Books
Lots of Love, Daddy: The World War II Letters of Roscoe and Gladys Yegerlehner: October 1942 – December 1942. Create Space, 2016. Available from Amazon. $19.99
Lt. (jg) Roscoe S. Yegerlehner was a new arrival in Nouméa, New Caledonia, where he was a member of the Navy’s advanced base unit CUB-13. As a doctor, he was tasked with setting up a new base hospital as well as attending to the medical needs of the soldiers stationed there. Roscoe’s wife Gladys had just given birth to their youngest son. Both were anxious to hear and share the news, and with letters as their only form of communication, the couple wrote daily. Despite frustrating mail delays, they continued their correspondence, eventually penning over 1,300 letters from May 1942 to October 1945. This second volume contains letters written during the fall of 1942, in the months following the birth of baby David. Told through their own words, Lots of Love, Daddy reveals a personal perspective of World War II as experienced by two ordinary people who did their best to remain connected while performing their patriotic duty.
Dear Mother, Love Daddy : The World War II Letters of Roscoe and Gladys Yegerlehner: May 1942-September 1942. Create Space, 2015. Available from Amazon. $14.99
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and so the United States entered the Second World War. American men from all walks of life rushed to enlist, and not all of them were young, single men. In 1941, Dr. Roscoe S. Yegerlehner had been out of medical school for three years with a growing medical practice in the small northern Indiana town of Kentland. Married for almost thirteen years, he had a loving wife and two young boys. He volunteered to serve in the United States Naval Reserve and accepted a commission as an assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant (jg) in May 1942. Six months after Pearl Harbor, Dr. Yegerlehner found himself on a crowded train headed towards Norfolk Naval Training Station in Virginia. He would eventually serve in several posts thoughout the South Pacific. During his 18 months of overseas deployment, he and his wife corresponded every day. They lovingly addressed their letters to “Mother” and “Daddy.” This is the first volume of their letters.
Praise for Dear Mother, Love Daddy from Amazon.com:
“I found myself laughing out loud, in a good way, to the everyday happenings in a small town in Indiana and on a faraway island in the Pacific.” – Geraldine McCarroll
“Dear Mother, Love Daddy is a work of love and an inspiration to anyone who might be sitting on a stack of old family correspondence.” – Melanie Frick
“Letters like these are really an important contribution to WWII history and I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in what life was like in the 1940s during wartime.” – Emily Schroeder
“Overall, this set of letters is a great and quick read! It’s a wonderful glimpse into a world I knew very little about and into a family I now wish to know more about. I can’t wait for the next installment!” – Nichelle Barra
Alfred M. Dicks of Crawford County, Illinois. Create Space, 2014. Available from Amazon. $9.99
In 1840, Alfred M. Dicks married Ruth Reynolds, a Quaker girl, in Crawford County, Illinois. Not much was known about this simple farmer from North Carolina until a descendant of his eldest daughter Lydia began exploring the family’s history. While much of Alfred’s life still remains a mystery, painstaking historical research paints a picture of a life touched by slavery and religion in the years leading up to the Civil War.
Praise For Alfred M. Dicks of Crawford County, Illinois from Amazon.com:
“Deborah has done an excellent job of telling his story. She has done extensive research and has, as much as possible, clarified the information provided. An excellent read.” – Geraldine M. McCarroll
“Top-notch genealogists have to be superb detectives and scrupulous historians. With this book, Alfred M. Dicks of Crawford County, Illinois, Deborah Sweeney proves that she is both—and it is fascinating to see the results of years of tenacious research.” – David Madison
“I found this book extremely interesting and I loved how the author documented all of her sources. She also clarified information about the Society of Friends that I was not aware of.” – High Desert Lady
Online Articles
“Caring for a Family Collection.” NextGen Genealogy Network. Official Blog, 19 September 2016. http://www.tnggn.org/caring-for-a-family-collection/
“The State of Census.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 30 July 2015. http://blog.genealogists.com/2015/07/the-state-of-census.html : 2015.
“Finding Aids.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, May 2015. http://blog.genealogists.com/2015/05/finding-aids.html : 2015.
“Extra! Extra! Read All About…Your Family.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 20 April 2015. http://blog.genealogists.com/2015/04/extra-extra-read-all-about-your-family.html : 2015.
“Buried Treasure in Land Records.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 20 March 2015. http://blog.genealogists.com/2015/03/buried-treasure-in-land-records.html : 2015.
“Using Guardianship Records.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 21 February 2015. http://blog.genealogists.com/2015/02/using-guardianship-records.html : 2015.
“90% – Why Hire A Professional Firm.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 19 December 2014. http://blog.genealogists.com/2014/12/90-why-hire-professional-genealogist.html : 2014.
“Criminal Ancestry.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 4 December 2014. http://blog.genealogists.com/2014/12/criminal-ancestry.html : 2014.
“A New Partnership – DNA Research and Traditional Genealogy.” Genealogists.com. Official Blog of Genealogists.com, 20 November 2014. http://blog.genealogists.com/2014/11/a-new-parternship-dna-research-and.html : 2014.
Print Articles
“Start Learning About Your DNA: Book Review.” Root Cellar Preserves 37 (February 2015): 23.
Interviews/Featured Articles
Rowlands, Cheri Lucas. “Back to Your Roots: Blogging About Genealogy and Family History.” Discover WordPress Blog, 8 February 2017.
https://discover.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/genealogy-and-family-history/
Potter, Katie Andrews. “Book Review: Dear Mother, Love Daddy.” The In-Depth Genealogist, 24 May 2016. http://theindepthgenealogist.com/book-review-dear-mother-love-daddy/
Philibert-Ortega, Gena. “Meet the Author: An Interview with Deborah Sweeney.” Gena’s Genealogy, 25 September 2015.
http://philibertfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/meet-author-interview-with-deborah.html#.
Philibert-Ortega, Gena. “On the Bookshelf: Dear Mother, Love Daddy.” Gena’s Genealogy, 24 September 2014.
http://philibertfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/on-bookshelf-dear-mother-love-daddy.html#.
Barra, Nichelle. “Book Review and Give-Away: Dear Mother, Love Daddy.” Copper Leaf Genealogy, 23 April 2015.
http://www.copperleafgenealogy.com/book-review-and-give-away-dear-mother-love-daddy/
Webb, Gini. “May I Introduce To You…Deborah Sweeney.” Geneabloggers.com, 20 May 2013. http://www.geneabloggers.com/introduce-deborah-sweeney/.
Gayfield, Cheri. “Woman’s Blog Brings Back Memories For Kentland Residents.” Newton County Enterprise (Kentland, Indiana). 1 May 2013.
LeGarreta, Raina. “Memories and Memoirs.” Elk Grove Citizen (Elk Grove, California). 1 February 2013.
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