Greetings! I’m Scott Eugene Dement, host of the 2026 DFA reunion in Olathe, KS. I was elected to serve as the DFA President for two years (2026 – 2028) at the reunion. You’ll find me in this branch of the Dement tree: me – Dr. Oman Eugene “Gene” or “Doc” Dement – Buel Eugene Dement – Arthur Elmer Dement – John Sidney Dement – John M Dement – William Dement – John (b. 1760, NC) and Charity Bridge(r)s Dement. Over the next few months, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know our new officers as we introduce ourselves in “Bytes of Dement” and on Facebook. We look forward to getting to know you too! So, feel free to answer the prompts we are answering in the comments.
The Spark: What specific ancestor, document, or family rumor first got you hooked on genealogy? My hook on genealogy came in 1985 (5th grade) while our family was watching Patrick Swayze in the TV series, “North and South.” We were aghast that brothers were fighting brothers. When I expressed the dread of such a circumstance – I love my younger brother, Sidney Eric Dement – my father told us about our Dement family history. Less than a decade before, he found my great-great-great grandpa John M. Dement’s enlistment document with the Confederacy AND his enlistment document with the Union. John was someone who fought against his brothers in Missouri. When John was honorably discharged from the union he was no longer welcome in Arkansas. So, his brother and he were moving to Iowa. But, when they were traveling North on the Mississippi River, a Measles epidemic broke out. John’s wife, his brother Joseph, and four of their six children all died – six out of ten!. John M. married his sister-in-law and they settled in SE Missouri. As my dad told the story, I was HOOKED! I’ve enjoyed learning our family history ever since.
The Breakthrough: What is the most exciting or unexpected discovery you’ve made in your family tree? I was super excited when I found out that my dad’s mother’s family, the Foxes, are from Germany! As a child, my dad relentlessly teased my mother, Joyce Greiner Dement, for being German. His family was French on the Dement side and Native American on the Fox side – probably a band of Cherokee from the Trail of Tears that passed through Southeast MO – he assured us. Then, he did his DNA test. (drum roll…) There was no Cherokee, but a whole lot of German. His DNA test allowed him to connect to other Foxes who told him that his mother’s side of the family were actually the Feuxes from Germany who immigrated in the mid-1700s. I’ve razzed him about it ever since. I am so grateful for how much DNA research has benefited our research and family connection.
Time-Travel Choice: If you could sit down for coffee with one ancestor, who would it be and what one question would you ask them? I don’t drink coffee, so I’m curious if my great-great-grandma Lucy Bell Sanders Dement drank it. I’d sit down with her and find out. In the summer of 2023, my goal was to find evidence of the homestead where she and John Sidney logged virgin timber in Harrison Valley, Reynolds Co., MO. After two months of asking questions, looking at maps, and researching land ownership, I gave up hope of finding anything. But, I was still scheduled to do a grave tour with my cousin, Jamie Hull. Miraculously, after at least SIX serendipitous circumstances, we found the cistern to their mill! I would sit down with Grandma Lucy to hear her stories and to listen to her pray. This grandma of mine fasted on Thursdays in the chicken coop, praying for preachers in her family. Today, I’m one of over 12 Dement preachers. I’d ask her about her grandpas – Admiram McKinney and Edward Sanders – who were both murdered traumatically near their homes during the civil war (not in a battle, but for refusing to cooperate with soldiers). I’d also want to know how she experienced the move to Dement Bluff on Big Creek and then to Harrison Valley. She would know the details of the families dependent on the Dement Mill, of the effort to move “SE Missouri’s largest steam engine” at the time, and of planting churches as they pioneered in business and faith in these tiny towns. I’ve heard many stories about the men in my family, but I would love to hear her stories and know her perspective.
Board Vision: What project or goal are you most excited to help our group accomplish this year? I believe that with our current team and the funding we have available from memberships, that we can make significant progress on connecting the Charles, George, and John lines. I’m hopeful that we can have ten Y700 tests done before the fall of 2027 and then hopefully, based on those tests, we can do five more before our 2028 reunion in Huntsville, AL where we know all three lines of Dements resided in the mid-1800s. Please become a member of the DFA Association. Your membership will help us offer grants to pay for the tests we need and give you access to the resources and conversations we are having about our fascinating Dement ancestors.