Glen Delbert Tolman (1915-1976)

Glen Delbert Tolman

 Glen Delbert Tolman

DOB:  4 Jan 1915 Eugene, Lane, Oregon, USA
DOD: 27 Mar 1976  Caldwell, Canyon, Idaho, USA*

Buried: Mar or Apr 1976 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States

   *[Glen was traveling for work (he delivered mobile homes) when he  

    died (probably a heart attack) in his motel room. His body was sent back  

    to  Eugene, Oregon for burial]

 Glen about age 3

     Glen Delbert Tolman was the full-brother of Ethel Florence Tolman. They were the only children of Bella Eugenia Nestegard. Glen was only 8 months old when his mother Bella died of T.B.

     When their mother died, Ethel (2 1/2) and Glen 8 months, went to live with their Aunt Jessie and Uncle Art. Arthur Tolman was the brother of their father, George Earl Tolman.

     

   Cousin Crissie, Aunt Jessie

Ethel & Glen Tolman 

     In 1918 when his father married Pearl May Banta, he was about 3 years old. His step-mother Pearl raised Ethel Florence and Glen Delbert as her own and also gave George two more children, Clifford Earl and Esther May. I will be writing about them in the next few weeks. 

George, Pearl

Ethel & Glen

      In searching for Glen in the US Census records I have found that he is not listed in the 1920 Census. I can not find him with his father, step mother & sister, nor with his Uncle Art, Aunt Jessie and their two children. He should have been 5 years old. His sister Ethel is listed with his father and new step-mother Pearl. But where is little Glen? Did the census enumerator forget to list him or was he somewhere else at that time? Or did Art and Jessie think that he would be listed with his parents so neglect to report that he was living with them? 

     My mother, his niece says that Glen was close to his Aunt (Hattie) Pearl (Tolman) Laycock. She was the sister of his father George. [But I can’t find him with her in any of the Census’ reports either]. This would not bother me so much if he had only shown up in the next Census of 1930, but I can not find him there either.

     Coincidentally, there is another Glenn Tolman born about a year later and born in Idaho who is NOT this Glen Tolman. This second (incorrect) Glen does show up with his parents and later his wife in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 US Census records, but still no record of my Uncle Glen Tolman.

Marriages:

1) Lois Faye Smith

DOB: 15 May 1916 Sioux City, Woodbury, Iowa, USA
DOD:  7 Jan 2007 Coburg, Lane, Oregon, United States  

Glen & Lois married 10 Jun 1937 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon. She was from Coburg, Oregon. They were married for many years before divorcing (sometime after March of 1953, as (his niece) Bernice Collingwood & Tom Archibald  were married in their home in Coburg, Lane, Oregon on 8 Mar 1953*). They each later remarried. [Lois married Russ Easley on 13 Nov 1975 in Reno, NV]. Lois and Glen had one child.

2) Mary May Hughes-Davis.

DOB: 24 May 1914 Cornelius, Washington, Oregon, USA
DOD: 20 Mar 2004 Reno, Washoe, Nevada, USA

Buried:  Springfield Memorial Gardens in Springfield, Oregon.

      * (she was survived by a brother Harry Hughes, and two sisters 

     Bubbles Dalebout and Evelyn Lozier).

     Mary had been previously married. She married Glen Tolman on May 16, 1965, in Eugene, Lane, Oregon. He made her a widow in 1976.

 Mary and Glen Tolman

Children

Child of Glen and Lois:

Grace "Darlene" Tolman

DOB: 7 Jun 1937 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States
DOD: 27 Mar 1967 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States

     she died by falling off an out-of-control horse, onto a highway hitting her   

     head.

     She married a man named Ray Bruce and had four children, 3 boys and a girl who were born from 1959 to 1966. I would like to meet these cousins and learn more about them.

     I find it interesting that I have cousins who are my grandma’s sibling’s grandchildren (my second cousins) who I don’t even know and other second cousins who I knew growing up and still know; keeping in touch via facebook and other online media and occasional face to face visits. Some I have memories of and others, like the Bruce kids, I have never even met.

Glen, Ethel, Esther, Clifford Tolman

    It seems that Family is more than just shared blood lines…it is often experiences and interactions that have created memories and affection. It makes me kind of sad that I never knew these cousins, but I did know their grandpa Glen Tolman, albeit from the point of view of a young child [who of course didn’t really interact much with the adults, but watched them from afar and listened from my “comfort zone of adults” (grandma, mom, dad) as they interacted.]

Step-children (children of Mary Davis-Tolman)

Gary Davis

Gregg Davis

Larry Davis

Census Record searches done:

 1910 US Census

     …shows George Tollman (Tolman) Age 25 as Head of Household. His father’s name is Albert Tollman (Tolman) (Father's Birth Place: Illinois Mother's Birth Place: Canada English). So this is our George, father of Glen. Their home in 1910 was in Sumner, Pierce, Washington. Household Members are listed as George age 25, Albert age 59, Nettie age 19 and Linnie age 15.

     George got married the next year, 1911 to Bella. Glen was born 5 years  after this Census.

1920 US Census

…shows George age 35 living in Springfield, Lane, Oregon and married to Pearl M. [Banta] Tolman age 23 and his daughter Ethel F. Tolman age 6. There is no mention of Glen here, although he was 5 years old. Ethel was about 1 ½ years older than Glen.

1920 US Census

    …shows Arthur & Jessie Tolman living in Santa Clara, Lane, Oregon (this is an area near Eugene); Art is age 37, Jessie is age 36 and Crissie (their daughter) is age 15. Again there is no mention of Glen, who had lived with them from the time of his mother’s death until sometime after his father George remarried in 1918 to Pearl. Where could Glen have been?

1930 US Census

     …records can not be found for this Glen Tolman, who would have been about 15 years old. If you have any ideas of where he might be, please let me know.

