George Dealey
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(Jan. 20, 1829 - March 31, 1891) Born in Liverpool, England, George Dealey moved to Galveston in 1870 with his wife, Mary Ann (Nellins) Dealey (1829-1913), and their nine children. Dealey was a deeply religious man, who engaged in many charitable activities. In 1878 he persuaded Mrs. E. M. Arnold to help him organize a home for orphan children. He rented a house at 8th and Broadway, and on Oct. 20, 1878, opened the Island City Protestant Orphans Asylum. Several clergymen quickly gave their support to the endeavor, and Galveston citizens donated funds. After one month, the orphanage moved to a 2-story building, owned by Mrs. John Hibbert, at the corner of 11th and Market Street. In 1879 Dealey turned control of the institution over to a board of directors headed by Judge Charles L. Cleveland. In January 1880, the home was chartered and moved to facilities on this site, where it continued to grow and gain support from the community. Renamed the Galveston Orphans' Home, it still follows admittance standards drawn up by its founder, George Dealey. Dealey died in Dallas, where his family moved in 1889. Two of his sons, George Bannerman (1859-1946) and James Q. Dealey *1961-1937), later became well-known as publisher and editor of the "Dallas Morning News."
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
An English-born immigrant who settled in Galveston in 1870 with his wife and nine children, George Dealey was a devout man who turned his faith toward charity. In 1878 he opened the Island City Protestant Orphans Asylum in a rented house, and with clergy support and citizen donations the home grew, moved, and was chartered as it settled on this site. Renamed the Galveston Orphans' Home, it long kept the admittance standards its founder set. Two of his sons went on to lead the Dallas Morning News.
Why it matters
Privately founded orphanages like Dealey's were the frontline of social welfare in nineteenth-century America, filling needs a young country had no public system to meet.
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Related people
- · George Dealey
- · Mary Ann Dealey
- · George Bannerman Dealey
- · James Q. Dealey
Themes & tags
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