World War I Plane
(from Floyd Dean's photo collection)
Rumor/legend is that Floyd was a World War I Air Force pilot. Floyd might be in the photo or the photographer. The plane might be Floyd's. At this time, no one has verified this. During his early life Richard was a farmer and during his later years worked as a grist miller and carpenter. Richard learned carpentry from Charles A. Garvin, the father-in-law of his oldest son, Elbert Marshall Dean. Shortly after the birth of her final child, Lizzie contracted an illness from which she never fully recovered, although she continued her role as the family homemaker. In early 1907, Lizzie suffered a renewed episode of the illness, and immediately a local physician was summoned to the Dean family home near Merkel, Texas. The physician diagnosed her condition as "chronic liver failure." During the ensuing days, Lizzie's condition further deteriorated, and she was bedridden with an extremely high fever. Again a physician revealed Lizzie had suffered further liver damage, and admonished the family to make her last days as comfortable as possible. Lizzie's condition rapidly deteriorated, and in early March 1907, she lapsed into a coma from which she never awoke. (Hulan Dean family history, by Milton Forsythe)
Caproni: CA5 11388
Floyd's plane was a heavy bomber manufactured by the Italian Caproni company. The CA5 heavy bomber was manufactured in 1917 in Italy and proved to be highly unsatisfactory.