Sixth Generation

257. Shawn Patrick DUNN was born on 8 June 1955 in Indianapolis, Marion County, IN.⁸⁸

Shawn Patrick DUNN and Andee ANDERSON were married on 1 September 1979 in Houston, Harris County, TX.⁸⁸ From an e-mail that she sent to Arlyn Bernhardt, 5/8/2013: "Betty Jean Hilliker is my mother-in-law, or was.  She died in '99. My divorce from her son was in 2000.  I'd love to hear more of the WOODARDs and how they connect to the HILLIKERs.

Betty Jean married Jack Conway DUNN in Sparta WI (I believe - still working on confirming) in late '54 or early '55. They moved to Indianapolis, IN and had Shawn Patrick DUNN on 8 JUN 1955.  They had Kevin about a year later, Kerry Colleen a little over a year after that, and Conway Holden after her.  I still need birthdays for all the siblings... and that's after knowing them all since late '70's.  I have very little info on Jack. He died in his early 40's of a sudden massive heart attack in the mid '70s before I met any of the family.

Shawn & I married 1 SEP 1979 and subsequently raised 6 children. We married in Houston TX, moved to OKC, OK right away, had Bryana Shawnelle 27 JUL 1982 (her twin sister was born too soon on 17 APR 1982); moved to Dallas, TX ('84-'94) and had Cara Joelle11 NOV 1985 (she had a twin that stopped growing at 12 weeks gestation), had Allyssa Bethelle 05 JUL 1988, and then on 31 DEC 1991 delivered Mackenzie Shamus, Rebecca Shirelle, Jessica Kayelle, and Griffin James (Mack & Griff were dentical and Becca & Jessi are identical --- Griffin was stillborn,having died inutero on 31 AUG 1991). 

We moved to Sparta, WI in August of 1994.  Betty Jean had moved up here from OKC a few years earlier just before or just after her Aunt Vivian died. That was 1990? (I'd have to look - still compiling info). Then her mom, Mildred Viola REYNOLDS HILLIKER died in '93 on Bryana's 11th birthday.  She & her dad flew up there for the funeral.  Shortly after that, he got word that his company was being sold; a few months later he was given the option of moving with the new company to Maryland or taking a generous severance and looking for another job. We opted for the severance and made plans to move near Betty now that she was alone and there was apparently a large homestead to care for. It wasn't as large as others had described, but it was still a lot of work for one old lady to handle then.

Now... that family home has been sold.  Conway closed on it last week, May 1st.  We have until the 31st to remove the contents. This has prompted my jump into genealogy sites.  As I sift thru papers that haven't seen the light of day for decades, I'm finding stuff dating back to mid 1800s, mostly following the REYNOLDS line but some HILLIKER stuff too.  There are TONS of photos - at a glance I count 15 photo albums and scrapbooks - and there's more loose pics.  There are legal papers, land docs, letters, and so on.

This home is where Betty Jean and her brother Robert Dean grew up - they were born in '26 &'27 respectively. It appears Roger HILLIKER become owner in 1931... it was a much larger parcel of land then but he got the original home (first built in 1880 or 1860) with various updates (last known remodel in '50s).  

Robert Dean HILLIKER also died young, 42y, in SEP '70.  I think I may have just located his son.  He had a wife, Donna, and two kids, a boy Robert Edward, and a girl Pamela Christine born in '61 & '60, respectively.  So I hope to learn more on that end soon.
Jack eludes me yet. I have uncovered address (very old) for possible siblings that I'll be working on asap.  I think he was a few years younger than Betty Jean (or BJ). He was military; she met him as she worked on base (Ft McCoy) in the commissary then.  Not sure why she didn't use her teaching degree.  BJ graduated from Sparta High School in 1944; Robert in '45. Then she went to Eau Claire to a teacher training college (I can get name later).  It looks like she graduated from there in '49.  Then she came back home.  (I wish I had thought to ask her more about her life before Jack before she died.)

Mildred & Vivian appear to be the only children of Arthur M and Jessie May (LOOMIS) REYNOLDS;born in Sauk County - one or two counties south of Monroe where Sparta is, and where Tomah is, which is where I live now.  They moved to Tomah near the time the girls were pre-teens.  Mildred shows up in the 1924 Tomah High School yearbook, The HAMOT, as a Freshman.  She's not mentioned again.  Vivian however shows in several of them later and graduated in 1928 or 29 (again, have to go back and look).  Vivian also went on to college it seems, from pics & scrapbooks, but not sure where.  Vivian spent most of her adult life working for the State of WI Dept of Motor Vehicles.  She never married. She moved in with Mildred after retirement, I think after Roger died ('62).  Art & Jessie both died in the early '60s as well.

 There are Hilliker's all over this area and we know we are related to some but I don't have any idea who they really are.  That will change as I work thru all this.

Conway is meeting with an auctioneer Friday so I need to get all these papers & pics scanned by then. He wants them back - says he didn't know about them.  He wasn't interested in ANY of the contents a month or so ago when he told Shawn he had a buyer and was selling the place.  Shawn has lived there since we separated. Conway lived there too since a year or two before BJ died but he moved out earlier this year.  The house is old, in sore need of repairs,and the inner walls are full of mold (so they have to be completely replaced with special equipment/processes = very expensive).  As Shawn and myself and 2 of our girls began pulling things out of their hiding places we'd mention our findings... very old rifles, pistols, ammo; real furs; coins; old land deeds and legal papers; old insurance policies that show no pay-out of benefits; and all sorts of tucked-away-framed photos, painting, etc, plus the many photo albums & scrapbooks..... NOW he's interested... NOW he thinks there may be some real value in the contents.

 Yes, interesting is an understatement!  I have no legal claim to anything I'm working with but I love history, especially family related history so I enjoy doing this!  But I'm also wanting to find all living relatives.  I'm interested in health matters. 

Jessie May's mother died not long after giving birth to her; she was raised by her stepmother. There are a few other relatives who also died young. BJ & Robert had anolder brother, Walden (no middle name) who was born 12 JUN 1924 and died 13 JUN1924...all we know is he died shortly after birth.  Was he born near midnight and died a few minutes later? or Was he born early in the day of the 12th and died nearly 48 hours later?  Was he too small?  Was he sick? No one left to answer those ??

Robert & Jack both died of sudden heart attacks and I think I heard Roger did too (but not too sure, found a few things that seem to suggest he was sick several months before he died).  BJ died in her sleep one night. She'd had a "cold"for a few weeks, had been to the clinic once about it a week or so before; but she was up and about and doing all the normal stuff, then went to bed like usual and just never woke up.  Not sure how Mildred or Vivian died but Viv had a pacemaker and both needed hearing aids for some years.

 All 6 of my kids have had "weird" health problems... and those are the ones that survived.  In total I've conceived 16 children in 9 pregnancies.  Each loss was unique.  There is a huge list of health problems.  Babies & toddlers not meeting milestones on time... way out of normal range... rare disorders diagnosed... etc.  Each of my survivors have quite literally died and been brought back at least once --- meaning each had at least one time heart & breathing stopped and CPR had to begin, sometimes it was a quick result, other times it was until they got put on machines to do it all for them until we figured out what happened.  When they were young docs often told us they would outgrow the problems.  Some were outgrown.  Others were not.  And we are still getting new diagnoses.  It would be nice to know if any other branches of the family trees have similar problems."

. They⁸⁸ were divorced in 2000.⁸⁸ Andee ANDERSON was born (date unknown).

Shawn Patrick DUNN and Andee ANDERSON had the following children: