Dennis Stebbins of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was the oldest son of the twelve children of Joseph Stebbins (1749-1816) and Lucy (Frary) Stebbins (1754-1831). He grew up in a large gambrel-roofed house on Deerfield’s main street. In 1800, he married Lois Hawks (1781-1862), and they had ten children. When his father died in 1816, Dennis inherited a large house at the north end of the street. Like many men of his time, Dennis was a farmer who also undertook other activities, economic and political. He was a broom maker (an occupation that relied on locally-grown broomcorn), and he had a broom shop behind his house. He was also a major in the Massachusetts militia and served as a town selectman for nine years.