2026 - Prompt - A Record That Adds Color

Wearing Orange: Discovering My Dutch Roots 

Orange was never a color I associated with my family. It belonged to sports teams, fall leaves, or festive decorations—but never to my ancestry. That changed recently, when a single discovery transformed a long-abandoned family line into a vivid story that reached back to seventeenth-century New Amsterdam and revealed my Dutch heritage.

My journey began many years ago with two stubborn brick walls: my great-great-grandfather, Jacob Wilcox, and his wife Margaret Smith. Jacob seemed to appear from nowhere, with no traceable life before 1850. Margaret, meanwhile, was the daughter of John Smith—a name guaranteed to halt any genealogist in their tracks. After years of searching without progress, I reluctantly set both lines aside. Some mysteries, I believed then, were simply unsolvable.

Life moved on. In 2002, my son married, and a few years later I decided to research my daughter-in-law’s family as a gift. I traced her ancestors back into New England, and while doing so, a familiar surname surfaced: Dingman. The coincidence caught my attention. Dingman is not a common name, and the fact that it appeared in both our families was intriguing—but at the time, I set the thought aside after researching her line about six generations back.

Fast forward to this past fall. Our local Genealogical Society planned its annual research trip to Salt Lake City, and I needed a focused project. I decided to revisit the Dingman surname, wondering if my daughter-in-law might somehow be related to her husband. That question became my research mission.

As I dug into her Dingman line, I identified a Christopher Dingman, a fifth-great-grandfather born in New York who later lived in Michigan. At the same time, I reflected on my own Catherine Dingman, born about 1810. The dates were close enough to raise an exciting possibility: could Catherine and Christopher be siblings or first cousins?

Following Christopher’s line led me back five more generations to Adam Dingman, born in Haarlem, Netherlands, in 1631, who immigrated to New Amsterdam around 1653. This discovery alone was thrilling—but the real breakthrough came as I reconstructed Christopher’s immediate family. His father was Rodolphus Dingman, born 3 Dec 1775, married to Maria Forncrook 11 Jun 1794.

Christopher Dingman
Gratiot County, Michigan Death Record
Parents: Rudolphus Dingman & Maria Dingman

That stopped me cold. Catherine Dingman’s death certificate listed her father as Christopher Dingman and her mother as Maria. What if the Christopher named on her death certificate wasn’t her father—but her brother?

Catherine (Dingman) Smith
Monroe County, Michigan Death Record
Parents: Christopher Dingman & Maria Dingman

I built out the family of Rodolphus and Maria, carefully examining New York census records and other documentation. The couple had eleven children, and among the older ones was Christopher, born 18 Aug 1798. There was room in the family for a Catherine born 24 Aug 1810. Piece by piece, the evidence aligned. Though still based on secondary sources, the conclusion seemed increasingly clear: Catherine was likely a daughter of Rodolphus and Maria—and the sister of Christopher. 

I built out the family of Rodolphus and Maria, carefully examining New York census records and other documentation. The couple had eleven children, and among the older ones was Christopher, born 18 Aug 1798. There was room in the family for a Catherine born 24 Aug 1810. Piece by piece, the evidence aligned. Though still based on secondary sources, the conclusion seemed increasingly clear: Catherine was likely a daughter of Rodolphus and Maria—and the sister of Christopher.

Then came Christmas.

After opening gifts, I shared a beautifully crafted fan chart I had created in Salt Lake City with my grandchildren, explaining how it was possible that their father and mother were distant cousins. My daughter-in-law mentioned this to her mother the next day—and that conversation changed everything.

Her mother called me soon after, excited and surprised. She explained that she had inherited genealogy papers her grandmother had compiled in the 1920s and 1930s. As she reviewed them, she found a handwritten list of Rodolphus and Maria Dingman’s children. There, in black and white, were the names: Christopher, born in 1802—and beneath him, Katherine Dingman, born in 1810, married to John Smith.

