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Albert Deans was born February 19, 1848, in Ontario. As a boy he went to school in Wellington County, and subsequently worked as a surveyor. In 1868 Albert moved to Pennsylvania for a number of years, where he managed a lumber company. Here he married Elizabeth McColm in February 1873. Later that year they had a son, Charles Burnett, and in 1877, after they'd moved back to Ontario, a daughter named Nelly followed. Elizabeth died in Ontario, and Albert moved with his children and father-in-law, Charles McColm, to B.C. Shortly before 1891 Albert settled on homesteaded land just 1.25 miles south of the Otter post office. In the 1891 census, Albert is listed as a Presbyterian and a farmer. He used his skills as a surveyor to subdivide his land and by 1892 he was show in the Directory to be living in both Langley and Otter. On January 9, 1893, Albert married Barbara McKay. After 1897 they moved to Old Yale Road in Murrayville and were known for hosting church picnics on their property, which acquired the name "Deans' Grove;" this is now part of Newlands Golf Course. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Albert built up a multifaceted career in Langley. He was an Assessor in 1892, and also served as a School Trustee, Councillor and the first magistrate of Langley, a post he held for 26 years. It appears that Albert and Barbara Deans moved to the U.S.A., apparently California, and they died and were buried there.
Term Source: HPC Record (HPC-362/1131), 1901 Census, and "The Place Between"

leisure, picnics
See Also: sports
Term Source: Sears List of Subject Headings (16th. Ed.)

During the Presbyterian ministry of Reverend Alexander Tait in the late 1880's this site was donated by Henry Mutrie for the construction of a new church. The lumber was obtained from a mill located two miles to the east. The name for the church is taken from the Song of Solomon, chapter1, verse 2, "I am the rose of sharon and the lily of the valleys". In 1925, with the unification of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches, this became the home of the United Church; those that remained Presbyterian constructed a new church on 216A Street. A new entry has been added to the simple form of the church, and a new hall built at the rear. It is, however, a well maintained local area landmark and provides the community with important link to it first settlement.