James Todd Dean and Charles Chase Miller

James Todd Dean and Charles Chase Miller. . James Todd Dean, the only child of Irish immigrants, was born in Philadelphia, PA. James' mother died when he was less than a year old. James' father then married his deceased wife's sister who raised him. James father, James, was a carpenter by trade in Pennsylvania until young James was about five years of age. The Deans then traveled to the state of lowa where the father went into the farming business., As an adult in Iowa, James T. Dean, was a graduate of the University of lowa law school. He practiced law for many years and become a judge. He also entered into several business adventures before taking over his father's large farm. James and wife, Eleanor, had six sons while in Iowa. They retired from their lowa farm in 1910. They traveled with their two youngest sons to Conway, Texas for a short period, and to Artesia, New Mexico where they stayed for about one year. In February 1912, the Deans came to Columbus. The following month they made their permanent move to Columbus. In 1914, James went into the grocery business on Broadway Street., The morning of March 9, 1916, the Dean family was awakened by the Villistas gun fire. Mr. Dean saw the fires that had been set to the mercantile and hotel. Not fully believing the battle was for real, he started downtown to help fellow townspeople fight the fires. After the raiders retreated, son Edwin, found his father's body in a pile of dead Villistas at the corner of Broadway and Main streets. He was buried on Sunday in the Columbus Heights Cemetery., Mr. Charles Chase Miller was born in Winchester, Virginia on March 1, 1856. He was from an old and respected Frederick County, Virginia family. He had one sister and two brothers. His father was in the drug store business for many years and from whom Charles learned the drug store trade., Mr. Miller came to Columbus after spending several years in the mining town of Hillsboro, New Mexico. He was married while in Hillsboro but his wife died a short time thereafter, they had no children., Charles Miller arrived in Columbus about 1911 opening the Miller Drug Store. He homesteaded as he was interested in raising sheep. Mexican raiders and bandits had stolen most of his livestock by the time of the Villa raid on Columbus., While in Columbus he resided at the Hoover Hotel which was on the corner across the sireet from his drug store. When the gun shots of the raiders awakened Mr. Miller, he came downstairs at the hotel to find all the guest huddled on the floor without weapons. He said he would go across to his store and bring back some guns. With store keys in hand, he went out the westerly hotel door and headed for his drug store. He made not more than ten feet when he was shot in the back of his head killing him instantly. When found after the battle, he still had his store keys in his hand. , Charles Chase Miller's body was sent to his hometown of Winchester, Virginia for burial in the Mount Hebron Cemetery on March 16, 1916., Captions , James Todd Dean 12-17-1854 . 3-9-1916 , Charles Chase Miller 3-1-1856 . 3-9-1916