US Denton Ground Zero

There are (unlikely) suggestions that all (or at least some 32,000) of the Dentons in the USA descend from the Rev Richard Denton. He and Helen did produce enough children to start the process.

More accurately he is heralded as perhaps one of forty key immigrants responsible for much of the original WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) stock. Certainly I have encountered some impressive family trees that run to many thousands and they appear thoroughly documented – but ‘all Dentons’ appears a bit of a reach.

These sources go on to indicate we have lots of relations in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia… that a number of our folk interbred with Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw and Choctaw locals. See Denton places – America

I will content myself, for now, by reviewing just two of these American cousins – John Bunyan Denton and Andrew Russell Denton.

You will recall that the Denton name derived from a topographical term in England, and not an individual. Just as there are fifteen places in the UK called Denton, it turns out that there are nineteen places named Denton in the States. Most of these were named for people, thus reversing the English process.

Denton communities in the States are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

The Denton in Texas derives from an individual called John Bunyan Denton whom we will look at below.

There is also a Denton Trail near the Tonto National Forest, thirty-eight miles from Scotsdale in Arizona. I challenge anyone of my age group, when they see that forest’s name, to resist saying– ‘Hi Ho Silver Away’ and/or ‘Kemosabe’ – forgive us, but the Lone Ranger was extremely popular in our youth!

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My current work-in-progress/research database has over 1,300 USA Dentons of interest,
with over 50% of these from just four States (see emboldened below):

23 named Dentons born in Alabama, 38 born in Arkansas, just 1 from California, 9 from Connecticut,
67 from Georgia, 1 from Idaho, 31 from Illinois, 55 from Indiana, 3 from Iowa, 6 from Kansas,
90 from Kentucky, 18 from Louisiana, 21 from Massachussetts, 18 from Maryland, 70 from Michigan,
5 from Mississippi, 70 from North Carolina, 1 from Nebraska, 4 from New Jersey, 1 from New Mexico,
329 from New York, 4 from Ohio, 14 from Oklahoma, 8 from Pennsylvania, 23 from South Carolina,
291 from Tennessee, 24 from Texas, 123 from Virginia, 5 from Washington State, 2 from Wisconsin
and 2 from West Virginia.

However, this is being constantly modified.