(1) Marriage 1 March 1835 (Canada) to Jane Whitfield; Teasdale & Sara (Bell) Whitfield 
(2) Lived at York (Toronto) Vaughn District; Millbrook, Ontario, Canada, Marshall County, Kansas;
(3) OCCUPATION: Farmer;
(4) Buried at Center Baptist Cemetery 6 Miles S>E> of Marysville

Jane and Asahel 
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Carol Minson research notes:

June 11,1870 CENSUS; Vermillion Twp, Marshall, KS; p.o. Barrett KS; pg 19.
#145 EDMUND GARNETT 35 M Farmer $480 (real estate), Canada West
#146 ASAHEL DEXTER 61, M farmer $6411 " " " "
#146 THOMAS DEXTER 46, M farmer "

COMMENT: Evidently these men came to KS BEFORE their families. Edmund's wife, MARIA (DEXTER) GARNETT, died 23 Feb 1858, 2 months after their marriage. She was 22 years old. Did Edmund Garnett remarry?  However, it is interesting that he went to KS with the Dexters in 1870.

Ed came with wagon and livestock. No record of Yoke at Pony Express Museum. Mrs. Swim took truckload of things to Colo & sold antiques.
Dexters and McKees came together. Belonged to Baptist Church in Canada. J. F. McKee gave land for Marshall Center Baptist Church.

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Marshall County completely square. 5 twp going south and 5 twp going east and west.
3 1/2 miles from Will Dexter's (formerly Asahel Dexters home) to Ed Dexters home. (latter is the only Dexter house standing in 1985. Asahel's granary still standing. It's about 1/4 mile from the road. good
solid corn crib close to it. Big enough you could drive right in with horses and wagon. Had cats.
The Indians in this area were Osage and Sioux. Osage made bows from the Osage Orange Tree.
 "

No trees when they came..at all. Prairie fires went through every year.

1880 Census of Center Twp. Marshall, KS. (Wm Richardson's next door)
Dexter, Asahel, 71, born Canada, Penn, Penn.
Jane, wife, 62, England, Eng. Eng.
Asel, 28, son Canada
Teasdale 26, son, Canada
Martha 24, daughter, Canada
William 19, son, Canada

Then in 1885, Jane went back to Canada to care for her daughter, Margaret A. Dexter Parker who had cancer. Margaret died May 11th l885
and was also buried at Fraserville Cemetery, Durham, Ontario, Canada.

Asahel Dexter's Burial: Center Cemetary is 6 Miles S. E. of Marysville

Carol took picture of the land where the Asahel Dexter house used to be. (Pointed out by Ralph Dexter, who was raised in that house.) Soybeans
are growing on the land all around that area, now.
Miriam said: "I've not been there since all the buildings were gone. . . and I never saw soybeans growing there. Used to be corn or alfalfa, or
maybe wheat."

Recollections of the Pioneers of Lee Co., Inez Kennedy, Pub, Dixon, IL. c1893. pages 24-36. This book includes the Family Bible records of names, birthdates, birthplaces and death dates of John and Margaret Dexter and their ten children. In "May 1835 this family came to Lee Co., IL.. . John Dexter and Margaret Dudgeon were married. . .by Mr. Hinman,
both being residents of Vaughan Upper Canada."

The Bible record also includes the names, birthdates and deathdates of John (born 1803) AND ASAHEL Dexter's parents: "John Dexter, son of Elisha Dexter, was born in the state of Connecticut on the 13th day of Feb., 1773. Died, Oct. 30, 1815. Jane Dexter was born Feb 11, 1772. Died, July 14, 1839. John Dexter and Jane Niece were married at Genesee, NY, 1796."

The Bible record also includes the names, birthdates and some deathdates of John (born 1803) AND ASAHEL Dexter's siblings:
Amos Dexter born Feb 3, 1797.
Elizabeth Dexter was born Oct 31, 1798. Died Sep 1816.
Hiram Dexter was born April 24, 1801.
John Dexter was born Oct 8 1803. Died, May 22, 1888.
Mary Dexter was born July 27, 1805. Died, Dec 1849.
Elisha Dexter was born June 8, 1807. Died. April 1859.
Asahel Dexter was born March 14, 1809.
Ahijah Dexter was born Feb 6, 1811.

Certificate of U.S. citizenship DEX0027, dated 23 Mar 1876

Asahel was originally a Methodist. Baptized Baptist when 18 years old, [about 1827,] according to family tradition. Source? Seems like I remember reading he walked several, maybe 8 miles, to get baptized.
WHERE, place, baptized?
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From the Book "Old Time Thornhill" by Doris M. FitzGerald, Canada 1970, pg 25:
"John Dexter came to Upper Canada from New York State about 1796, in a family group. He received lot 43, con.l, Markham as a Crown Grant and in 1801 traded it for lot 38, con.l, Vaughan, then held by Captain Richard Lippincott. The eight Dexter children were among the first pupils at the
Cober (Langstaff) school and remained on the farm until 1828 when  the north 105 acres were sold to Wm Southby Gapper, a British half pay officer, for 125 pounds. Eventually parts of the south half of lot 38 were also disposed of, but two of John Dexter's sons, Ahijah and Hiram, remained in the area. They operated saw mills on the Don, at the back of lots 37 and 38, con l, Vaughan."
(There is more to the article about Dexters.)
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Evelyn Dexter letters, pg 141:
"Toronto Directory 1837, Albion..........A. Dexter, Con 2, Lot 10."
Which Dexter is "A" Dexter? Amos? Asahel? Ahijah?

