Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

There's about a million "Eddies" in my family tree, which automatically puts me off in terms of researching any of them, because on the surface, they already don't seem very unique or interesting. However, at this point in my genealogy journey, I should definitely know better. Everyone has a fascinating story to tell, even if their name isn't as glamorous or one-of-a-kind. Eddie Dean is one of those cousins who I didn't think twice about when I initially saw his leaf dangling on my maternal branch. But in 2009, I travelled to Oklahoma for a family gathering and learned little nuggets of info here and there on my mom's Dean side from three of my great aunts, Frances, Sheila, and Thelma. I was curious about their brother, Raymond, who had passed away long before I was even born. From what I gathered, Raymond had had a wife and two sons. And yet, I found it odd that I did not know this great aunt of mine or her kids (who would be around my mom's generatio...

In 1873, my 3rd great grandparents, John and Margaret (Marshall) Dean, were living along Wheeling Creek in West Virginia. They had been married for about 20 years and had raised 7 children by that point. John followed in his father's footprints making a living as a blacksmith, and Margaret took care of their home. Relying only on the fact that they never separated or divorced and were able to pose for a family photo together later in life with their grown children, I would surmise their marriage was a fairly happy and satisfying one. The Dean Family (Front Row L to R: Joseph Dean, John Dean, Margaret (Marshall) Dean, Athe Dean;  Back Row L to R: Ralph Dean, Ben Dean, Chester Dean, John A. Dean) However, in September of 1873, it would seem Margaret had a bone to pick with John. A piece of their dirty laundry was aired when she published a post in the local newspaper for all the neighbors to see! "Notice.,"  The Wheeling Daily Register,  Ohio County, West Virginia, 27 Sep 1...

It's ironic that the most colorful character in my family tree was born with the surname of White! Related to me only through marriage to a great granduncle, Gertrude was anything but plain, white bread. "Grandma Dean, 1912"; Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 Nov 2024), user-submitted photo by Shannon Katz-Dean on 11 Feb 2018. The images left behind of Gertrude clearly shine a light on this woman's wild and free spirit. She certainly didn't maintain societal norms for her day.  "Gertrude White";  Ancestry  (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 Nov 2024), user-submitted photo by Shannon Katz-Dean on 29 Aug 2017. Born in 1893 in Upshur County, West Virginia to farming parents of modest means, the U.S. censuses show her education spanned at least from age 7 through 17 reaching the 8th grade, which is already far superior to the majority of the men in my family tree who typically dropped out of school around the age of 12 or so to begin earn...

Summers were known to be the time of year when the extended Dean and Millhouse families (my maternal branch) could all come together in West Virginia for their respective reunions. The tradition began at least by 1949 for the Deans in Wheeling Park, but likely much earlier. For as often as these gatherings probably took place over the years, I have very few photographs to document them. I, myself, only recall attending one "reunion" at Oglebay Park in 1999, but it was really a 50th anniversary celebration for my great aunt Thelma and Melvin Mays. It feels a tad awkward showing up to these events and really only recognizing a handful of people out of the throngs who attend. Having to strike up that initial conversation with a "stranger" is never easy as you blurt out, "So how do you fit in to the tree? Who are you? How should I know you?" So that's just one of the excuses my introverted self makes for not going. Gary and Kira Foltz being anti-social, Og...

While I consider myself the resident storyteller of the family, I discovered the following 10-page memoir written by my grandma within one of our photo albums, and have to say she did a fine job illustrating key moments in her life.  I've transcribed what she wrote, keeping all spelling errors and edits intact. The only addition I made was noting her brother's name [Raymond] when she was referring to him in third person and only by pronoun and, of course, the contemporaneous photographs. I don't have any context as to what brought about this document or whether a more finalized version ever existed in some fashion. Edna (Dean) Millhouse, circa 1956. " [?], quite hilly West Virginia until the butter was a solid pound rolls at this point in time, we had no refrigeration but some time later did have an ice box and at that time we could buy 25-50 and 100 pound cakes of ice. Always had to be sure to remember to empty the drip pan, or we would have a wet mess to clean up. Ou...