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Fact or Fiction? Finishing Up Research on Dewitt Blackman's Mug Book Claims

 FINISHING UP   I've been working hard to finish up the research on Dewitt Samuel Blackman's "mug book" biography. You can catch up on the project here and here . I'm 99.5% finished, with just three claims needing further research. What have I discovered? Are these claims fact, fiction, or undetermined?  Facts about Dewitt: Dewitt's siblings were Permelia, Delia, Maria, Mary, and Fanny. This is partially true . Dewitt's sisters were Permelia, Adelia (Delia), and Ruffina (Fanny). It's unclear where the "Maria" came from. Permelia death certificate names Sylvester Blackman and Clarissa Peak as her parents. 1   Delia married William Haymaker in 1840, and in another "mug book" bio regarding her husband, "Mary" Blackman is noted as his first wife. This could account for the Mary in the bio.  2 Ruffina was Dewitt's half-sister by his father Sylvester's marriage to Mary Bruner Zellers. Ruffina was living in Sylvester Blac...

The Thumb's Christmas

 

Our daughter, Anne, was a prolific artist when she was young. Our refrigerator door was full of her drawings, paintings, and school artwork. She liked to create little books, too, as she was also a natural storyteller.

One Christmas when she was about eight years old, Anne wrote and illustrated a Christmas story for her little brother, James. If memory serves, she drew her inspiration from a book she had recently gotten from the library by illustrator Ed Emberley. He wrote and illustrated The Great Thumbprint Drawing Book. In it, Emberley showed how to make a variety of animals and people using a thumbprint as a starting point. The creations are simple and charming. It's amazing what you can do with a blog of ink and a few black lines. It's art that's accessible to anyone.

Anne's story is called "The Thumb's Christmas," and is based on our family. There is a thumb with glasses (Anne), a thumb with little hair (toddler James), a thumb with a mustache (Jim), and one with a half-circle of curlicue hair (me). There is even a thumbprint Santa, bear, and Christmas tree, along with a little story.

I get a kick out of reading it every year. Not only is it creative, but it was a gift from the heart from our daughter to our son. I'll always treasure it. And hope you will like it too.



It's Christmas at the Thumbs!



 

They went for a walk in the snowy woods.


 

They wrote Christmas lists...


 

They set out eggnog and cookies for Santa.


 

Where are Mom and Pop going?


 

Shh!


 

What a nice surprise!
The End.

 

Until next time... 

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.

P.S.  When Anne was a little older, she wrote a story called "Spider's Christmas," which I've featured here in the past. It's always fun to read again. Share it with a little one in your life this Christmas.



Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Isn't it delightful? She really got the expressions right!

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  2. Such a precious book! Fun and fanciful.

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    Replies
    1. I'll be sure to tell our daughter you liked it! Happy Holidays!

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  3. What a wonderfully creative imagination she had. So cute! My youngest used to make Christmas gifts like this for us as well! The best gifts to treasure always! Thanks for sharing. :)

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    Replies
    1. She really did...still does. I love these handmade gifts the most of all. Gets me where I live!

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