Asahel lived at York, (Toronto) Vaughan District;
Millbrook, Ont. Canada; and in 1870 moved to
Center Twp., Marshall Co. Kansas.
[I need to get land records out and figure when he is first listed at Cavan. seems like it was about 1834?.]

Jane'and Asahel's eldest child, Maria Dexter Garnett, died Feb 23 l858, at age 22, and was buried in Fraserville Cemetery near Cavan.
Family Group record of Myrtle James Hendricks, sent Nov 1990:
"Ed Garnett's father furnished land for Bap. church in Fr. (Fraserville?) where Asahel (was) trustee."

Asahel and Jane Dexter left Cavan, Durham Co. in 1870 and moved to Kansas.

"Why did we leave our home in Canada in 1870 to come to Kansas? We got tired plowing up a fresh crop of rocks every spring." That was the explanation of how the western expansion of the railroads lured the AHAHEL DEXTER family to Kansas. The St. Joe and Grand Island railroad had reached Spring Creek at the south side of Marysville, and the Dexters became part of a colony of Canadians from the vicinty of Peterborough, Ont., who came by rail and settled in Center Twp. KS. "Asahel, his wife, Jane and their 10 children built a temporary shelter, but lived in it longer than planned because a tornado demolished the framework for the large home they were building. Their finally completed home was in use almost a century.

Fred and Ralph (right) in front of home built by their grandfather Asahel in 1871

 

" Asahel Dexter, son of John Dexter of York (Toronto) and Jane Neese of PA, was born near York 14 Mar 1809 and d 4 Feb 1891 in Center Twp. KS." (More genealogy data follows.)
"The Dexters were active in establishing the school and the Marshall Center Baptist church. They were members of a Literary Society in the community, and of the Library Association of Center and Wells township. Will, Teasdale, and their nephew James were members of the Center baseball team which met the Bigelow team Saturdays on the Reedsville
diamond."
SOURCE: "Pioneers of the Blue Stem Prairie," Riley Co. Gen Soc, 1976, pg
127-8-9, Dexter article by Miriam Dexter:
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P.O. Home R. 2 O. 248 ac, sec 21, O. 80 ac sec.16 (51)
"Ash Hurst." (name of Asahel Dexter's home he built.)
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History of Marshall County Kansas pg 919
by Emma Forter, 1917
BF Bowen & Co. Indianapolis, Indiana

Asahel Dexter was born in Canada on March 14, 1809, and there grew to manhood. He married Jane Whitfield, who was born in England on September 24, 1817, and who had emigrated to Canada with her parents in the days of her girlhood. After his marriage Mr. Dexter continued to make his home in Canada until 1870, when he came to Kansas with his family and settled in this county. Here he bought a half section of land in Center township and established his home, spending the rest of his life there. When he bought the place he erected there a small shack, which did duty as a home until the next year, when he built a substantial dwelling house, but not until he had made two attempts on the same, for the framework of the new house had hardly been completed when a tornado came along and demolished it. The second structure has stood all the storms since and is still standing, Asahel Dexter was a good farmer and soon had his pioneer farm improved in good shape. In common with all the early settlers he suffered the privations due to grasshoppers and scorching winds in those early days, but he persevered despit all discouragements and was presently well established. As he prospered he added to his land holdings and as his sons started out for themselves he helped them to acquire farms of their own. He and his wife were earnest members of the Baptist church and helped to found the church of that denomination at Marshall Center, Mr. Dexter for years being a deacon of the same. In his later years Mr. Dexter retired from his active labors of the home place and turned the management of the same over to his youngest son, the subject of this sketch, who now owns the home place. Mrs. Dexter died on May 24, 1887, and Mr. Dexter survived he a little less than four years, his death occurring on February 4, 1891, he then lacking less than three weeks of being eighty-two years of age. He and his wife were the parents of thirteen children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the last born, the others being as follow: Maria, who died before the family left Canada; George, deceased; Matilda, deceased; Thomas B., who is living a mile east of the old home place in Center township; John who died before the family left Canada; Sarah Jane, deceased; Mrs. Mary Richardson, of Hill City, this state; Mrs Margaret Parker, deceased; Asahel, deceased; Teesdale, of Trenton, Nebraska; Martha, of Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Edmund who lives three miles west of the old home in Elm Creek township.

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Descendants of Asahel Dexter click here
 

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