My Deal Ancestors

My great grandmother
Mary Elizabeth Deal Nugent

Some of my Deal ancestors were believed to be of

German descent from near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

and originally came to this country to escape

the ravages of the 30 years war.

You may learn more about them here:

Deal family extracts and contracts

John Henry and Mary Ann Driscoll Deal

who were the parents of my great grandmother

Mary Elizabeth Deal

were married December 25, 1856

in Jefferson County, Indiana.

John Deal Sr. was born in Mercer County, Kentucky

in 1832 and died May 30, 1904.

His parents were both born in Pennsylvania.

Mary Ann Driscoll was born April 2, 1838 in Kentucky

and died May 2, 1923 in Shelby County, Indiana.

Mary's father and brother were both named Andrew Jackson Driscoll

and her parents were born in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

John Henry and Mary Ann Driscoll Deal lived with their children

in Boggstown/London, in the Moral Township of

Shelby County, Indiana near many other Deal family members.

Many of them lived near these Railroad tracks that cross Big Sugar Creek,

a beautiful, hilly and deeply wooded area in central Indiana,

about 20 miles south east of Indianapolis.

This area was home to many Shawnee people

during the early period of Indiana history.

My grandmother told me stories when I was a little girl
of being so poor that they would pick up coal that had fallen
off of the trains that passed by to keep warm in the winters.

Deal children in birth order:

Francis born about 1858

John Henry Jr., born January 2, 1859 in Indiana

*Mary Elizabeth, born about 1862 in Jackson County, Illinois

James Zepheniah, born about 1865 in Jackson County, Illinois

Martha E. born about 1867 in Indiana

Polly Anna, born April 17, 1869 in Indiana

Toliver Lindsay, born January 12, 1872 in Indiana

Matilda Alice, born about 1874 in Indiana

Tilden Thomas, born December 8, 1876 in Indiana

Toliver Lindsay Deal

James Zepheniah Deal

Martha Deal in cap

Polly Anna Deal is seated

Alvina Katherine Deal

Matilda Deal

Matilda and Hattie Deal

Hattie is the daughter of Zeph and Ollie German Deal

I owe a great debt of gratitude to the many people

who have generously contributed information

and or pictures of my Deal family members:

Sara Schmucker, the reporter at the Shelbyville News

whose story was read by other Indiana Deal relatives,

who then contacted me to offer more names and dates

and Maureen Sheehan at the Shelby County Genealogy Room.

Mary Mc New, far left above a newly discovered Deal cousin

from London, Indiana with two other cousins,

Garnet Wagoner and Glenn Perry, whom we

met during our first visit to Shelbyville.

They are pictured above with their wives,

both descendants of Polly Anna Deal, a sister of

my great grandmother Mary Elizabeth Deal Nugent.

But most of all, to my cousin Tresa Wright, 

for giving me a great start on this journey of discovery

with the name of my great grandmother,

Mary Elizabeth Deal Nugent.