Bingo.

Catherine Wife of John W. Smith
Died 10 Dec 1868
Azalia Cemetery, Azalia, Monroe, Michigan

That single page provided the direct evidence I had been missing for decades. With that confirmation—combined with years of census records, death certificates, and careful analysis—I could finally say with confidence that I descend from Adam Dingman, a Dutch immigrant to New Amsterdam.

Dingman Family Research by Blanche Walker 1899-1995
Blanche's great grandfather was Christopher Dingman 1798-1871
Research papers in possession of Suzanne Smith Nelson

After all these years, the family line I once abandoned had not disappeared—it had simply been waiting. Now, when I wear orange, it’s no longer just a color. It’s a symbol of persistence, discovery, and a Dutch heritage reclaimed at last

2026 - Prompt - I Admire - Elizabeth Rice Wilson Strahl, 3x great grandmother

Elizabeth Rice Wilson Strahl 1811-1901
her home - 1885

Nancy Ann Simmons

   Paul Herbert Simmons

       June Elizabeth Putman

           Cora Elizabeth Wilson

                William Rice Wilson

                       Elizabeth Rice - my 3x great grandmother

Christopher Wilson
Son of John & Elizabeth Wilson
Died Apr 20, 1844

Elizabeth Rice Wilson Strahl
Rose Cemetery, Bismark, Vermilion, Illinois

2024 Prompt – Love & Marriage – Aaron Simmons

Simmons Family Crest
made by Ramona Simmons

Nancy Simmons

   Paul Simmons

      Walter Simmons

         Andrew Simmons

            Aaron Simmons – 1838-1924

            my Great-Great-Grandfather

Aaron Simmons 1838-1924
my great-great-grandfather

There is no better time to share the romance story of my great-great-grandfather, Aaron Simmons than with a prompt, Love and Marriage. Aaron Simmons was born October 17, 1838, in Chestnut Ridge, Pendleton Co., Virginia. Aaron was the only son born to Peter and Sarah (Moyer) Simmons who also had six daughters. His love life became very complicated!

Aaron was born in Pendleton County, WV and moved to 
Ritchie County, WV in 1855

Aaron's romance story cannot be told without mentioning the political turmoil in the United States as he grew up. Pendleton County sits on the eastern edge of what is now West Virginia. Pendleton County had Southern sympathies even though it became part of West Virginia which was pro-union. I believe this conflict had a strong influence on why Aaron's father sold his land in Pendleton County about 1855 and picked up his family and headed across West Virginia to Ritchie County. Aaron was about 17 years old when this event occurred and there is no evidence that Aaron ever participated in the Civil War. So maybe Peter and Sarah Simmons moved trying to protect their only son from the national conflict?

 

Phebe Rexroad 1833-1904 
Aaron Simmons married his first wife August 11, 1859
my great-great-grandmother

Shortly after arriving in Ritchie County Aaron fell in love with 15-year-old Sarah Louise Webb and asked for her hand in marriage. For some reason, Sarah's parents prohibited the marriage and Aaron was not allowed to marry his sweetheart. A year later, on August 11, 1859, Aaron married 24-year-old Phebe Rexroad. It is interesting that seven months later, on March 27, 1860, Sarah Louise Webb at age 16 married Lewis Hammer, Aaron’s first cousin, on March 27, 1860. So why didn't Sarah's family allow her to marry Aaron but seven months later allow her to marry Lewis Hammer? We can only speculate that maybe the Webb family didn’t approve of the Simmons pro-union stance or maybe they just didn't approve of Aaron?

        1870 Federal Census Murphy, Ritchie County, West Virginia

On the Left -- Aaron Simmons and Phebe with six children and his parents 
On the Right -- Lewis Hammer and Sarah (Louise) and four children 
They lived on Dog Run (a creek) with 6 households between them

In 1860, Aaron and his bride, Phoebe, started their family and had seven children born between 1860 and 1873. Meanwhile, Sarah Louise and Lewis Hammer had four children between 1860 and 1870.

