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...
