I have many ancestors who faced challenges, but Lt. Robert Deane (Deane-1139) of the Royal Navy stands out. In 1869 Robert and his young family, including four children, set sail from British India for Brooklyn, New York City, USA. While in India, they found themselves in the midst of a cholera epidemic that was raging in Calcutta. They departed in haste to escape the epidemic, which was getting worse, in any available vessel. They obtained a small small schooner, which Lt. Deane either purchased or on which Lt. Deane obtained passage for his family. The family went from one hazardous situation to another. Having escaped cholera, the next challenge was to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, because the Suez Canal was not yet complete. Evidently, the "good hope" part consisted of the many prayers uttered in desperation by the crew and passengers amid horrific storms in the vicinity of the "screaming 60th parallel," where strong winds whip the waves into mountain-sized monsters, as no land mass stops their progress. Their small schooner nearly foundered and the storms continued even when the vessel finally rounded the Cape and entered the Atlantic Ocean. Imagine how terrified the children must have been. Another storm forced them to land in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on their way to New York City.
By the grace of God, having survived six months at sea, under what many people would consider to be rather uncomfortable (not to mention life-threatening) conditions, the family was loathe to embark on another sea-going voyage. Consequently, they never returned either to England, or to India. After having survived such an arduous journey frought with danger, Lt Robert Deane's son, William Deane, may have been the "first Deane who did not mind staying on dry land."