Floyd Dean, son of Richard Hulan Dean, and
younger brother Elbert Marshall Dean, Sr.,
serving in the Air Force, France, 1918.
During his early life Richard was known and recorded as Hulan Dean on all legal documents. In 1904 however Hulan commenced using the name Richard H. Dean, and although the reason for his name change is unknown, he continued to be known and recorded as Richard H. Dean the remainder of his life. According to family records (including Richard's obituary in the Merkel Mail), in 1904 Richard, Lizzie and their children suddenly departed Red River County, moved west to Taylor County, Texas and there resided near the Merkel Township. After arriving Hulan Richard Dean was always recorded as Richard H. Dean. Currently several of Richard's Dean family descendants reside in the Merkel, Texas area. However, none knew he used the name Hulan during his early life, most had never heard the name Hulan. In fact, after his death, Richard's descendants had the name Richard H. Dean inscribed on his tombstone. Several Dean descendants remember their elder relatives telling them that prior to his departure from Red River County, Hulan Richard Dean killed a neighboring farmer. They also remember being told that in the early 1900's, Hulan departed Red River County under mysterious circumstances and suddenly headed to west Texas. Although no records exist to substantiate this tale, handed down from generation to generation, these assumptions continue unabated among Richard's Dean descendents. (Hulan Dean family history, by Milton Forsythe)