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I (Sandra) have wanted to refute some of the nonsense written about James Dean and his draft board and military service in general. Fortunately, a kind and knowledgeable gentleman and scholar has written about this for us. I have permission to share it here with you. Thanks are due Ralph D. Kirkpatrick, and to establish why he knows these things, I should tell you that he is Presiding Clerk of Back Creek Friends Meeting. Mr. Kirkpatrick explains:
Some Thoughts on Friends
and the Military
Shared by Ralph D. Kirkpatrick
Quaker Military service - The Friends Meeting has no special power over a young man's conscience and can not/does not set 'Rules.' The Meeting, or more properly, the people of the Meeting, set(s) examples as demonstrated by their lives and their approach to current life problems. The actions taken by young Quaker men are strictly between them and God, even though the community may, and will, express opinions of them.And in another letter he has added:Friends believe that historically God spoke to man through the Bible and that God has continued and does continue to speak through persons receptive to God's Spirit. Many people have been inspired by God and we can profit by reading and considering their stories of God's revelation in their lives.
Consider, for example, that the Bible is apparently neutral on the subject of human slavery. It is only within the past 200+/- years that man has been open to God's leading that one man should not be held in slavery to another man. The Quaker, Levi Coffin of Fountain City, Indiana helped put that Divine Inspiration into action.
Many of the writers of the Bible actively support the concept of 'military might makes right' (even while giving us the Ten Commandments which include the direct order "Thou shalt not kill"). It is only within the past 400+/- years that man has been inspired, by God, I believe, to abhor the killing of other men on the field of battle. Quaker authors, including George Fox and William Penn, are clear in their speaking about man and the futility of war. Quakers, of course, are not the only people that God has deigned to inspire. I only use Quakers as examples since we are speaking of Quakers.
As you are aware, the Friends are one of the so-called 'peace denominations,' the others being the Church of the Brethren and the Mennonites. Back Creek was established in the 1830's by those Friends who came to Grant County to escape the evils of slavery in their native State of North Carolina.Mr. Kirkpatrick also has a great store of history about Grant County and the antecedents of James Dean. He has written:With the outbreak of the War Between the States, young Back Creek men were faced with a tremendous moral dilemma - do they join the army to fight against slavery or do they uphold our 'peace testimony'? In fact, Back Creek Friends sent more soldiers, a total of 66 soldiers, to fight for the Union than any other Friends Meeting in the State of Indiana (see page 101 in J.S. Nelson. 1991. "Indiana Quakers Confront the Civil War"). Several of these 66 were killed, wounded, or died of disease while in the army.
Skipping to World War II, some Back Creek men went to service and some stayed home on 'farm deferments' - I do not know that anyone at Back Creek used Conscientious Objector status to stay out of the military service.
Now concerning James Dean - he was too young for WW II and was gone from Back Creek by the time of the Korean Conflict. He left Back Creek in the summer of 1949 for California where he initially intended to enroll in UCLA in a pre- law program (according to what he told me and the other boys who were with him the night before he left for California). I never saw him again - I was in graduate school at the University of Arizona when he was killed. So, I have no direct knowledge of his attitude or desires when he was faced with the Korean Conflict - I merely suspect that he was so involved in trying to establish his career that he did not consider enlisting into the military service.
Thanks again,
Ralph D. Kirkpatrick, Presiding Clerk
Back Creek Friends Meeting
7552 South 350 East, Osage Farm
Jonesboro, IN 46938
osagerdk@comteck.com
If you do have additional interests in this locality or in the ancestry of James B. Dean, you should be aware of the following: The '1877 Grant County Atlas' has been reprinted by Back Creek Friends Meeting and is available from us for $25 ($30, if shipped). This atlas has much local history extending from the Miami Indians and pioneers up to 1877. A map of each Township includes the names of all rural landowners, with pictures of their farmsteads, in many cases. Maps of all the County towns are also included. James Dean's ancestors the Wilsons and the Deans are mentioned several times (of course, not as his relatives, since in 1877 he was not anticipated).I have abstracted local history and genealogy from local newspapers. These abstracts include many mentions of James B. Dean's Wilson, Winslow, and Dean relatives (but not J.B.D. since they pre-date his birth). These published Abstracts are offered by Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie, MD, phone 1-800-398-7709.
The compilations are: "Local History and Genealogical Abstracts from Jonesboro and Gas City, Indiana Newspapers 1889-1920" 247 pages. published 1996, and
Local History and Genealogy Abstracts from Fairmount News, Fairmount, Indiana 1888-1900" 158 pages. published 1997.
Here's the link to Otto's James Dean pages index,
and here is a link to more information about James Dean's own Back Creek Friends Church.
You can contact Mr. Kirkpatrick by email at osagerdk@comteck.com
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