 Leroy Dedmon, Editor click here for biographical sketch |
The year, 2001,
was a very busy year for me. The church at Woodstock continues to grow and that
does take some of my time. Contrary to popular opinion, I do work more that 2
hours on Sunday.... We are involved in plans to enlarge and remodel our present
facilities. (see pics below) I told some of the church members recently that we
have proved you can grow without a great preacher. I have been at Woodstock
since May of 1993 and we have had a good steady growth, both numerically and
spiritually. That first service numbered around 135 and the first year saw an
average attendance of 177. We are presently averaging 306. I feel fortunate to
have arrived as things begin to move upward for the Woodstock
Congregation. If all goes as plans this will be my last congregation before retirement. I mentioned to the elders last year that I was now 62 years old and could retire. Their reply was, "What would you do different?"... After pondering that remark for a minute I replied, "Let's leave things as they are." A few years ago I really thought I would retire early, move back to Middle Tennessee, take it easy, maybe preach "part-time" for one of the many congregations located there. Here I am, as busy as I have been in 43 years, living in one of the fastest growing areas of the country. At least it was not like one preacher friend of mine. The elders informed him that they were giving him a raise. In an effort to remain modest and humble he said, "Brethren, you are already paying me more than I am worth". To which they replied, "Brother, you couldn't support your wife and children on what you are worth, just take the money".... |
|
The top picture is the present
building as it looked when it was finished in the late '70's. The building is
the same today, however the grassy area in front of the building has since been
paved for parking. The bottom picture is the artist rendering of how the building will look when we finish the remodeling project. This includes an addition for classrooms, offices, library, nurseries and a new fellowship hall. |
In March of 2001 we were blessed with our first GREAT GRAND DAUGHTER. I looked for a button that said, I WAS A WONDERFUL GRANDFATHER, BUT NOW I AM A GREAT GRAND PA......I know we don't look old enough to have a great granddaughter, but looks are deceiving. I guess we just got an early start. Jane and I married at 19, Gwen at 18 and Carrie at 17. Presently we have five generations in our family. Masie Jane Webb made here debut into this world in the wee hours of the morning. Jane and I were awakened with a phone call around 4 am... It was our daughter, Gwen... "we are on our way to the hospital", she said. Jane said ok, hung up and as we lay there a few more minutes, she said, "Do you think we should get up and go on to the hospital?".... "I thought she would never ask".... We got there just a few minutes ahead of Masie..... I am not sure where the name Masie came from, I keep forgetting to ask my granddaughter. However, the name Jane is a family name. My wife (Berla Jane), daughter (Gwendolyn Jane and granddaughter (Carrie Jane) all wear the name Jane, although my wife is the only one who actually goes by Jane. Also, Jane's (my wife) grandmother was Sarah Jane.... |
Ruby Dickson Dedmon, (my mom) celebrated her 89th birthday on January 8, 2001. She is shown here looking at the cake before she shares it with the rest of the family. We are blessed indeed to have kept our mom well beyond the Bible promise of three score and ten or if by reason of strength four score. Speaking of age, I have been able to receive the "Senior Discount" for several years now. It has become so routine that I usually don't think much about it. However, recently Jane and I ate at a local Chic Filet, who gives the drinks rather than a discount. When I went to pay, I noticed that I had been charged for one drink. I said, "Pardon me, but I noticed I was charged for one drink and we are both seniors. She promptly apologized by saying, Oh, I am sorry sir, we knew she (Jane) was a senior, but we didn't think you were!!!" Needless to say, Jane has not gone back and I eat there every day. When we celebrated Mom's 89th birthday in January of 2001, I commented to my brothers, "I sure hope my mind is as good as mom's when I am that old. To which they replied, "Well you are going to have to improve a lot if it is"..... |
As you may realize, it takes a lot of time to maintain the web site (of which I have not done very well lately).... There are so many things I want to do and among them is an index to the DEDMON CONNECTION. Maybe someone out there would volunteer to go through each issue and list the individuals that appear in each issue. Also, I am thinking a table of contents might be helpful. This would just be the titles of the various articles, etc... Anyway if you can help, please let me know. Also, I could use some regular contributors of articles for the newsletter as well as some assistant editors and column writers. "Down Memory Lane" and "The Brick Wall" are two of the columns that could use some help. Maybe by working together we can accomplish more. I have several pictures that have been sent to me through the years, but I have lost a lot of my e-mail which contained the information. If any of you have more information concerning these photos, please let me know ASAP.... If you have some photos (old or new) that you would like to see published in future issues of the DEDMON CONNECTION, just send them to me. The more participation we have in this effort, the better it will be.
