Marks of Distinction

Bill's gun accident is an incredible story by today's standards, but as I remember it, people were often reluctant to go to the doctor back then.

As a result, it was not uncommon to see people with missing parts on fingers and toes as a result of gunshot accidents, spider bites, and misdirected ax or hatchet cuts that often went untended until it was too late.

As a young child in the early fifties, this was one of the most fascinating things about traveling around with Dad. It seemed like everywhere we went, people had what were then considered marks of distinction that were proudly displayed.

My grandfather Whiteside, for instance, was born with two webbed fingers! In other words, they were attached by a flap of skin growing between them. Even to this day, many Whiteside relatives have webbed appendages, usually toes.

All of which has me wondering: Do the Lynns or Browns have any inherited marks of distinction? In other words, do we have any unusual physical characteristics that set us apart?

Dad taught high school agriculture in the 30's, 40's, and 50's, but also served as a sort of extension agent to farmers in the area during the summer. This involved things like dehorning cattle and castrating pigs. Like farming in general, it was an occupation where accidents were common. That was the other way people ended up with marks of distinction.

That suggests another half to the same question. Which of our Lynn and Brown relatives had unusual characteristics as a result of accidents? What were they? And how and when did they happen?