Sarah Louise Hammer proceeded to have two more children after 1870, while she was married to Lewis Hammer; Violet Alstyne born January 9, 1872, and Sarah Alice, born May 21, 1878. Both, Violet and Sarah claim Aaron Simmons as their father on their marriage and death certificates. This certainly creates a few questions! Was Aaron their father? Violet would have been ten and Sarah four when their mother married Aaron so did they claim Aaron as their father because he was the father in the household as they grew up? In the 1870s Aaron and Louisa were separated by only six households. Oh, the tangled web we weave

 

Phoebe Simmons vs Aaron Simmons
Divorce decree June 29, 1882, Ritchie County Chancery Court Orders
FamilySearch Film # 008614461, image 44, Bk 4, p. 424

On the 29th of June 1882, after 23 years of marriage, Aaron was granted a divorce from Phebe.  Four months later, on October 17, 1882, after 22 years of marriage, Sarah Hammer was granted a divorce from her husband Lewis Hammer.  Yep! A week later, on October 25, 1882, Aaron Simmons married his childhood sweetheart, Sarah Louise Webb Hammer. This had to be the talk of the town!!

Sarah Louise (Webb) Hammer Simmons
1844-1922

This story certainly is bittersweet. After 23 years, Aaron marries the girl he wanted to marry in 1859 but not without a cost. In Ritchie County, West Virginia in the late nineteenth century, everyone knew everyone and the emotions involved had to be tense. The two families only lived about five miles apart. Aaron and Sarah proceed to have two more children during their marriage. Jettie Matilda Simmons was born on April 24, 1884, and William Aaron Simmons was born on August 14, 1887.

Aaron’s father, Peter Simmons, born in 1801 died April 14, 1884, two years after Aaron’s divorce. His mother, Sarah (Moyers) Simmons, was born in 1809 and died on December 28, 1897, 15 years after Aaron’s divorce. Aaron’s parents were buried in the Peter Moyers Cemetery in Ritchie County, West Virginia. Aaron’s first wife, Phebe (Rexroad) Simmons, lived with their son Peter after the divorce until she died on November 24, 1904, and she is buried in the Peter Moyer Cemetery, the same cemetery as her divorced husband’s father and mother, Peter and Sarah Simmons.

Tombstone of Phebe (Rexroad) Simmons - first wife of Aaron Simmons
Buried at the Peter Moyers Cemetery, Ritchie County, West Virginia
also buried near her are Aaron's parents and three of his siblings

 

Sarah Louise and Aaron had been married for 40 years when Sarah died on March 4, 1922, and is buried in King Knob Cemetery. Aaron Simmons died two years later, on October 19, 1924, and is buried next to Sarah in the King Knob Cemetery in Ritchie County, West Virginia. The story of my great-great-grandfather, Aaron Simmons, is not the most pleasant family story to tell but it is a story of love and marriage.

Tombstone of Aaron Simmons  1838-1924 and
his 2nd wife Sarah Louise (Webb) Hammer Simmons 1844-1922
King Knob Cemetery, Ritchie County, WV

2024 Prompt - War - Jacob Wilcox

Civil War Flag - First Michigan Cavalry

Nancy Ann Simmons

    Josephine Blanche Martin

        Edward Jacob Martin

            Nina Wilcox

                Jacob Wilcox – 1834-1901

                my great-great-grandfather

 

Jacob Wilcox, my great-great-grandfather
23 Feb 1834 - 23 Jun1901

I honor my 2nd great-grandfather, Jacob Wilcox. He served in the Michigan 1^st Cavalry during the Civil War. I have several documents of his Civil War service including 36 years of evidence to request pension benefits. I am proud to have in my possession his Grand Army of the Republic medal. The GAR was an organization of Civil War veterans. Jacob belonged to the Dundee Chapter of the GAR until he died in 1901.

