Dear Friends of SRP,
As you know, in October of 2020 Mary asked me to follow through with getting her interviews and spreadsheets submitted to the Jane Roberts’ Papers Collection housed at Yale’s Sterling Library Archives. Since Mary passed December 10, 2020, I’ve been working on getting her research organized and in a format acceptable to Yale’s Sterling Library Archives. In the beginning I was quite overwhelmed with the size of the task ahead of me, which entailed proofreading 50 interview transcripts and comparing them to the audio recordings, plus the multitude of spreadsheets. They consist of various topics: people who knew Rob and Jane, a timeline of notable dates in their lives, a list of every session and where they are located and much more. In August 2022 I finally transmitted all of this research over to Yale.
While I feel good about having accomplished what Mary specifically asked of me, I also feel a bit of a loss because working on the interviews and spreadsheets was very enjoyable, informative and rewarding. Listening to all of the interviewees talk about their experiences with Jane and Rob brought me even closer to the whole Seth experience. Hopefully some day I’ll be able to share some of them with you.
As I’ve finally accomplished what Mary specifically asked me to do, I will now have more time to sift more deeply through the 120 gigabytes of digital information and the many cases of physical materials in my possession. I will continue to share new and interesting anecdotes, trivia and details about Seth and the lives of Jane and Rob. I’m still awed by the amount of information Mary gathered. It’s very obvious to me that Mary LOVED what she was doing and the amount of information she gathered was more than what one mere mortal could accomplish. But then… Mary was no mere mortal. You can see lists of Mary’s contributions to the Jane Roberts collection on this page. When you get there, you’ll see Series I, II and III in the right column. The list of interviews is under Series I. There’s also a little bio of Mary, and a never ending list of things she’d already submitted.
1929: Delmar front left with his dog Tessie(?); Marie in the middle; (Aunt) Maude Dudley holding baby Jane.
On another note, I’ve been gathering information to write a blog post about Jane’s father, Delmar Roberts. We’ve all read little bits about him, but I’ve been finding more details that are painting a pretty interesting picture. The next post after that will be about Jane’s mother Marie. Together these two posts will give more information about Jane’s background.
I’ve had to put Delmar aside for a little while as I’ve been in the process of a home sale and a cross country move. While this move has been in the works for nearly two years, things got really hairy in June and still haven’t let up. I’m really looking forward to settling into the new location and getting back to work!
PS In the process of finding more about Del, I came across something very interesting. Jane and Rob were (somewhat distantly) related! I’m not talking at the entity level here either… and I doubt they even knew about it. I will of course share the details when I send out my next blog post. Talk about cliffhangers, lol.
Happy holidays! Deb
Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Thank you so much for the additions you’ve made to the Sterling Library Jane Roberts Archive/collection !! Priceless devotion and contribution!
In the family photo I am wondering if the BABY being held is Jane.. since the little girl with bangs being ‘held’ looks older than Jane was when Del left her and Marie…???
Thank you Susan! Yes, the baby in the photo is Jane.
Our gratitude knows no bounds, Deb. Where would all of Mary’s work be without you and your continued dedication to it?
Actually that’s not a question I’ve asked myself! Mary and Richie talked about bringing me on board, but neither of them was ill at the time. When Richie suddenly died Mary decided to finally ask me and then SHE suddenly died. I’ve been told I need to find someone to succeed me. Not a pleasant thought but a practical one.
I guess to insure my continued life I should hold off on that. Lol.
you are a force of nature Deb!!
I stand in awe of you, with the greatest admiration.
you have done and are doing, a noble service to humankind, that is of inestimable value.
and thanks to your good work, humans will become more kind.
and Seth would call that value fulfillment.
peace and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s,
Charlie
Thank you so much Charlie, so very kind of you. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you!!
Dear Deb,
It only sounds simple “transmitted all the research to Yale”. But behind the words are hours and hours. I am happy to say – of enjoyable activity, since you said so yourself.
As for the photo, wasn’t it in one of TES or Private sessions books? The man and dog part looks so familiar. At first I thought that Jane’s Mum was Jane. Such a charming face, and I imagined her quite “a witch”. I’d love to hear more about her. Since so many of Jane’s limiting beliefs came from childhood and living with Mother, in my opinion.
Hi Marianna, thank you! I don’t know if the photo appeared anywhere else, it was given to Mary by Jane’s cousin, along with a bunch of others. Maybe you’re thinking of the one with Jane and Walt sitting on a porch with their dog? I may also have used it in my CA Seth Conference presentation.
Jane’s mother definitely left a mark on Jane, working on that post will be very interesting.
Yes! I so agree with you about Marie, Marianna. I guess we need to remember that we choose our parents (and our parents choose us) but Jane’s upbringing was definitely a challenging one – and it certainly contributed to her so-called Sinful Self, which Seth and Rob tried so valiantly to talk her out of listening to.
What is now interesting to me is that my mother’s personality was a little like Marie, so I can relate to Jane a bit more. My mother didn’t have RA, but her mother (my grandmother) did, so I know enough about it. I’m just glad I am involved with the Seth materials to the extent that I am.
Thank you for your dedication and sharing of the information. You are making a profound impact on expanding knowledge related to Jane, Rob, and Seth. I know Mary D is proud of you and your efforts Deb, as many others are. Keep up the awesome work. I and many others are grateful.
Thank you Ray!
Thanks for your work.
Dear Ms. Tejada:
You perhaps have come across my name as Mary and I corresponded by mail and e-mail for many years.
I am a genealogist by trade and compiled the genealogies of Jane and Rob which I sent Mary. You will find info about Delmar’s marriages there. It was I who discovered that Jane and Rob were cousins (regrettably only after Rob had died) – but I won’t spoil your surprise by posting details here!
I never realized how much Jane resembled her mother until I saw the photo on this page! And it is interesting that Jane signed her name “Jane” on her card from when she was seven – she was called Dorothy on many occasions much later (she is listed as “Dorothy Roberts” in the 1950 census).
Thank you for continuing Mary Dillman’s work. If there is anything you think I might be able to help with, please let me know.
Barry, so nice to hear from you! Yes, I’ve come across your name in Mary’s files, emails, etc. and the ancestry you traced on Jane and Rob. I have more photos of Delmar and Marie that I’ll be sharing in future posts.
Thank you for your diligent work, Deb! I’m looking forward to reading future blog posts!
Thank you Jayne!
Twas by no haphazard cosmic accident that Mary’s path crossed with that of Jane’s and Rob’s and Seth’s as it was meant to be…in this reality.
I totally agree. And I was “lucky” enough to cross paths with Rich and Mary. All is as it should be.
Amazing how you managed to do much work in a short time. Thank you for sharing this Deb. Looking forward to reading your blog posts. Good luck with your relocation and Happy Holidays.
Thank you Deborah! Happy holidays to you too.
Love Mary and all of her work, and miss her so much.
Thank you for all you are doing, Deb.
That is the best photo of Del and Marie and Jane I have ever seen.
I miss her too. Glad you liked the photo! It came from Jane’s cousin.
Wow Deb! I must admit to not following as faithfully as I’d like, however I am so impressed with all you have accomplished! Please know that even an old timer like me is so grateful for your efforts!
Thank you Beth, this project has been very rewarding for me! More to come!
The work you have been doing and are doing is amazing! Thank you so much Deb!
Emmy, thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure!y
Thank you for all the work you’ve done! I will need to get up to New Haven to visit someday soon.
Cathy, thank you. It’s really been rewarding and exciting for me.