Delia Emma Halterman (Fadeley) Link
1899 – 1931

Daughter of Joseph and Amanda Delawder Halterman,
Wife of George William Fadeley and Frank Jackson Link

Her name was Delia, although you might find her named as "Dehlia," as written in one of her daughters' obituaries, one census record, and in certain "family trees."

She is listed as "Delia" in three consecutive censuses: 1900, 1910, and 1920. She was listed as "Delia" in the Virginia Marriage Register when she married George Fadeley. She was named as "Delia" on the West Virginia Marriage License when she married Frank Link. And, finally, her name "Delia" is written in stone on her grave marker in Mount Jackson, Virginia. She is Delia.

The 20-year-old Delia married George William Fadeley in Shenandoah County, Virginia on June 5, 1920. The handsome George Fadeley was a U.S. Army veteran who had recently returned from France after WWI.

The newlyweds lived in a house they rented on Pine Hill, near Quicksburg, and, just nine months after the day of their marriage, Delia gave birth to her first child, a baby girl they named Helen Pauline, born March 18, 1921.

Next, Delia gained a son when she gave birth to a boy they named Albert Lawrence, born July 23, 1922.

Tragically, the baby Albert was only five months old, Helen was 19 months old, and Delia only 23 when they lost their father and husband. George was shot and killed near New Market, Virginia December 7, 1922.

Delia remarried. On July 11, 1925, she was 26 when she married Frank Link in Hardy County. Two months later, she gave birth to Frances Marie Link on September 15, 1925. But any happiness the new baby brought to Delia's life was ephemeral. Baby Frances lived only six days and died September 21, 1925.

In about 1927, Delia gave birth to Jackson Link, and in 1930 she delivered her last child, Ava Catherine Link. It seems that any happiness for Delia, however, would be fleeting, for George William Fadeley's children, who lost their father when they were only babies, would still be children when they lose their mother.

Delia became infected with tuberculosis. After at least four months of suffering and isolation, Delia died in a sanitorium on September 10, 1931, dying at the age of 32

Delia's biography, along with the biographies of her parents and her first husband, can be found in a book titled "The Root Cellar" by Gary Fadley, available at Amazon.com. or by requesting a free PDF version from the author.