The photo below depicts an indelible impression of our maternal grandfather, John Jacob Dillman, a man who delighted in his many grandchildren (39 in all), a man quick to laughter and hilarity, who kept a playful home and always welcomed me and my siblings with joyful affection.
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| Grandpa Dillman (center), me in the plaid vest to his right, brother Chad in the tie to his left, sister Julie on his left knee. |
The following are rudimentary details of John's family history and life cobbled mostly from information my mother and grandmother provided, as well as my own reflections. The author believes no person can be attributed a thorough accounting under the limitations that mere memory affords. The best one can hope to attain is a glimpse of a loved one captured through the lens of those who knew him.
I invite my family members to contribute their memories of Grandpa which I will include as an addendum to the piece.
The Dillman surname is of Germanic heritage. While three possible sources are known, the most common identifies persons living near the Dill River in the present state of Hesse, Germany. Towns along the Dill River carry surnames such as Dillbrecht, Dillenburg, Offdilln and Dillheim. The region holds the highest concentration of Dillmans today in Germany.
While it is not known to me how our Dillman ancestors came to Russia, nor what circumstance compelled our Great-Great Grandparents to immigrate to the United States, a review of the historical record reveals a plausible scenario.
In the late-eighteenth century, many Post-Reformation, Catholic Germans were drawn to Russia fleeing religious persecution from their Protestant countrymen as well as perpetual war with France. The Czarina of Russia, Catherine the Great, a German by birth, promised those willing to settle her newly acquired lands in the West freedom from religious persecution and tax-exempt settlement opportunities. This backdrop attracted swarms of Germans to Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
I invite my family members to contribute their memories of Grandpa which I will include as an addendum to the piece.
•••••
The Dillman surname is of Germanic heritage. While three possible sources are known, the most common identifies persons living near the Dill River in the present state of Hesse, Germany. Towns along the Dill River carry surnames such as Dillbrecht, Dillenburg, Offdilln and Dillheim. The region holds the highest concentration of Dillmans today in Germany.
While it is not known to me how our Dillman ancestors came to Russia, nor what circumstance compelled our Great-Great Grandparents to immigrate to the United States, a review of the historical record reveals a plausible scenario.
In the late-eighteenth century, many Post-Reformation, Catholic Germans were drawn to Russia fleeing religious persecution from their Protestant countrymen as well as perpetual war with France. The Czarina of Russia, Catherine the Great, a German by birth, promised those willing to settle her newly acquired lands in the West freedom from religious persecution and tax-exempt settlement opportunities. This backdrop attracted swarms of Germans to Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Catherine the Great's promise of peace was short lived. By the late 19th century, revolution was stirring, and political conditions grew perilous for the working class in Russia. It was in this climate that Jacob and Margaret Dillman, our Great-Great Grandparents, made their way from Russia to Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, where they boarded The Veendam passenger ship to seek new opportunity in America.
According to the ship's passenger log, Jacob Dillman was 36 years old when he, Margaret (34) and their son, Jacob Jr. (1), arrived in New York City on December 19, 1891. They settled in the St. Mary's Township of Kansas along with a good many Germanic immigrants. It appears Kansas was selected as a destination prior to or upon their arrival in New York. It is not known to me why Kansas was chosen. Again, the historical record offers a clue.
Kansas was considered part of the Great American Desert until the 1850's when early Caucasian settlers arrived from eastern United States. After the Civil War, the Federal Government incentivized further settlement in the region by passing the Homestead Act of 1862, signed by President Lincoln. The law declared that anyone who had not taken up arms against the federal government, was 21 years of age or older or the head of a household, could file for a free-to-little-cost land grant in the western territories. This action drew masses of newly-arrived European immigrants into the Midwest, many of whom formed communities of similar heritage. By the 1890's, Kansas was a common destination for Germanic settlers who formed the largest new-immigrant community in the state.