 

Jacob's Grand Army of the Republic Medal

Jacob was born on February 23, 1834, in Onondaga County, New York. Jacob’s ancestry is a mystery. My first record of his existence is the 1850 federal census where he is listed as living with Oliver Frink’s family as a laborer. The next record I have is his July 5, 1862, marriage record to Margaret Smith in Dundee, Michigan. But the mystery is about his parentage. His death certificate states his father as Isaac Wilcox. But I have not found this Isaac Wilcox yet.

 

Marriage Certificate of Jacob Wilcox & Margaret Smith
5 July 1861 in Dundee, Michigan

Jacob Wilcox & Margaret (Smith) Wilcox
picture taken shortly after their marriage

Jacob enlisted on Aug 24, 1864, and was 29 years old when he left his wife and a one-year-old son in Dundee, Michigan, and marched off to war. He joined the 1st Michigan Cavalry Co. E and the regiment mustered in Jackson, Michigan, in September 1864 where he waited for orders.

 

Jacob Wilcox Muster Enrollment
27 August 1864

Margaret and son Hubbard Wilcox
picture taken summer of 1864 as Jacob leaves to go to war

By October 1864 the 1st Michigan Cavalry was involved in the Battle of Cedar Creek in north-western Virginia commanded by Union Major General Philip Sheridan. The battle was fought on October 19 and that was the day Jacob was injured. Jacob suffered a gunshot wound to the left scapula. The ball passed through the center of the bone and emerged an inch to the left of the spinal column. The use of his left arm was slightly impaired. He was transferred to a military hospital in Cumberland, Maryland where he spent the next 5-6 months.

 

Diagram from Jacob Wilcox's Pension Papers

 

Jacob was honorably discharged on May 30, 1865, and returned home to Dundee where he applied for an Invalid Pension on September 5, 1865. His pension request was approved, and he received $2.00 a month. Due to the government’s fear of fraudulent claims, Jacob had to be examined by a surgeon every three years and request affidavits from community members to support his claim. All these physicals and affidavits are included in his pension records that I obtained from the National Archives.

Jacob Wilcox's Pension papers
Date of injury at Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia
Date of Discharge 

Jacob not only suffered from the effects of the gunshot wound but also suffered from the conditions and diseases the soldiers acquired while being hospitalized for months. In Jacob’s physicals, he continually complains of weakness and the inability to work as a carpenter as he did before the war. He also suffered from rheumatism, asthma, and throat ailments. Due to the lobbying efforts of the GAR, military pension benefits continued to increase and in 1890 all veterans regardless of injury or illness were able to apply for a pension. Jacob received $4.00 a month by 1880, $10.00 by 1888, and a huge sum of $12.00 a month by 1890.

 

Jacob Wilcox Michigan Death Certificate
Date of Death 23 June 1901

In 1894 at the age of 50 Jacob requested an increase in pension benefits and was rejected. He began to have heart problems and died at the age of 67 on June 23, 1901. His death certificate stated he died from hemorrhage of the brain and heart complications.

 

Jacob Wilcox Obituary Notice 
Published in the Monroe Evening News 4 July 1901

His obituary from the Monroe Democrat on July 4, 1901, states that Jacob was stricken with paralysis a short time before his death and leaves three sons and three daughters. Jacob sacrificed like so many of our military veterans and I am deeply proud of my great-great-grandfather, Jacob Wilcox.

