John Deatley was the son of Matthew and Elizabeth DeAtterly. John’s wife was Jemima Porter. John and Jemima had eight known children. Five of the children were born in Virginia and three after the family moved to Kentucky between 1796 and 1804. Daughter Mary’s obituary in 1873 said she had been born in Prince Edward County, Virginia. The obituary stated that she removed in her childhood with her father’s family to what was then Greenup County, Kentucky.

One researcher states that John Deatley was employed by Landon Carter in 1796 who was "a wealthy landowner as an overseer of one of his plantations." The first Landon Carter died at Sabine Hall in Richmond County, Virginia about 1778 and lived in Richmond County where John Deatley’s father, Matthew resided. Landon had a son Robert Wormely Carter who had property on the Little Sandy in Kentucky. Carter County was named for the Carter family. Landon had another son named Landon [1738-1801] who resided in Prince William County, Virginia. Robert Wormely Carter also had a son Landon Carter who married Catherine Tayloe. At this writing we have no documentation that John Deatley worked for the Carter family but because of recorded antebellum records we know that at least one Thomas Deatley corresponded with the Tayloe family.

The first evidence of John Deatley is in a Court Order entry showing John Deatley and Alexander Miller serving for the prosecution against a gentleman accused of stealing a mans shirt in July 1804 in Greenup County, Kentucky. In October the same year John Deatley, Thomas Hood, James Howe, John W. Howe and Robert Dawson, among others qualified to serve on the Grand jury for Greenup County Circuit Court. He served yet again on the Grand jury on May 6, 1805.

The next day James McGuire brought a suite as plaintiff against John Deatley in the same court concerning a difference between them referenced in arbitration and determination of John Nichols, William Lowry and ? Kouns. Exactly one year later on May 6, 1806 John Deatley brought suite against James McGuire. Jacob Kouns and William Lowry were summoned to appear as referees. The case was not dismissed until May 4, 1807 and a cause was not given in the record.

John Deatley also had filed a complaint against George Harwick on May 5, 1807 and Hugh Jackson against John Deatley during this court session. In turn John Deatley brought suite against John Wilson as well. Without explanation in the record it is hard to determine if each of these counter suites involve the same problem. Yet another cause was brought on May 5, 1807 by Alfred W. Grayson against John Deatley which was brought before a jury to recover $83.50 cents plus costs which the plaintiff, Alfred W. Grayson recovered.

Reuben Rucker, Sheriff of Greenup County, acted as an assignee against John Deatley in a petition dated 20 July 1808 concerning a debt for $111.50 with lawful interest from 25 December 1807. Two credits for a total of $50.20 were given Deatley. In August John and Jemima’s daughter Mary married Elzaphan Rucker in Greenup County, Kentucky. Many families bought supplies at the Sandy Salt Works in Greenup County and in September John purchased black ribbon and white lace for a daughter.

In September 1809 John Deatley now of Bourbon County, Kentucky and his brother-in-law, John Porter emancipated and gave liberty to a Negro slave woman named Kate, in consideration of her faithful services. The document states that she was formerly the property of William Porter, Sr. now deceased. The document was witnessed by John Black and Henry Buchham. A 100 pound bond was signed with the condition that the Negro slave would not become charitable upon the county.

In 1810 John Deatley was appointed administrator of the estate of Edward Porter. Edward was also Jemima’s brother. John Deatley was to divide the estate of Edward Porter among the heirs. Mrs. Griggs was to have 1/3 and her 8 children to have 2/3. The estate included the division of slaves. One of the slaves awarded to Mrs. Griggs was named Wormley possibly named to honor Robert Wormley Carter.

John Deatley sold property in Greenup County in 1810, as well. However deed book A page 226 of the Greenup County records is missing so a description of the property has not been located. John appears on the 1810 Bourbon County census and his household includes mention of two slaves.

He sold Hugh Brent a Negro girl slave named Patty formerly belonging to the estate of Edward Porter in February 1811. Patty had been assigned in the division along with another slave named Hannah to Hiram Griggs according to the former document. Unless there were possibly two slaves named Patty because in a February 1811 deed of sale John Deatley states that Patty was allotted to his wife Jemima by the Commissioners at the last county court in July for the purpose of dividing the estate which Jemima fell heir to after the death of her brother and father and in agreement with John and Jemima’s marriage contract.

John Deatley puchased 137 acres of land on Sommerset Creek in Nicholas County the next year, 1812. Then in July 1812 he was indicted in Greenup County for horse stealing and released on bond. He immediately fled to Nicholas county before his trial date was set. The charges of horse theft were dropped on 18 October 1813 after the court learned of Deatley’s death.

In July 1812 John of Nicholas County made a mortgage with David Trimble of Montgomery County, Kentucky in the court at Greenup County for land held in Nicholas County where Deatley "now lives" and along with three negros: Daniel about 21, Austin 18 and Jim 11 years old. A slave named Austin had been awarded Mrs. Griggs from Edward Porter’s estate. Deatley agreed to deliver the boy Jim in one month. Most likely this is how Deatley made bond.

On March 29, 1813 John Deatley enrolled in Captain John D. Thomas Company, Boswell Regiment for the War of 1812. One month later he was discharged. The first record of his death is noted in October 1813 in the Greenup County, Kentucky theft charge.

And the rest of the story of John Deatley continued to unfold well after his death. In the Spring 1821 Jemima made an appeal in the Nicholas Courts for the estate including farm and slaves. The Court of Appeals show the Deatley Heirs vs. Zephaniah Murphy and Richard Stites and others representing that their ancestor was possessed of considerable personal estate including sundry slaves and land. But that in the year 1812 he was accused of a felony and imprisoned in the jail at Fayette County, Kentucky. Since Deatley made bond in Greenup County but then "fled" to Nicholas County it is possible that the authorities once again arrested him and placed him in jail because of the horse theft in Greenup County.

When he was under confinement his estate "was pressed with ...executions" and he executed a letter of attorney to Zephaniah Murphy authorizing him to sell a Negro. The Appeals record goes on to state that "Deatley was a man of weak mind and easily imposed upon and that Murphy possessed his entire confidence and professed friendship toward him and exercised a strong influence over him. That Murphy together with...John Roberts then bailed Deatley out of jail and after his return home to Nicholas County Deatley placed three Negro slaves in the possession of Murphy. Some of the heirs who sued were infant heirs and are not conversant with the transactions. As to the land it again was pointed out that Deatley was in fact a weak minded man and "whilst he was enduring the horrors of his prison he was under such stress...that he offered his whole estate to procure bail." Representations for his wife state that he was incompetent to manage his own business and the family would come of want if some trusty person or agent did not undertake Deatley’s business. After Deatley’s "liberation from confinement seemed to labor under a confusion of intellect and some ...conceived him measurably deranged..."

The final entry involving his estate was held in December 1822 when a motion of James and Betsey Deatley Rucker, Elzaphan and Polly Deatley Rucker, John and

Sally Deatley Cameron, James and John Deatley co-panners [do they mean panniers as in servants of the court?] with Washington and Porter Deatley all children of John Deatley, deceased are listed in a authorization for the division of lands consisting of 137 acres on Sommerset Creek in Nicholas County.