention of Saratoga One Hundred Years Ago (1878); and Bradford's History of Plymouth with notes (1856). See J/r-jHo/r by Justin Winsor. He died in Cambridge. Mass., Nov. 13, 1889.
DEANE, Silas, diplomatist, was born in Groton, Conn., Dec. 24, 1737. He was graduated at Yale in 1758, and engaged as a storekeeper at Weathersfield, Conn. He was one of the earliest advocates of Revolutionary methods to secure the riglits of the colonists, and was a delegate from Connecticut to the Continental congress, 1774-76. In 1776 lie was sent by congress to France as special ambassador on a secret mission, which resulted in liis securing substantial loans from French capitalists and in inducing Lafayette, De Kalb and other trained military officers of the French army, personally to take service in the Continental army in the war against Great Britain. With Franklin and Lee he negotiated the treaties of amity and commerce between the United Colonies and France, as signed at Paris. Feb. 6 1778 Tlie contra^-ts lie made with the French officers were deemfd extravagant in the matter of compensation, and hi.s financial trane-
actions generally were questioned. Congress, by
resolution passed Nov. 21, 1777, recalled liim and
sent John Adams as his successor. He appeared
before congx-ess in 1778 and there had a long and
bitter controversy. He was greatly befriended
by John Adams and John Jay, who had implicit
faith in his financial integrity. He was required
by congress to make a detailed statement of
his financial transactions, and in order to do so
was obliged to return to France in 1782 to obtain
the vouchers of his receipts and disbursements.
In consequence of the unauthorized publication
of certain of his private letters and dispatches
to his brother which had been intercepted, the
French government would not receive him and
he was obliged to seek refuge in Holland. He
then went to England where he died in poverty.
In 1842 congress made a full examination of the
unfortunate aflfair and vindicated the memory of
tlie eminent diplomatist by paying to his heirs a
considerable sum of money found to be due him
after an impartial adjustment of his accounts as
financial agent. Yale college gave liim his A.M.
degree in 1763. He is the author of: Paris Papers;
or Mr. Silas Dea)w's Late Intercepted Letters to His
Brother and Other Friends (New Y'ork, 1751) ; and
published in his own defence An Address to the
Free and Independent Citizens of the United States of
North America ( 1784), issued in America and Eng-
land. He died in Deal, England, Aug. 23, 1789.
DEANE, William Reed, antiquarian, was born in Mansfield, .Mass., Aug. 21, 1809; son of Jacob and Mehitable (Reed) Deane; and a de- scendant in the seventh generation from John and Alice Deane. John Deane, with his brother Walter, emigrated from near Taunton, England, locateel in Dorchester, Mass., in 1637, and settled at Cohasset (Taunton), Mass., about 1638. Wil- liam attended Lexington academy for a short time and in 1823 entered the employ of his uncle, the Rev. David Reed, proprietor of the Christian Eegister of Boston. After a few j-ears he entered mercantile life and in 1833 became a member of a large cloth firm. He was successful in business and devoted much of his time to writing for periodical literature and to historical and genea logical researcli. He became a member of the New England liistoric, genealogical society in 1845. He was married in 1834 to Abby, daughter of the Rev. Simon Doggett of Raynham. Mass. He published : Memoir of John and Walter Deane, and of the Early Generations of Their Descendants (1849); .1 Genealogical Memoir of the Leonard Fam- ily (1851) ; Biographical Sketch of Elkanah Watson, icith a Brief Genealogy of the ]Vatson Family (1864); and In Memoriam. Jared Sparks. LL.D. (1866). See Biographical Sketch of William Peed Deane by John Ward Dean (1888). He died at Mansfield, Mass.. June 16, 1871.
