Dewey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Dewey or a variant listed above:

Dewey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Thomas Dewey, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1631 2
• Elizabeth Dewey, who arrived in Maryland in 1675-1680 2
• Jonathan Dewey, who arrived in Westfield, Massachusetts in 1689 2

Dewey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• George Dewey who settled in Bristol Rhode Island in 1820
• Henry Dewey, who arrived in New York in 1835 2
• S L Dewey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
• O H Dewey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
• J Dewey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dewey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Chris Dewey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760

Dewey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Benedick Dewey, who arrived in Canada in 1836

Dewey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. John Dewey, English convict who was convicted in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

• Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), American librarian, inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification system for library classification
• Duane Edgar Dewey (1931-2021), American combat Marine, recipient of the Medal of Honor, for his actions on April 16, 1952, during the Korean War; smothered another exploding grenade with his own body to save the life of a corpsman and the other Marines around him
• Charles S. Dewey (1880-1980), American politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois
• Charles Almon Dewey (1877-1958), United States federal judge in Iowa's southern district
• Charles Melville Dewey (1849-1937), American painter
• John Dewey, American teacher, philosopher, and educational reformer, he advocated "learning by doing"
• George Dewey (1837-1971), American naval officer who attained fame in the Spanish-American War, also referred to as Commodore Dewey, eponym of the USS Dewey (DDG-105) and USS Dewey (DD-349)
• Thomas Edmund Dewey (1902-1971), Governor of New York and unsuccessful candidate for President of the United States
• George Dewey Nye (b. 1898), American Democratic Party politician, Pike County Prosecuting Attorney, 1923-26; Member of Ohio Democratic State Central Committee, 1938; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1940 (alternate),Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, 1945-47, 1949-53 4
• Laurin Dewey Woodworth (1837-1897), American Republican politician, Member of Ohio State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Ohio 17th District, 1873-77 5

HMS Hood

• Mr. Edward D G Dewey (b. 1923), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 6

HMS Royal Oak

• Kenneth G. Dewey, British Chief Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 7

Monongah Mine

• Mr. Joseph Dewey (b. 1882), Latvian coal miner who was in mine 8 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 8
• Mr. Mike Dewey (b. 1880), Latvian coal miner who was in mine 8 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 8

• Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist
• Family Crests: Timeline
• Family Crests: Elements
• Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate
• Norman Conquest
• Normandy
• England
• Spelling variations
• Family seat
• Van Diemen's
• First Fleets
• Australia

• Families of Dr. Charles Carroll, 1691-1755, and Cornet Thomas Dewey, 160?-1648 by Douglas Carroll.