Dillman* Descendants and Ancestors (*Including other known variations of Dillmann, Stillman, Tillmann, Dielman, Dhyllmann, Dihlmann, Dillaman, Tighlman, Dieleman, etc.) The Official Publication of the Dillman Family Association – Published Quarterly www.dillmanfamilyassociation.org “Cousins by Choice” We are a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Volume 11, No. 2 1. President’s Corner Dec 2018 - Feb 2019 2. Local Reunion Schedules 3. Bradford Dillman’s Recollections of Czechoslavakia Phil Dillman – Editor Part 1 of 3 4. Durban, South Africa Excursion - April 2019 [email protected] 5. Dillman/Tillman/Tilghman records from South Africa 6. Thoughts on the Upcoming DFA 10th Conference Don Dillman – Co-Editor 7. When We Die, a Little Bit of History Die With Us. Unless... Andrew Stillman – Co-Editor The DFA 2020 Genealogical Conference will be our 10th Gathering! We want you1 there! 1. President’s Corner - by Don A. Dillman Growing up with an Unusual Name and Finally Connecting with other Dillmans As a child, I was convinced that my surname was unique. I knew no one named Dillman who was not a known relative. And, all 11 of us lived in Lucas County, Iowa. My father and grandfather, said they thought the family had moved to Iowa from Indiana, and maybe before that from Pennsylvania, but that was all they knew. As a 17 year old freshman at Iowa State University, I remember going to a dormitory to visit a high school friend, and being surprised when he introduced a fellow student named Dillman. We looked at each other both wondering who this other person could be. Each of us was raised to college age in different parts of this rural state, and neither was of us had any idea of how we might be related, if at all, or where our ancestors had originated. This background may help explain my fascination with discovering actor Bradford Dillman (1930-2018), who’s acting career in movies was just getting underway at the time I entered college. At first I thought it might be a stage name, and smiled when I learned it was not. Bradford’s comment was: “Bradford Dillman sounded like a distinguished, phony, theatrical name, so I kept it.” So, yes there was another real Dillman out there. I smiled a second time when I ordered his 1995 autobiography, “Are you Somebody: An Actor’s Life.” And, I wondered if he too had wondered if there were other Dillmans out there. I was pleased when Bradford’s daughter, Pamela, contributed several memorabilia from his acting career to the DFA library, as announced in the November 2018 issue of Dillman Descendants and Ancestors (Volume 11, No.1). And, I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that we share the same ancestor, our Dillman 4th great grandparents. This issue of Dillman Descendants and Ancestors includes Part 1 of a dairy written by Bradford in 1968, while in Prague, Czechoslovakia, to act in an historical film “The Bridge at Remagen.” Bradford’s diary provides a captivating narrative of life in this city during a tense time, when it was controlled militarily by The Soviet Union. Bradford is an engaging writer, but it’s his connection with the times that I found most compelling. A few years earlier, in 1964, I had spent six months living with families in rural Poland on an exchange program, a neighboring Communist Country, sponsored by the International Farm youth Exchange (IFYE). My memories of that visit included local people in that Communist country wanting to talk about their lives while being careful about who might be listening. I also remember, being in the home of an embassy official with other IFYE delegates and being given glasses of wine, but when our host mentioned he had Coca Cola, the wine glasses of all six of us 21-23 year old Americans were left untouched. Other experiences left indelible impressions—the grayness of the buildings, and the occasional display of wrists with a long tattooed number that communicated without words having been in a World War II Nazi concentration camp. Bradford’s Czechoslovakian experiences have an uncanny resemblance to my Polish ones. Our thirst for that American drink we had grown up with was only a tiny part of it. Another aspect was his mention of the pervasiveness grayness of buildings and being shocked when a host displayed the tattooed number on his wrist, confirming time spent in a concentration camp. I wish that I could have met and talked with Bradford, to recall in depth to some experiences, which I found difficult to describe to others when I returned to the U.S. I would like to have shared with him the experience of leaving Poland, crossing through Czechoslovakia at night on a train, going through the Iron Curtain and entering into Austria as the sun was coming