Ronald J. Deatrick & Claudia Barnard Coffey
Author | Harrison County, Indiana |
Website
Claudia Coffey was born in 1945 at the end of World War II, the oldest of eight children born to an Army Air Corps staff sergeant and his munitions factory-employed wife turned tobacco farming family in southern Indiana. Although she grew up in the nuclear age of the baby boomer, Claudia's heart's desire was to bring the past to life, wi.... more
Claudia Coffey was born in 1945 at the end of World War II, the oldest of eight children born to an Army Air Corps staff sergeant and his munitions factory-employed wife turned tobacco farming family in southern Indiana. Although she grew up in the nuclear age of the baby boomer, Claudia's heart's desire was to bring the past to life, with an eye to making history relevant and easy to understand. Following years of research, in 2005 Claudia proudly introduced her Kentucky ancestors to readers in "A Farming Family in the New World: The Barnard Family Saga" and in 2017 Claudia joined forces with her baby boomer cousin, Ronald J. Deatrick, to bring their German Palatine ancestors to life with "Mein Name ist Peter Dietrich: The Deatrick/Dedrick Family Heritage". Both books progress through the centuries from the age of the indentured servant in the American Colonies' infancy, through the fight for independence, the journey west, the war between the states, and on to the present time. In her research, Claudia learned first hand about our national heritage, and saw how we are all truly children of immigrants. Both books are chock full of easy-to-read family stories, photographs, recipes, and illustrations, and most importantly, both books fulfill Claudia's wish to bring the past alive with stories presented in an easy-to-read format.