Eleazer Burke "Elzy" Dees was born in 1814 in Alabama to John Burk Dease (1782-1846) and Bridget Gillard (1776-1840). He was commonly known by his nickname "Elzy" throughout his life. While the document doesn't mention his siblings directly, we do know he had at least one sister, Nancy Dees Boutwell, who was married to William T. Boutwell.
Elzy grew up during a time when Alabama was still developing as a territory, having only become a state in 1819. This was an era of westward expansion in American history, with many families like the Dees moving and settling in the southern states.
Marriage and Family
Before 1854, Elzy married Sarah Temperance Hayden (1836-1917), who was 22 years his junior.
Eleazer Burke Dees and Sarah Temperance Hayden had the following children:
i. Bailey B, Dees, born 12 May 1855, Louisiana, United States; married Margaret Ann Morgan; died 23 May 1932.
ii. George Dees was born about 1855 in Louisiana. He died before 1900 at the age of 45.
iii. Jesse Benjamin Dees, born 7 Feb 1861, Louisiana; married Sarah Estelle Holton, 14 Aug 1886, Tangipahoa, Louisiana; died 29 Mar 1952.
iv. Elzy Burke Dees Jr., born abt Sep 1864, Louisiana, United States; married Margaret Antoinette Brinkley, 28 Jun 1899, Amite City, Tangipahoa, Louisiana; died 1920, Amite, Tangipahoa, Louisiana.
v. Sarah Lorine Dees was born on 28 Feb 1866 in Louisiana. She died on 15 Jan 1946 at the age of 79.
vi. Deliah Dees, born 25 Jun 1868, Louisiana; married James Hamilton Warner Se.; died 8 May 1955.
vii. Nannie Dees was born about 1871 in Louisiana. She died before 1900 at the age of 29.
viii. Martha Louise "Mattie" Dees, born 25 Feb 1872, Louisiana; married Joseph Warren Dyson; died 2 Apr 1954.
ix. John Perry Dees was born on 5 Mar 1874 in Louisiana. 15 He died on 6 Jun 1953 at the age of 79.
x. George Kinsey Dees was born in 1878 in Washington Parish, Louisiana. He died on 19 Jan 1944 at the age of 66 in Amite, Tangipahoa, Louisiana.
xi. Eugene W. Dees was born in 1877 in Washington Parish, Louisiana. He died on 7 Feb 1932 at the age of 55 in Jackson, Hinds, Mississippi.
Elzy moved from Alabama to Louisiana sometime before 1850, as census records show him living in Washington Parish, Louisiana by that year. At age 36, he was listed as a farmer, which was a common occupation during this time period.
In 1858 and 1859, Elzy acquired land grants in Tangipahoa, Louisiana. These land acquisitions demonstrate his establishment as a property owner in the area:
On June 1, 1858, he received a land grant in Tangipahoa, specifically Township 3-S, Range 7-E, Section 11
On July 1, 1859, he received another land grant in Tangipahoa, at Township 3-S, Range 8-E, Section 20
Elzy continued his career as a farmer through the decades, appearing in multiple census records:
In the 1860 census, he was 45 years old, living in Ward 3 of Washington Parish with his wife Sarah and their young sons.
By 1870, now 56, he remained in Washington Parish but had moved to Ward 1.
The 1880 census shows him at age 66, living in the 4th Ward of Tangipahoa Parish with Sarah and their younger children.
In his later years, Elzy Dees, Sr. or his son, Elzy Dees, Jr. branched out beyond farming and opened a hardware store in Amite City. A newspaper article from The St. Helena Echo dated April 14, 1899, mentions that he "recently opened up a Hardware store in Amite City" and was advertising his business in the newspaper. The article described him as "a gentleman of the first water" who would "do the square thing by his customers," suggesting he had a good reputation in the community. Another newspaper, “The Town Talk”, Alexandria, Louisiana, February 10, 1896, has Elzy opening a Newspaper called People's Call, Amite City - Elzy Dees.
Death and Legacy
If Elzy Dees, Sr. was responsible for the opening of The People’s Call newspaper and the hardware store then he most likely died between April 1899 and the end of the century. If Elzy Jr. was responsible, then Elzy Sr. passed away sometime between 1880 and 1900.
He left behind a large family of eleven children, many of whom lived well into the 20th century. His legacy lived on through his numerous descendants and his contributions to the communities where he lived in Louisiana.
Eleazer Burke "Elzy" Dees (1814-before 1900) is my 1st Cousin 4X Removed.
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1. 1850, Washington Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Washington Parish, Louisiana, Page: 451A(Stamped); Line#6, Dwelling#192, Family#192, Household of Elzy DEES; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: online December 2023); citing National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M432_xxx.
2. Elzy B Dees, 1 June 1858, Accession Number LA0030__.174, Document Number 1942; Mississippi General Land Office Records, 1776-2015 Land Grants, Land Office, Tangipahoa, Louisiana, USA.
3. Elzey B Dees, 1 July 1859, Accession Number: LA0040__.247, Document Number: 2628.
4. 1860, Washington Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Ward 3, Washington, Louisiana, Page: 779 (Penciled); Line#07, Dwelling#104, Family#100, Household of Elzy DEES; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: online February 2024); citing National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M653_xxx.
5. 1870, Ward 2, Washington Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Ward 1, Washington, Louisiana, Page: #213A & 213B, Line: #38, Dwelling: #7, Family: #7, Household of Eleazer DEAS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: online July 2024); citing National Archives M593_535.
6. 1880 U. S. Census, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, 4th Ward, Tangipahoa, Louisiana, enumeration district (ED) 0181, Page: #487A (Stamped); Line: #15, Dwelling: #9, Family: #65, Household of Elzy DEES; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: online July 2024); citing National Archives Microfilm T9.
7. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com: accessed January 2024); Memorial page for Sarah Temperance Hayden Dees; (18 January 1836–9 November 1917); Find a Grave memorial # 43460978, Citing Amite Cemetery; Amite, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, USA.
8. 1900 U. S. Census, Amite, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Amite, Tangipahoa, Louisiana, enumeration district (ED) 0090, Page: #213A (Stamped); Line: #41, Dwelling: #91, Family: #93, Household of Sarah DEES; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: online February 2025); citing National Archives Microfilm T623_xxx.
9. 1910 U. S. Census, Police Jury Ward 9, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 3, Tangipahoa, Louisiana, enumeration district (ED) 0111, Page: #119B (Stamped); Line: #59, Dwelling: #222, Family: #239, Household of Thomas E. WARNER; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: online February 2025); citing National Archives Microfilm T624_xxx.
10. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, Sarah Temperance Hayden Dees (18 January 1836–9 November 1917), Memorial # 43460978.
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