Olivia Ross

November 10, 2014

UWRT 1101

Dorman Family Tree

Choosing which side of my family to do research on was not a hard task for me
because I am very close with my mothers side of the family. I was very intrigued to
discover more about our family history. From researching the Dorman family I have
found that there was a significant family of Dormans in France from the 14th century.
The name came from the town of Dormans in the Champagne district. They held roles
such as Chancellor of France, one was a Cardinal in 1368, and one founded the famous
College of Beauvais. This past weekend my family had our first annual family reunion. I
was able to talk to my grandfather and find out more about my family history. My own
family History starts with Richard Dorman who was born about 1970 and settled on land
in Ireland. None of his descendants went to the USA except Henry Martin Dorman in the
beginning of the 19th century and had a family there.
Henry is at the top of my family tree because I had a recent conversation with my
Grandfather, Willie Dorman, and Henry is as far back as he could remember. Henry was
born in 1817 in France. Soon after Henry was born he moved to the States and settled in
Georgia where he met his wife Elizabeth Anne Grace. Elizabeth and Henry had eight kids
together before Elizabeth died sometime in the 1860s. Henry had another son with an
unknown second wife, named William A. Dorman. Henry passed away in the 1880s in
Lauderdale Co., Mississippi. The cause of his death is unknown.

Martin Blackmon Dorman, son of Henry, moved to Erwin, North Carolina, where
my Grandparents still are today. Martin had two children, Lonnie and Connie. Lonnie
married Katherine Hobson and they together had three children, one of them being my
Great-Grandfather, Thurman James Dorman. Lonnie and Katherine worked together at a
textile mill called, Erwin Mills. Katherine died soon after the children were born and
Lonnie later died as a widow due to Congestive Heart Failure. Thurman, born in 1916
had four sons who three are still alive today. One of his sons, Willie June Dorman, is my
grandfather. I had the pleasure of meeting the other two sons, Charles and James, at our
family reunion. Willie married Kay Parsons in 1960 and together they had three children,
Felicia, Stephen and Tama. All of their children married which leads me to having three
cousins and a Father. Two years later, my parents, Warren and Tama, gave me a sister
named Mary Catherine.
Throughout my paper I have been referring to my Grandfather as Willie Dorman,
because, well, that is his name but that is not what our family calls him. At a young age
my cousin Caroline began calling him Ugun simply because she could not pronounce
whatever it is she was being told to call him. Ugun stuck then and he has been called that
every since. Nicknames run in our family, for as long as I can remember, Ugun as called
me Ollie. Ive always been his Ollie. My sister and cousins also have nicknames that
have stuck with them. Ugun has always been my biggest fan, as a child there wasnt a day
that went by that I didnt give him a phone call. He was the first person I wanted to tell
when I made an accomplishment. Ugun gave me so many memories growing up,
including calling the house every Christmas Eve to tell my sister and I that Santa just
stopped by his house and was on his way to ours. Ugun loved to hear about how all of the

Grandchildren were doing in school, he would give each of us ten dollars for every A we
earned. Unfortunately, it ended at the end of middle school. As a child, getting money for
grades was a big deal and it really helped motivate me.
My parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents have really done a good job at
keeping our history and literacy alive. We have many family traditions that we carry on
annually. We spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter together each year. For each
Holiday my mom, sister, and I drive along with my Aunt Felicia, Uncle Danny and
cousin Caroline. We all stay at my Grandparents house while my other aunt; uncle and
cousins live in the same town. For Thanksgiving we drive up on that Thursday and enjoy
a big family lunch that we all prepare together. On the following day, Black Friday, all of
the girls get up very early and go to Raleigh to shop the entire day away. While we are
shopping, the men are at home watching football.
Christmas at my house has changed drastically since my parents divorced four
years ago. It is common for divorce to affect families in a negative way. Our family did
not suffer from the divorce but it was no doubt a huge adjustment. Now I spend
Christmas Eve at my fathers house and open up presents Christmas morning. Then, I go
home to my Mom and share presents. When we are finished we pack up and drive to my
Grandparents house and celebrate Christmas by having a home cooked meal and then
opening presents. Every year we always find time after presents to go see a light show
down the road where we ride an old train around a neighborhood thats decorated with
lights while enjoying hot coco.
I have thoroughly enjoyed finding out more about my family history. From doing
this project it has allowed me to really reflect on my family and think about some of the

wonderful memories that I have shared with them. In our society it is so easy to get
caught up in all thats happening everyday and forget about what really matters. My
grandmother always came to stay with my sister and I when our mother went out of town
for work and I sometimes dreaded it because she wouldnt let us be with our friends
while she was visiting. Looking back I really hate how I reacted to her requests because
today I dont even speak to the people I was dying to be with. Since I left home for
college I have learned to appreciate my family more. Without seeing my mom and sister
everyday Ive truly realized how much they mean to me. My family shaped me into who
I am today and I could not be more thankful to have such amazing people in my life. I
hope to one day get married and have children and be able to carry on what my family
started.

Bibliography
"MartinBlackmanDorman(18601938)FindAGraveMemorial."MartinBlackman
Dorman(18601938)FindAGraveMemorial.N.p.,n.d.Web.17Nov.2014.

"DormanFamilyGenealogyForum(AllMessages)."DormanFamily
GenealogyForum(AllMessages).N.p.,n.d.Web.17Nov.2014.
"DormanFamilyCrestandNameHistory."DormanNameHistory,Name
MeaningandFamilyCrest.N.p.,n.d.Web.17Nov.2014.
Dorman,WillieLee."FamilyHistory."Personalinterview.15Nov.2014.