|
I sent you an email through Ancestry.com, but do not know if the email showed my AOL email address as sender. Just in case it did not, I am sending another email to you. Marcus Lafayette Dedmon and Evelena Fauchet (I believe was her name) were my Father's (Roy Vernon Marsh) Grandparents. Marcus & Evelena had 8 children. My Grandmother, their daughter, Virginia Gwenivere Dedmon married Claude Edward Marsh in January, 1906 and they had 5 children. One child, Ruth M. Marsh, is still living in Atlanta, GA and is 84 years of age. I was dumbfounded when I came across so much information on the Dedmon family. My Great Aunt Ruth had never heard the story about her Grandfather being killed, but often wondered why her Mother never wanted to talk about her Father. How do I put the information that I have, into the Family Tree, at Ancestry.com? Any further information would be greatly appreciated. Amelia Marsh Lehman Vanderbiltmom04@aol.com My name is Amelia Marsh Lehman. I may have recently emailed you, but the email was different. I believe that my Father, Roy Vernon Marsh, and my Great Aunt, Ruth M. Marsh, are Grandchildren of Marcus L. Dedmon and Evalena. Their Mother, Virginia Gwenivere Dedmon (1881 - 1968) married Claude Edward Marsh in 1906. Everything that I have seen in research, shows that Marcus and Evalena had two children. I believe that there were 7 or 8. I also believe the oldest was William Arthur Dedmon (1878-1954) who was born in Ringgold, GA. If this information is of any interest, please email me, as I would love to have some family history on that part of my family. Thank you, Amelia M. Lehman Vanderbiltmom04@aol.com (One other thing I noticed is that I have Evalina (Love) Plummer as Marcus' wife and Amelia listed it as Fauchet. Being one who always looks for the humor in something, I thought well fauchet may be part of plumming... (booooooooooo... bad joke Leroy)... If anyone has additional information on Marcus L. Dedmon and descendents, please contact me. |
 The earliest I can remember is around 4 yrs of age. We were moving from what we called the "Espy place". This was located on Three Notch Road near Fort Oglethorpe, GA. The truck was loaded and we were ready to leave. I remember going to the back porch and taking my little red wagon off the wall and putting it on the truck. I asked my mom if she remembered me doing that and she said, "yes, but you were only four years old!! There are several events that come to mind like that, but most of them are remembered because the stories were repeated throughout my childhood and I am sure that I only remember the telling of them. However, that story was never told and I would have no way of knowing it, except that I remember. I also remember when we moved from Graysville to what became the "place where we grew up". My cousin, Paul Dickson, walked our cow from Graysville to our new home on East Garden Farm Road, near Rossville, GA. It took him about all day. One of the stories that was repeated several times in my presence as I was growing up was the time a salesman came to the house and I was on the front porch. He asked, "Son, where is your papa?"... to which I replied, "under the porch, but there is two of them!!!"... It seems that our pet dog had just given birth to two little puppies and I thought the man said, "Son, where is your puppy?"...... Mom also tells of the time I was walking to the barn where she was milking the cow and our bull began to chase me. She said when she heard me screaming that she ran out of the barn to see me running as fast as my legs could go and as I reached the fence, I lay down and rolled under the bottom strand of bob wire, barely escaping the horns of the bull. There are also stories of my falling into the fireplace (I still have the scar) and when I climbed onto the kitchen cabinet to get some more oatmeal myself and Carolyn, only to get a can of Red Devil Lye... Mom returned to the kitchen in the nick of time.......Oh well, memories are made of this....... |
| Greetings! I found your website
courtesy of the moderator of the Westbrook Genealogy Forum on Yahoo. I have
been trying to track down the names of Cecil Westbrook's wife and children. I
must admit I am a little confused by some of your information. I could not find
Mamie Dedmon's husband mentioned anywhere in your information. Cecel E. (b.
1917) and Darrel Edwin Sr. (b 1909) were the sons of Mamie Dedmon and John M.