up. There we immediately found ourselves passing by homes painted in an astonishing variety of pastel colors. An unexpected sign by the train track made all six of us laugh with anticipation, “Trink Coca Cola.” I would have liked to hear more about his later reflections 2 about the impact of the Prague experience on his life. When I learned from Phil that the first part of Bradford’s diary would appear in this issue of the newsletter I was thrilled. Since the beginning of the Dillman Family Association I have found many unexpected connections and past experiences with Dillman cousins. Sharing the experiences individually accumulated in our DFA library, have given me family insights into the past that I otherwise would not have learned. Those insights have helped me interpret my own life experiences. Some of the things are just about family, and others like Bradford’s recollections, have connected me to earlier times, that brought back much appreciated personal memories. I want to thank Bradford’s family, and especially his daughter, Panela, for this special set of memories now in the Dillman Family Association Library that unexpectedly connect me to some of my own life events. Our DFA leadership group has been discussing plans for our next Conference, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in August 2020. Many Dillmans from different lines passed through this area of the country after immigrating to North America. We hope to connect with Dillman descendants who remain in central Pennsylvania and would appreciate greatly any names and contact information for then, which can be sent to me here: [email protected] . In June I will be visiting Harrisburg to identify an appropriate hotel and places to visit, during the conference. Finally, if you have memories or experiences meeting other Dillmans that you would like to share in our Newsletter, please let Phil know. Wishing all of you a pleasant spring. Don Dillman Dillman Family Association President, 2019-2020 2. “DILLMAN REUNIONS” Several groups of Dillmans hold reunions in different locations each year. In this part of the newsletter, those reunions will be posted with times and locations updated as they become available to us. All dates, locations and times are subject to change. Please send photos and info that you would like to share from any past gatherings or to announce any upcoming Dillman reunions to Phil Dillman at [email protected]. Thanks! Saturday, July 2019 Conrad/Hans Georg Dillmann Group through John Wesley Dillman Sr’s son, Samuel (Group 2) TBA Saturday, October, 2019 Conrad/Hans Georg Dillmann Group through John Wesley Dillman Sr’s son, John Jr. (Group 2) Tamms Community Center, Tamms, IL Start arriving at 10:30. Potluck Lunch served around noon. August 2020 The 10th Dillman Family Association Genealogical Conference Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Exact dates and location to be determined 3 3. The Bradford Dillman Recollections of filming in Czechoslavakia in the 1960s Part 1 of 3, written by Bradford during the filming of the movie “The Bridge at Remagen” 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Continued in the next issue... 12 4. Durban, South Africa Excursion—by G. Andrew Stillman On a recent trip (early April 2019) to the Durban area, South Africa where I was spending a week of holiday along the warm water eastern coast of South Africa before being in Johannesburg for a hectic week of work, I managed to meet up with a local Dillman family. Several months earlier, I, as the Project Administrator for the Dillman DNA project, had received an inquiry about participating in our project from Rev. Lindsay Dillman. After an exchange of e-mails, a DNA test kit was sent off to Lindsay in South Africa. At the same time, I was planning my next work trip to South Africa and given the distance from London, UK, (11 hours by plane), I thought it would be good to extend the trip for a week and see a different part of the country having already visited Cape Town (cold water western coast) and Guateng province several times as well as part of Kruger National Park once. So off I went to Durban. Lighthouse in Umhlanga Rocks, Durban, South Africa. Lindsay Dillman, likewise the son of another Durban born and raised Pentecostal pastor (George William Dillman), was very keen in learning more about the origins of his Dillman family. He was only able to go back to his grandfather, George Wilhelm Dillman who was born in Cape Town at the turn of the 20th Century. We met up on a Tuesday afternoon in the northern beach suburb of Umhlanga. Given the poor state of postal infrastructure in South Africa, Lindsay’s DNA test kit had not arrived. So I brought along a replacement kit with me.