Monthly Archives: August 2019

Podcasts

Speaking In Relative Terms Ep 002-Our Interview

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Speaking In Relative Terms: Ep 002 – Our Interview with Grandkids

Have your kids or grandkids interview you – and then you interview them as well when you do family history stories. When they get a bit older, they’ll have a memory to cherish for years to come – and so will you!

Here’s how it happened for me:

Recently, my granddaughter Laina got to stay with me and her Grandpa David.  Her parents were off on a cruise, enjoying some away time.

Laina preps for an interview
Laina in headphones a few years ago.

We had a lot of fun during the week since I got to take off work and over the weekend too, before she had to go back home.  It gave us a special opportunity to learn a bit more about each other.  On our last day together, I asked Laina if she would like to be part of our podcast.  She agreed and the interviews began.

A lot of ground got covered in our interview – some basic family history  and some things we probably wouldn’t have thought of!  Laina is  a young lady who certainly has her own mind.  She’s a wonderful story teller and shows a lot of insight into life and curiosity about the history of our family.

One note, as with many family stories and the storytellers therein, some things may need to be taken with a grain of salt.  Judge for yourself, and enjoy an awesome pair of interviews with a very special young lady that I just adore.

I hope in the years to come, Laina will listen to her special podcast and think of it with fondness and amusement.  It was so much fun! Don’t forget, when it comes to the grandparents, grandkids say “Yoda best!”  Make sure you’re the best in their eyes and get them involved in the family story.

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Documentary Evidence, General Posts

Dexter News Clippings

DEXTER NEWS CLIPPINGS

I’ve collected a number of Dexter news clippings to get perspective on our family.  It is important to learn more about the comings and goings of these family members, so each article is an important discovery. It puts the family in context with local history – as you will see.

Information in news clippings is helpful to reference and verify family association (such as the Dexter-Connelly-Henderson Reunion clip, below). 

The families gathered for this story are primarily those of the four Dunlap sisters: Mary Dexter, Margaret “Harriet” Walburn, Melinda Connelly and Martha Henderson.  All are the daughters of James Hamilton Dunlap and Zerna Mitchell.

George James Dexter talked about his experience in the Civil War according to the article.  He documented his adventures in the military during General Sherman’s “March to the Sea”. I wish that speech survived. It would have made such a welcome addition!

DEXTER-HENDERSON-CONNELLY REUNION

family reunion of Dexter, Connelly and Henderson in West Lafayette Indiana
Connellys, Dexters and Hendersons gather for a reunion

Mary Dunlap Dexter was quite progressive, helping to found the “Three O’Clock Club”.  This was a group of women, many of them spouses of Purdue University professors.  They organized with the goal to improve intellectual ability. Her parties were legend and she was frequently discussed in the social pages.

The news clipping below features a holiday party at which Mary and her friend Katherine Porter attended as charter members.  They served tea to the collected guests:

Literature Club Party

Article about Mary Dexter holiday party from 1927
Mary Dexter Serves At Another Holiday Party

An Article About The Founding Of The Three O’Clock Club

Mary Dexter was quite a social butterfly.   This trait was passed on through multiple generations, it seems.  Her involvement in church and community was well documented.  Mary’s final party was a holiday party in December of 1929.  Days later, but before the new year and decade began, Mary passed away.   This final holiday party was one of her most celebrated events.

There are many more news clippings and articles on file attached to the family members on the Ancestry tree gedcom (currently called DexterHistorianFamily).  I will add others here as I find, review and develop the individual stories.

Finally, since WordPress apparently doesn’t like the length of the above clipping, I attached the transcript for it.  Names in this article include many within Lafayette social and intellectual circles.  Many of the ladies included their maiden as well as married names. 

This is quite a forward-thinking group, since white women didn’t get the vote for another 14 years.  From the 1906 dust-up you can read about, you will see that there was quite the split in points-of-view as to the necessity of “clubs” in general!  

Enjoy the news clippings and come back to see what new discoveries have been found about our Dexters and the related and associated families.