• Deere-Wiman House
• About the House
• History of the House
• The First Owner
• The First Lady

• Butterworth Center
• About the House
• The First Owner
• The First Lady

The First Lady of the Deere-Wiman House

Mary Deere

Mary Little Dickinson Deere, the wife of Charles Deere, was the first lady of Overlook. She was born August 9, 1841, in Newburyport, Vermont to Gideon Dickinson and Judith Atkinson Dickinson. Like many young girls of her time, Mary attended a boarding school. This one, the Dearborn Seminary, was in Chicago, Illinois, far from her home in Vermont.

It's not known how Mary Dickinson met Charles Deere. It's very possible that it was through Mary's uncle, Charles Atkinson. He was one of the early founders of Moline, a prominent resident of the city, and knew John Deere well. Ultimately Mary's path crossed with Charles', and they were married on September 16, 1862.

Besides being a devoted mother to her two daughters, Anna and Katherine, Mary was extremely active in community affairs. She was descended from Colonel Moses Little, who commanded a regiment at Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary war and was a friend of George Washington. Her ancestor led her to organize the Moline Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She was a state regent of the organization and also served as vice president general for the national DAR.

Mary was instrumental in the building of a monument on Campbell's Island, near Moline in the Mississippi River, and in the preservation of Fort Massac in southern Illinois. She was also a member of the Society of Colonial Dames, and a supporter of Moline's First Congregational Church, and the city's parks and playgrounds.

Mary Little Dickinson Deere died on April 28, 1913.