Hi all, I am new to this list having just joined today. My name is Rich Dean of Butler NJ where our family has lived since 1910. Prior to that they were in Boonton NJ after coming to America from Ireland during the potato famine and then they were in Montville NJ for a short time. We really don't know much about our Dean heritage. My great-grandfather, William Dean Sr., died in 1926 but my grandfather, William Dean Jr., lived to age 87 in 1982. The family had cousins in either Rhode Island or Massachusetts by the name of Dean but there has not be any contact in at least 50 years. I have not been actively involved in geanology, but I do have a growing interest. Several weeks ago I found a web site by a lady in Kansas tracing her roots to our great-great-grandfathers who were born 5 miles from my home and to one ancestor who arrived in Boston in the late 1620's from England; that family name is Holloway. On my mother's side, another ancestor (Matthews) received a large land grant of quite a few thousand acres from one of the King George's in present day Monmouth County NJ. Rich Dean Butler NJ __________________________________________________________________________ Rich Dean, Butler NJ USA "Exit 52 on I-287 / Exit 53 on I-80" Secretary of North Jersey Volunteer Firemen's Association http://members.aol.com/njvfa Treasurer of Kinney Hose Co. No. 1, Butler Fire Department http://www.fire-ems.net/firedept/view/Butler2NJ Moderato of email lists at http://www.onelist.com NorthJerseyVolFire@onelist.com and ButlerNJArea@onelist.com Railfan since birth, especially the New York, Susquehanna and Western Rwy