Westbrook (no "s"), my great uncle (1876-1944). I can share some info
with you on my homepage:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/e/s/Thomas-H-Westbrook/
I look forward to hearing from you! I sent my earlier e-mail to you hastily. Indeed I found what I said I could not about John Westbrook. I hope you do not mind if I share some of your information. I have some old photos on my site also that came from my Grandmother Westbrook. On John Westbrook's page is a photo from a 1925 Westbrook Reunion in Walker County (Wallaceville, where John's sister Annie Barton lived) of John, Darrel, Cecil and Mamie. Tommy Westbrook Hi.. Just browsing.... are you from one of Pauline's children ?? She married Hood Watterson ??? Am looking around for maybe as to who James Robert Norman's father is ??? and grandfather ??? Thanks Mary Ruth (Norman) Thomas (Ed. Note: The Watterson connection comes from Bessie Grigg, the daughter of Cecila Victoria Dedmon. Bessie married John Dickson (J.D) Watterson) "We know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans" Romans 8:28 Dear Friends & Relatives: Note my new e-mail address. colvin@tech-stars.net Wanda Colvin Genealogy Surnames: Anthony, Armstrong, Benton, Colvin, Dedman, Foster, Gordy, Gantt, Hays, Haynes, Hamilton, Marshall, Mason, Nutt, Ross, Rhea, Sample, Semple, Steelman, Stockman, Speer, Tool, Work, Waller, Williams, Yarbrough, York For some of our new readers who may not remember. Wanda is one of the original researchers for the surname Dedman. She has several published works. You may contact her for information. Leroy, Have you discontinued your newsletter? Von Hamrick. (Ed. Note: Can you imagine such a question. Just because it has been more than a year.... I think Von is the inspiration I needed to put this one out. I do appreciate the fact that someone missed it.) |
(Ed. Note: Since I am so far behind, I am not
sure if I have included some of these in previous issues or not. I scanned the
guest book back a couple of years to include these entries.) Name: Sharon (Dedmon) I'm trying to find out anything about my father. I have not seen him since I was 3 in 1971. His name is Edwin Daniel Dedmon, born (I think) 1935 in Lakeview, Or. His parents were Joseph Allen Dedmon (was told he was from Texas) and Winifred Dill. If you have any information please contact me. I would like to let him know about his new two month old granddaughter and to let her know about where our family comes from You can reach me by snail mail at Sharon Piland 415 S State st. Sutherlin, OR 97479 THANK YOU!!! Kylie Dedman Our earliest records are from England. We are fifth generation Aussies. We can find a William Dedman from Heybridge Eng. who was born in 1792. He married a Clarissa Clarke from Malden Eng. She was also born in 1792. They had a son named Joseph Dedman (1815-1887). He was my g.g.grandfather and he came to Austalia. I've noticed that you don't seem to have much info on where everyone originally came from (i.e Eng. Europe etc.) If you do I would love to see if we are related. Please keep in touch Kylie Dedman Marilyn Yarber My great grandmother was Ida Tallulah Dedmon. My grandmother was Selina Celester Lowery Hughes daughter of Ida Dedmon. |
(continued from page 5) Karen Sue (Dedmon) Baker Hello Dedmon's, I'm getting back into the family of Dedmon's again, Its nice to fine your home page. My Father is Owen Harris Dedmon, b. August 12, 1916 at Harris Station, Tn. My Grand father was Johnny Calive Dedmon,b.in 1893, in Ruthville, Tn. d. in 1920 in Mayfield, Ky. and p.d. in Fulton, Ky. He was m. to Beulah Margurite DeMyer. and it seam it stops at my g.f. any info. would be helpful, from any or all the Dedmon. I want to say thank you for an Dedmon website, with the familytreemaker. Thank You Karen Dedmon Baker. P.S. aol im izzintwo Tony Louis Dedmond I have no idea if I am related to you folks on this web site. My name is Tony Dedmond and I am the son of Charles Elmo Dedmond and Rose Marie Dedmond (both from Little Rock). I currently live in Maryland. My father died several years ago, but my mother is still alive and living in Washington State.  UNCLE IKE DEDMON I am sure this is Isaac Frankson Dedmon, sone of James T. and Susanah Rebecca McEntire |
 MORE DEDMON PHOTOS Uncle John Mark Aunt Martha James Wm Taylor Ame 1865 (This is the info that cam with the photo).  WILLIAM T. DEDMON - BUGGY I believe this photo was sent to me by Glenda Tucker. Wm. T. Dedmon was her great grandfather. Maybe some of you will know the names of the folks in the picture. I hope you have enjoyed this issue of the DEDMON CONNECTION. I am already working on the next one, Volume 17. Maybe I can get caught up with all the info I have. Let me remind you that if you sent me some material, there is a good possibility that I have lost it with the crashing of my hard drive. I am still trying to retrieve some of the information... Please feel free to resubmit any material you may have sent... Leroy |