Jacob and Margaret "Maggie" Dillman are identified in the 1900 federal census as residents of St. Mary's, Kansas. Jacob's occupation is listed as "janitor", Margaret "laundress". They birthed fourteen children in all with five surviving to adulthood, including John Sr., our Great Grandfather. The birth records and cause of death listed for the nine deceased children offers a glimpse into an era before organized pediatrics:
- Female; 1877–1880 (died of whooping cough)
- Female, 1878–1880 (died of whooping cough)
- Female, 1880–1881 (died of small pox)
- Male, 1884–1885 (died of abscess of stomach)
- Male, 1885–1887 (died of measles)
- Male, 1885–1892 (died of measles)
- Alexander, born February, 1892
- Female, 1892–1894 (died of small pox)
- Barbara, born September, 1893
- Male, 1893–1894 (died of small pox)
- Male, 1894–1895 (died of measles)
- John, born January, 1897
- Anne, born October, 1898
- Pauline, born March, 1900
Little is known to me about our Great Grandfather, John Sr., but that he was a carpenter tradesman. He married Christine Buss –– the Buss family were also of Germanic heritage –– and they lived in the Kansas City area.
John and Christine Dillman birthed nine children. Their first was our Grandfather, John Jacob Jr., born December 19, 1924, in a Kansas City, Kansas hospital. The family called him Johnnie. He had three younger brothers: Frank (1926–1953), Joseph "Joe" (1929–2011), and Martin (1931–Unknown); four sisters: Virginia (1928–2003), Caroline "Carol" (1935–2013), Mary Ann (1937–Living), and Christine "Tina" (1940–2014). A child, Bernard, died as an infant, as did Brother Frank at age 27 due to heart complications.
Below is an early photo of Grandpa taken in 1926.
•••••
As a young man, John played semi-pro ball for the Lapetina's. A scout once told him "if only he were bigger" he might play in the major league.
The Dillman family was of modest means. In 1940 they fell on hard times and Grandpa was compelled to leave high school so he may contribute to household expenses. He took a job in a prominent bakery dumping cakes from pans.
Private John Dillman crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary ocean liner in 1942. His first overseas assignment was in England where he completed advanced training as a field artilleryman and telephone operator.
John's unit saw their first combat action in 1944, participating in Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. 6,500 Americans lost their lives in the operation. Grandma tells me that Grandpa's small stature enabled him to crawl undetected at night under barbed wire to string damaged communication lines.
John's unit, the 29th Infantry, went on to see action in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, receiving numerous commendations. They engaged on and off in combat for 242 days, including the famous Battle of the Bulge. I recall Grandpa telling me that he once slept undisturbed in a foxhole through a night of heavy shelling––having grown moderately accustomed to it––only to awake in the morning and discover sizable mortar holes surrounded his position.
Grandpa maintained regular correspondence with his family during the war. His mother preserved more than one-hundred of his letters. Below is a sample of John's writing stitched from correspondence dated May–August, 1945. I chose to weave a patchwork from several letters in order to provide a representative sample of the larger correspondence. I also selected the period ending the war because security restrictions upon G.I. communication would have relaxed. Lastly, modest grammar and spelling corrections are applied to maintain readability.
Dearest Mother & Dad,
Received two letters from you, Mother Dear, one from Daddy and one from Virginia and Mary Ann. Sure was glad to get them and to hear that everyone is well & OK. I am feeling as good as ever, only happier. We sure had a lovely day here the last couple of days. Nice weather. The birds are singing and the German civilians are fixing their gardens already.
Well, Mother, I guess you all heard the good news by now about the war being over. The boys are really happy. They are having a little party at the present. One boy is playing the guitar and one the mouth harp. They are really having a time singing & everything. They wanted me to join them, but I have some letters to write.
I am driving a truck now with another boy, and we have been hauling refugees: Russians, Polish, Czechs, and just about every kind. Yes, Mother, I just as soon stay over here awhile, for all the guys who are coming home now and not getting discharges are going to the Pacific, and I don't want to go there for I seen enough over here. I sure wish the war would end soon in the Pacific. They are really giving them heck now.
Mother, I also received the package dated April 8th and was really glad to get it. I was out of shaving cream and hair oil. The cookies were sure good, but a little too sweet. Mother, I wish you would send me some gym socks. I also wish you would send my watch, that is if Daddy doesn't really need it.
Well, Mother, how is everything at home? Fine I hope. I guess Martin and Joe have graduated already. Wish I could have been there to see them. I also wish I could be there to see Virginia receive her veil. Has Joe found him another job yet? I was glad to hear that Martin got him a job at Milgram's. I hope he can keep it. What does it pay? You know, I bet Martin eats more than he works for (Ha!). I can just see him.