 

 

Jacob & Margaret Wilcox Family 
Margaret is in the center sitting in a chair with Jacob behind her
Their six children and five grandchildren
picture was taken about 1899

 Read about Michigan's Save the Flag Project - 

 Michigan's Save the Flag Project

 

The Michigan Capital Battle Flag Collection

 Michigan Capital Battle Flag Collection

 

 

 

 

 

2024 Prompt – School Days – Paul Herbert Simmons

 Nancy Ann Simmons

          Paul Herbert Simmons 1925-1999 – my father

 

My father, Paul Herbert Simmons, was born on January 29, 1925, and his school days would have started in September 1930. At that time, he lived with his parents, Walter and June Simmons, in Dearborn, Michigan as his father worked at the Ford Motor Company. Unfortunately, on February 24, 1931, his father, Walter Raymond Simmons, died of pneumonia at the age of 28 years, 8 months and 20 days. After his father's death, he lived with his paternal grandparents, Andrew and Elspeth Simmons in Wapella, Illinois where his grandfather was a Methodist minister. His mother and older brother, Wallace, moved to Henning Illinois to live with his mother's parents, Ernest and June Putman. Paul started school at Wapella Grade School while living with his grandparents. Sometime in the summer of 1932, Paul moved to Henning to join his mother and brother.

Wapella Grade School - Wapella, Illinois
Paul is fourth child from right in front row
picture taken about 1932

In the fall of 1932, Paul started school at Henning Grade School, Vermilion County Public Schools. He attended Henning for the next two years. His 3rd grade report card graded spelling, reading, penmanship, drawing, arithmetic, language, and geography. At the end of the year, he received a 100% in arithmetic for his highest mark and 85% in drawing for his lowest mark. The card shows his mother signing his report card as June Simmons but the final signature was his grandmother's, Mrs. Cora Putman. 

Henning Grade School - Henning Illinois
Paul's 3rd-Grade Report Card 

 

After his mother remarried, Elvis Jackson Merritt, on April 1, 1934, he moved to Detroit, Michigan where he attended Mayberry Elementary for 4^th - 6^th grades. His 4th grade report card did not evaluate him with percentages but with a number system with 1 being excellent and 5 unsatisfactory. In his final report for 4th grade he received all ones for reading, spelling, arithmetic, geography, handwriting, health education, literature, manual arts, and music. His mother now signed his report card as Mrs. J.E. Merritt.

 

Mayberry Elementary School - Detroit, Michigan
 Paul's 4th-Grade Report Card 

Paul attended Neinas Intermediate School in Detroit for 7th and 8th grades. In 7th grade, his report card shows classes in auditorium (speech), English, health, mathematics, social science, music, and shop. In 8th grade, he took the same classes except he dropped music and took mechanical drawing. What is interesting looking at his 7th-grade report card is citizenship. It is graded in six areas: cooperation, courtesy, leadership, reliability, self-control, and service. As you can see he did superior in reliability and poor in self-control. It would be interesting to know how they evaluated these areas of citizenship.

Neinas Intermediate School- Detroit, Michigan
Paul's 7th-Grade Report Card

In 1939 Paul attended Western High School in Detroit. For the next four years, he had classes in English, math, and history. He also took general shop, shop math, and machine shop. He took gym classes in 9th and 10th grade. He tried Latin but dropped it after one semester. I never knew he took Latin and wish he would have warned me, I wouldn't have taken Latin! In his senior year, he took geometry, aviation, and English.

 

Western High School - Detroit, Michigan
Paul's 10th-Grade Report Card

Paul was given a paper route at age 12 by his stepfather to earn money to buy his clothes and save. Because he worked after school and also attended a very large high school, he did not participate in extra-curricular sports.

 

Palestine Masonic Lodge - DeMolay Softball Team
Paul back row first one from the left, his brother, Wally, back row third from the right

He did play softball on his DeMolay softball team with his brother. DeMolay is the male youth organization of the Masons. He also played basketball with his neighborhood friends at the YMCA. By January 1942 when Paul graduated from high school many of his friends had already dropped out of school and enlisted in military service.

Basketball Team 
Paul standing on far right side, best friend Bob Buck holding the ball

He was in the eighty-eighth graduating class of Western High School and graduated Tuesday morning, January 26, 1943, at half past ten o'clock. There were 160 in his graduation class. Three days later Paul turned 18 years old and received his draft notice. The majority of the boys graduating were inducted into military service in the next few months.

