This is one of the reasons I like genealogy, it's like a jigsaw puzzle. I have a bunch of old letters that I want to read, and type up. When I first read this letter, I didn't really know who it was from, or who they were talking about. In researching the Crafts side of the family this week, I spent some time going through the Crafts family genealogy which I found online. My great-great-grandmother Cynthia Crafts Dederick had 2 sisters, and 1 brother, Talmadge Crafts. When I read through the entry in the book about Talmadge, it showed that he married, and had 2 children. The daughter died as a baby, he died when his son was 2 years old, and his wife died 5 years later, leaving the boy as an orphan at the age of 7 years old. It further mentioned that the boy was educated in Springfield, Illinois. I immediately thought of this letter, saw it was sent from Springfield, and the last name of the sender matched the maiden name of the boys mother. I finally knew who the writer of the letter was talking about, the young boy was Walter James Crafts, son of Talmadge. It's so much fun to me to make discovery's like this. The Crafts genealogy also has an entry for Walter, which states he was residing in New York city, and had one child with his wife, and that the child was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1890. I found a photo in one of the old family photo albums, which has a photographers stamp on it from Brooklyn, New York, and it is a baby. I bet that the photo is of Walter's son, Walter Earle Crafts. Another mystery solved. I truly do love genealogy. The text of the letter appears below.

Springfield, Ill
March 14th, 1873

Mrs. Weaver

I owe you an apology for not answering your kind favor of Nov 28 until this late day. ( ) I have often thought of doing so but as I have had to nurse my eyes a good deal during the lasst winter I have had in a measure to let my correspondence go. Now I have got me eye glasses that will I think be of some help to me. We have all got along nicely here during the winter and have enjoyed ourselves pretty well. Walter has kept close to school and I think is doing pretty well. His health has greatly improved since he has been with us. We have taken special care of the dear child-and I am glad he is improving in very many respects. He has not been to Sunday school very much this past winter, as we live some distance from the schools and the winter has been so severe that we did not send him- but will do so now that it has opened up so pleasant. Walter looks and acts so very much like his father that wife and I often call to remembrance our acquaintance with Mr. Crafts. I would like very much if you could see the fellow, I think it would be a great comfort to both of you. Mr. Lehindau has sold his place and has moved to Green County. I often think of dear Sister left all alone. How I do wish that she was lying by the side of her husband and her dear child that she loved so dearly. Well may we not hope that though their mortal remains are Sunder’d that their spirits are united and that now they are a happy little family in our Father’s Kingdom. I loved Mary dearly and I can hardly give her up. I understood her perhaps better than anybody else and it is a mournful satisfaction to me to have the privilege to do for her little boy. I hope and trust that hereafter we will hear from each other oftener. Walter often talks about his Aunts back in “York state”. He also remembers his little brother and prays for him. The children gets along nicely together and seems to be as fond of one another as if they were one family. This being Friday night wife has gone to Prayer Meeting and took Walter along for company. So you see he is quite a little man. We have several Homeopathic physicians here. Am glad that I have not had to call them in so far, but will employ none others for Walter should he ever need them. Have had him vaxinated , also have given him medicine for worms as he was very bad with them. He had other complaints that yielded to care and I am glad to be able to say that he is very much improved in every way. Have not heard very much from sister Nelly this past winter. Had some letters but as I did not answer them of course my correspondents have almost dropped me all together. Well I am in the hopes that I will be able to do better from this time on. Will be real glad to hear from you. Walter has just come in and I told him I was writing to you and asked him if he wanted say anything. He said he wanted to write to you and sends his love to both of his Aunts.

Yours truly,

JL Burke



This is the photo with the Brooklyn, NY stamp on it, most likely Walter Earle Crafts, born August 12, 1890. Son of Walter James Crafts and Augusta Helen Follmer.

Just checking in....

Just checking in that I haven't had time to post anything, but I spent several hours last weekend scanning in more photographs, and am digging back in to researching the family. Started putting some pieces together. I will try to post some more info this weekend, but for now, here are a few new (old) photos.




William Dederick with one of his sons, probably Arthur or Walter, circa 1864-1867




Elsie Ann (Weaver) Dederick with third son, Willard Dederick circa 1870





William and Elsie Ann Dederick, date unknown. This was scanned from a tin-type photo, and came out quite well, I thought.

Grandparents-Dederick side

Willard Wright Dederick was born on October 18, 1869 in Roann Indiana. He was the third son of William Dederick and Elsie Ann Weaver. His older brothers were Arthur Sylavanus born in 1862 and Walter Crafts born in 1865. Elsie Ann died in 1878 when Willard was almost 9. According to my father, Willard and his cousin Edson Colt, built the first bandsaw mill in Indiana, which they operated until around the turn of the century. At that time Willard went to work for the Wabash Railroad as a florist, growing plants for station yards and dining cars. Wishing to operate for himself, Willard built a greenhouse on Road 15 in Warsaw, IN. in 1906. He operated that greenhouse, later with assistance from his son Forrest, until his death in 1946. Willard's greenhouse was located a short distance from the home of Jeremiah and Ellen Melissa Herrin. Willard married their oldest daughter, Eva Marie in 1908. They had 2 children, Helen Marie in 1910, and Forrest Thorald in 1913. Marie would die tragically as the result of an accident, in 1937.





Jeremiah and Ellen Melisa Herrin, probably about 1935.






From left to right, unknown, Mary Margaret Herrin, Helen Elizabeth Herrin, Ellen Melissa Herrin, and Eva Marie (Herrin) Dederick with daughter (Helen) Marie, spring 1911.

Starting Out

Well, this is something that I have been thinking about doing for a long time. I have been interested in genealogy since I was in the 7th grade (I'm almost 40 now), and had to do a family tree for a class project. My dad was able to provide me information going back several generations, while my mother hardly even knew who her grandparents were. Since all of my grandparents had died before I was born, I found learning about them, and their ancestors, was a way to connect with them. My family has saved many things through the years, so I am blessed with boxes of old letters, old photos, old sermons (my great-grandfather Simeon Dederick was a minster), and many old family heirlooms. I still have yet to go through all the letters, and sadly I don't know who many of the people in the photos are, but I hope to post those pictures and letters here over time, and maybe someone else out there searching for their ancestors will see a name or a face that they recognize. To get started I will post a couple of pictures, and parents/grandparents.




My father, Forrest Dederick and his sister Marie, probably taken about 1917, Warsaw, IN.








Forrest about 1928 or so.


















Me: Cheryl Dederick

My Parents:

Forrest Dederick
B. 7-27-1913
D. 3-28-2001

Patricia Westfahl
B. 3-19-1931
D. 8-25-1995


My Grandparents:

Willard Wright Dederick
B. 10-18-1869 D. 6-6-1946
Eva Marie Herrin
B. 3-8-1889 D. 12-14-1967

Herman Westfahl
B. 1-31-1886 D. 10-22-1944
Minnie Itzakowsky
B. 7-1-1888 D. 2-16-1943