Daddy, I was glad to hear that the car is running good, and sorry that some of the pigeons got stolen. I'll bet they got the best ones too. Hope not. I sure was glad to hear that Wardbeat Wyandotte again. They must have a pretty good team this year. Is it true they are letting coloreds into Ward?
We have been keeping quite busy here. We had to search every German home for weapons and Nazi books. We found quite a few flags & books, but not many pistols.
We got to go to church today. We went to a big church in town. You know, I thought there weren't hardly any Catholics in Germany by the way they talk back in the states, but it seems though just about everyone is catholic. I am getting to see a lot of Germany. It sure is beautiful country, but you can't beat the U.S.A.
Well, Mother, I will be getting a pass to Brussels, Belgium soon. That is if nothing happens. When I do, I am going to have some photos made and send you one. Most of the boys have gone already and said it was really nice there. All kinds of girls, lots to eat, ice cream and street cars, lots of theater and dance places.
Well, Mother & Dad, there isn't much more to say. The boys are making too much noise, so I'll be closing for now, hoping to hear from you all again soon. Mother, tell all the kids I said Hello. I was glad to hear that Grandma & Grandpa got to come up to the city. Mother, did you get the pictures I sent? I hope so. Bye now.
With all my love, hugs and kisses.
Your Loving Son,
Johnnie
P.S., Mother, send me some more writing pads and chocolates.
Grandpa received an honorable discharge from the Army in January, 1946. Upon his return to Kansas City, John appeared at a high school basketball game Billie was attending and asked her to the senior prom. She said yes. They began dating, were engaged that Easter and married on August 17, 1946. When asked what attracted her to her husband, Billie noted that John Dillman was "a very honest man".
The wedding was held at St. Benedict's Catholic Church. Billie's family were Methodists, and she converted to Catholicism prior to the ceremony. I asked Grandma if her conversion was a requirement for the marriage. She assured me she was not pressured to convert, nor was it a requirement. She did it for John.
The reception was held in Billies parent's backyard. Bologna-salad sandwiches were served and a cake paid for with rationed sugar stamps from the war. The below photo was taken on John and Billie's wedding day. To John's right is his cousin, Freddie, who also fought in the war. To Billie's left is John's sister, Virginia. Both Freddie and Virginia served as legal witnesses that day.
•••••
In return for his wartime service, Uncle Sam afforded Grandpa the opportunity to attend a trade school. He chose his father's profession, carpentry, and apprenticed under John Sr.. While an apprentice, John Sr. was diagnosed with colon cancer and became unable to work. Grandpa again took a job to contribute to household expenses while continuing his trade studies. He kept $5 a week for himself and gave the remainder to his mother.
John eventually finished trade school and became a member of the Carpenter's Local Union #168, retaining that membership for fifty years until he retired. Our grandmother still receives a monthly pension check from the Carpenter's Union.
John and Billie's first home was a rented unit in a multi-family building. They paid $10 a month (utilities included) for one bedroom w/kitchen and shared a bathroom down the hall with three other families. Our mother, Linda Sue Dillman, was born in this building on June 18th, 1947. That's Grandma and Grandpa (below) holding their first born.
In 1950, John and Billie purchased a two-bedroom bungalow for $2,500. Grandpa fixed up the place, yet the family quickly outgrew it as John Jr. and Mike, their two eldest boys, were born. They acquired a four-bedroom home in 1953 on 14th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. Our Grandparents raised nine children in that house on 14th. It is the place I visited and knew them as a child.
I recall my Grandpa's beer-can collection in the basement of the home, his carpentry workshop under the stairs, Grandma's colorful kitchen table and wall paper, the alley out back where we children played with our cousins, and the three pine trees in front which we loved to climb. The introductory photo (up top) was taken in the yard.
<<I must leave the story unfinished for now, wanting to post on John's birthday. The remaining notes will be added as time permits. Until then, enjoy this photo (below) taken in the house on 14th Street, Grandma and Grandpa with their nine children plus our father, Thomas Gregory Lambert, who was just married to our mother at the time ... Happy Birthday, Grandpa.>>