Paul's High School Graduation - January 26, 1943
Western High School - Detroit, Michigan

My father never spoke much about school. We knew he graduated from high school and after the war attended classes at Wayne State University in Detroit for a short time. After he married my mother he worked as a produce manager for a large retail grocery chain. Most of the stories he shared about his school days were about his friends, better known as the Porter Street Gang who played ball with him.

 

 

2024 Prompt - Achievement - Cleo Mrytie (Martin) Roberson

Nancy Simmons

          Howard Roberson – my husband

                    Cleo Myrtie (Martin) Roberson 1926-2021 – my mother-in-law

Cleo Myrtie (Martin) Roberson
1959 National Free-Style Archery Champion

Few of us can say that we have reached the achievement of a national championship but this is an accomplishment my mother-in-law was able to achieve.

Cleo Myrtie Martin
about three years old

Cleo Martin was born February 14, 1926, in the small town of Samaria, Michigan. She was born to Leo and Hazel Johnston Martin. She grew up surrounded by many cousins and attended the Samaria Methodist Church which her great-grandmother donated the land for in 1885. She attended school at the schoolhouse on the edge of town and then attended Dundee High School fifteen miles north of Samaria.

Cleo Myrtie Martin
High School Graduation picture

She met her husband Pete Roberson picking raspberries on her uncle’s farm near Samaria. Cleo and Pete both attended Dundee High School. Pete graduated in 1943 and Cleo finished her senior year in 1944.

Cleo Martin and Pete Roberson
1947 Wedding photo

Cleo and Pete were married on August 2, 1947, at the small Methodist Church in Samaria where her mother in 1918 and grandmother in 1888 were also married. In November 1948 Cleo had her first of five children. By the time they had been married five years, Pete and Cleo had four children under their wings.

Roberson Family about 1958
Cleo, Howard, Beverly, Edwin, Keitha and Pete

It was in the 1950s that Pete and Cleo joined the Tomahawk Archery Club in Temperance Michigan. They shot archery every Sunday. Eventually, the family started to travel around the state to compete. As Pete and Cleo competed, their children learned to shoot and eventually, they were traveling around Michigan and the Midwest shooting in archery competitions.

It wasn't long till Cleo started to surface to the top of the competition with women in freestyle archery. In 1959, the national championship was held in Bend, Oregon.  Cleo, her husband/coach, and her parents packed up and camped as they traveled out west to Bend in the summer of 1959. There she won her first national championship.

 

1960 National Archery Championship
Cleo Roberson Champion & Gerry Bexten

Then in 1960, the National Archery Championship was held in her home state of Michigan. The family packed up and headed up north in Michigan to camp and compete for four days at Camp Graying. Here she competed to and defended her national title and won the 1960 National Free-Style Championship.

Roberson-Martin Tent at the 1960 National Championship
Howard Roberson, Pete Roberson, Cleo Roberson, Edwin Roberson Leo Martin & Hazel Martin

I often think about what it must take to be a national champion. Of course, it takes lots of practice and competition but what allowed Cleo to compete at that level? What does it take to be a national champion? How does one achieve such an accomplishment? It was the 1950s and not many females were competing in any type of competition. Many believed women could not deal with the stress and pressure of competitive sports at a high level. How does one in the peak of competition gather their nerves, focus, and concentrate to outscore their competitor?

Cleo Roberson 1960 National Freestyle Archery Champion
Defending 1959 National Champion

Just as we are all unique individuals, Cleo was a unique woman in her time. She married and raised five children, bow hunted with her husband, and competed at a national level in archery. In competition, she had the skill and ability to focus, gather her nerves, and compete against a high level of competitors to win two national championships. An accomplishment many of us can only dream of.

  

Pete and Cleo (Martin) Roberson