Stardust Stories – Birth of a Genealogist (Genea-PopPop)

 Brenner, Deeter, genealogy, Youngstown OH  Add comments
Feb 042010
 

The serendipitous processes of creation had 13.7 billion years of practice that went into my formation. The Psalmist states it more poetically:

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out, you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God – you’re breathtaking! Body and soul I am marvelously made.” (Psalm 139;19f The Message)

That formative process began in the latter part of December, 1939, a little more than 3½ months after Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the Second World War. Eleanor Roosevelt, in her syndicated column “My Day,’ noted the dampening effect of the early months of that international conflict as she wrote about a diplomatic reception. “It was sad though to see so many people go by, whom you knew must be heavy hearted. The gay uniforms, beautiful dresses and jewels can not hide people’s eyes, and the eyes are the mirrors of the soul. Through them one can tell when suffering has left its mark on a human being.” The hostilities and the sadnesses increased; and, nine months later, on September 16th the day of my birth, Congress passed and President Roosevelt sign into law the act that created the first peacetime draft in U.S. History. Three months later, the U.S. was at war.

It was an auspicious time to begin a life. With the helping hand of C. W. Sears, MD, I checked in at 3:55 pm (7 pounds, 8½ ounces [birth announcement distributed by parents]) at Northside Hospital in Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio. [Ohio Department of Health, Birth Certificate #13471] As a warning to this future genealogist, my mother’s maiden name was misspelled on that Birth Certificate – “Deiter” instead of “Deeter.” Fortunately, my name was spelled correctly – “Barthel” (the maiden name of my mother’s maternal grandmother; and my grandson’s middle name).
Mom, Bessie Garnet Brenner (nee Deeter) was 25 at the time of my birth; Dad, Donald George Brenner, was two weeks shy of his 28th birthday. They had been married for a year and a half and were living in the Youngstown home that had belonged to Dad’s maternal Grandfather. As the U.S. was plunged into the war, we were fortunate that Dad did not have to take up arms, since he was employed at the steel mill, working in the electro-plating shop at the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company.