Sometimes the timing is just perfect. So, when an upcoming prompt is about a storyteller and a storyteller passes, you are required by the laws of coincidence to write about that person.
A Man of Many Roles
Dean Ackermann Thomson born near Palmyra, Nebraska on September 24, 1940 to Alfred Ackermann and Helen Esther (Caddy) Thomson passed from this life on May 31, 2024. He took each of the roles that he played during his life very seriously. He put energy into being a husband, father, grandfather, etc. Included among his roles was that of family historian and storyteller.
Family History
I am not sure exactly how many notebooks Dean had filled with information related to his and his wife Elida Esther (Angulo) Thomson’s families. However, I do know that they can cover the dining room when all (or at least most) of them are out. Of course, there are also the countless emails and files that I am sure he had. Personally, I have over a thousand email streams with him that I saved. So, I can imagine how many he shared with all the family members and researchers with whom he connected. And, he also had information on ancestry.com.
Dean’s family information, however, did not simply include names, places, and dates. It also included supporting information, stories from family and others in the area, stories he had written of what he believe it would have been like, and more.
Connections
For Dean, part of creating a story was making connections. Some of those came in the form of connecting with other researchers and historians. He also liked to connect researchers with other researchers. Dean often suggested that I contact someone. It could be someone who sent him information, someone whose name was associated with something he had found, or someone with the “right” name. He loved to engage others in researching new (and old) things he found and clearly believed in teamwork to get the job done.
It was his connection to Mary Peebles, a distant cousin that was researching the McGinley and Hurrie/Hurry families, that resulted in Mary and I working together on those family lines. Coincidentally, we found that we lived only five miles or so apart and that made it easy to meet and work on genealogy.
In addition, Dean was in contact with Ronn Shaffer, the historian at Old Pine Church at the time. This led to the opportunity for Rod, Mary, Mary’s husband, and I to attend the 250th Anniversary celebration for Old Pine Church in Philadelphia, PA. Rod and Mary’s direct ancestors attended this church and are buried in the church graveyard. William Hurrie/Hurry, who is a direct ancestor and who rang the Liberty Bell to signal that the Declaration of Independence had been sign, was also the first sexton of the church. The church has lots of history and family ties. Yet, it likely wouldn’t have happened if Dean hadn’t made the connections.
Looking For the Story
In a similar vein, Dean did not limit his research to recent generations or his direct family line. He didn’t care how long ago the person lived or whether they were a direct ancestor or not. If they had an interesting story, he was interested. He would even look for connections to interesting stories.
For example, over 15 years ago, Dean found a poem titled The Ronalds Of The Bennals. It had been written by Robert Burns in 1780. Of course, he immediately began to wonder if his Ronald family line whose earliest confirmed ancestor is Thomas Ronald of Scotland was related to the family that was the subject of the poem.
He wasn’t sure how to prove the relationship. As far as I know, he never determined if there was a connection or not. The story was still worth relating as it was something that *might be* and he was okay with including the maybes.
Connecting Stories and Events
The other aspect of connecting that created Dean’s stories was connecting stories, events, incidents, and odd facts to people in the family tree. Dean was great at making associations and looking to see if it was possible that something might be true.
We often discussed and sometimes debated whether a story was true or whether a connection was accurate. Sometimes it was a debate about a major and important detail for the family history and other times it was simply trying to iron out the details.
One such discussion occurred over the father of Joshua Brooks, Dean’s 5th great grandfather. We were looking at various men in the area as the father of Joshua. He was focused on William Brooks who married a woman named Elizabeth. I asked him, “Why William?” His response was “Because William loved Elizabeth?? Because Joshua needs a father? I don’t know.”
Stories
StoriesDean loved to share the facts he found no matter how big or small. If the facts made a story that was even better. He always had his own perspective and shared that with you, too. It was never a bunch of raw facts. That said, he was always quick to let you know and adjust the story if he found information that contradicted his assumptions or a fact from a less reliable source.
Often he would send me an article or a tidbit about a name I had never heard before. Or, sometimes it would simply be “What do you know about some person in a story he had found ?” I found myself more often than not, asking how the person was connected to the family. Then, he would send me more of the story. He usually knew how they fit in the family or had a theory about how they might connect and what the story might mean. It was like he put feelers out to see if there was interest before he went to the trouble of writing up the story.
I believe his story telling was a way for him to verbalize (or write) what he was thinking. It allowed him to better piece things together to create a fuller story. This is also one of the things he loved about traveling or researching locations. It added dimension to the stories and helped him prove his assumptions.
Publications
Besides stories that he shared or added to his genealogy records, Dean wrote or co-wrote a booklet on the Thomson family, a booklet on the Caddy family (his mom’s side), and the book Ring Papa Ring!: The Story of an American Family.
Dean would have liked to have co-authored at least one other book. Last summer, he messaged me telling me to drop everything and write a book about Arthur Reid Thomson. He thought the story could cover him being an orphan, immigrating to Canada and then to the United States. His history as a woodsman, carpenter, farmer, and pioneer, he believed would all add together to make a good story and that he felt it really needed to be told. Dean suggested that I “tear apart all the family stories we have and weave a good true tale.” He thought he could assist with the details. He felt it could be done in six months if we focused solely on it. I am not sure what spawned the request, but within a short time he told me to never mind.
It makes me wonder how many other people may have gotten a similar request. Dean really, really wanted the stories and the history preserved.
Influence
Dean clearly made an impression on his children and grandchildren with his storytelling and love of history. Whether it is genetic or his day-to-day influence isn’t clear. I am sure a case can be made for both. I know that he wanted everyone to love the stories just as much as he did. It wasn’t just researching the family that became his legacy . . . It was telling the stories to anyone and everyone that would listen.
And, Now . . .
Dean has left several us to continue on with the family research. My last email from him was only 10 days before he passed. He just couldn’t let genealogy go even when he was being called home. Now, what is he doing?
Well, the pastor officiating my mom’s service nearly 20 years ago gave me a perspective on the afterlife that was different than any I had encountered. He said that she not only was with her loved ones who had passed, but also that she was doing what she loved most while living.
When I consider who Dean is with and what he is doing, I know that he is with his wife Elida, who was truly the love of his life. That showed as he beamed when he spoke of her. He is also visiting and reminiscing with other members of his close family. But guaranteed, he is finding time to look up his ancestors and all the branches out from his direct line. He is intently listening to their stories. If his version of their life differs from the story as they tell it, he is likely sharing his version of their life story while smiling and laughing at the truths that had escaped.