     It is not often in my experience, that someone never shows up on a US Census. It is possible that Glen will show up in later Census records when they are released. Whomever picks up the gauntlet and carries on my research will want to investigate further to see if Glen does appear in a Census record in 1940, 50, 60, or 70.

     I must admit that it bothers me to not have much in the way of paperwork to document his life. But I can assure you that there are many who knew him, and some who are still alive (my mother, me, my aunts and uncles, many of my older cousins) that will attest that he did live, and he did have family that knew and loved him. He also has grandchildren that should be in their 40’s or 50’s in this year of 2011. I hope that somehow they will come across this article and contact me with the information that they have and their memories of their grandfather, Glen Delbert Tolman.

 Occupation

     In his young adulthood, Glen worked as a dairyman. Yes, he milked cows for a dairy in the Coburg/Mohawk area near Springfield/Eugene, Oregon. Later in life he worked driving truck. He was employed as a truck driver towing large mobile homes, delivering them to various places in Oregon and surrounding states. It was on one of these deliveries that he fell asleep in a motel and did not awaken. I’m do not know for sure, but I believe that he died of a heart attack.

     Interestingly enough, his brother Clifford Tolman and one of his nephews, Rick Montgomery also were in the dairy business. Rick even owned his own dairy at one time. Both of them also stayed in the Eugene, Oregon area.

     As short as this week’s article may be, it took a lot of research to obtain the little that I found. Sometimes, the information comes easily, sometimes, like this last two weeks, it is like finding gold in a coal mine, Impossible. Glen Tolman has been on my mind almost constantly while I endeavored to find a paper trail of his life. Unfortunately, he is one who appears to have slipped through the cracks. I did finally find his name in his 2^nd wife, Mary Tolman’s obituary. Most everything else is word of mouth, and family paperwork, and is accepted on faith.

     If you should find an official birth record, or social security number, or death certificate, or any other paperwork (employment stubs, tax returns, whatever), I would be grateful to have a copy or the original, to put into my genealogy archives. 

     Also, if you should have any memories of him, I would love to hear them!

What is the big fuss about genealogy. All those old guys are dead…so what do we care?

You may have visited this blog or others that give information about your ancestors. Maybe you came out of curiosity, maybe just to kill time, or maybe just because some crazy cousin (me) keeps sending links to you via email, or Facebook.

Since many of us in our family have direct ancestors who [because of their involvement in the Revolutionary War] qualify us to join one these  two societies, I thought maybe you would be interested to read about some of the beginnings of genealogy research here in the United States. Therefore, I am sharing this article that I found online.

Everyday Genealogy - by Bob Brooke

Establishing family links to the past as pre-requisites for membership in the patriotic societies of Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has encouraged people to get involved in genealogical research. 

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and its female counterpart, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) are the two premier fraternal and genealogical organizations in the United States. Both require their members to do extensive research to join them and neither excludes anyone as long as they have written proof that they're related to an American Patriot.

What brought about such organizations?

Beginning in 1876 with the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, a series of centennial events focused America's attention on its history and heritage and inspired to search for their roots which led to the formation of patriotic and hereditary organizations. Establishing family links to the past as pre-requisites for membership in these patriotic societies encouraged people to get involved in genealogical research.

It became all the rage for those in high society to trace their lineage. Newspapers published genealogical columns. Men and women browsed libraries and collected the names and dates of ancestors from tombstones in cemeteries. Soon, genealogical research trickled down to the upper middle class and became a popular hobby throughout the country.
     

As a result of the nation's centennial in 1876, a group of men who were descendants of Revolutionary War veterans gathered in San Francisco to celebrate. This group, calling themselves the Sons of Revolutionary Sires, became the first organization of descendants of Revolutionary War patriots. Their objective was to have a fraternal organization that saluted those men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes and honor to America's battle for independence, including the descendants of the men who fought in the Continental Army, signed the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress, or otherwise supported the cause of American Independence from 1774-1783. Today, there are no ties between the Sons of Revolutionary Sires and the Sons of the American Revolution, except that the latter allowed members of the former group to join the SAR after its founding in 1889.

     

The SAR's history isn't without controversy. Before there was an SAR, John Austin Stevens founded another group, the Sons of the Revolution in New York in 1883. He based the charter of his organization on that of the Society of Cincinnati. By 1889, William Osborn McDowell, a New Jersey financier and businessman, organized the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the Revolution but was unwilling to accept the New York organization's requirement that other state societies bow to them, accepting them as the national group. 
     

Stevens founded his group as an elite fraternal association. But McDowell wanted the Sons of the Revolution to be open to all descendants of Revolutionary patriots. So McDowell formed the Sons of the American Revolution at Fraunces Tavern in New York on April 30, 1889, the centennial of the inauguration of George Washington as the First President of the United States of America in 1789.
     

On June 6, 1906, Congress passed an act formally granting McDowell's organization a charter. President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a member of the organization, signed it into law. One of the first things that the SAR did was petition Congress to store Revolutionary era documents in a fire-proof area and make them available to the public. This led to the creation of the National Archives in 1913. The SAR Headquarters, located in Louisville, Kentucky, houses a Revolutionary Museum, their Genealogical Library, and offices.  Today, the SAR's Genealogical Library is in the process of moving to a newly renovated building along Main Street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
     

If you think you may have a patriot ancestor, the SAR offers the services of New Member Helpers within state chapters to guide you through your ancestral research. And even if you don't have an ancestor who participated in the struggle for American Independence, you can still search for information on your ancestors.

For information on SAR membership, go to the organization's website at http://www.sar.org. 

Well cousins, just a little more information for you. I hope that you are finding this information interesting. There is a saying "Genealogy begins as an interest becomes a hobby continues as an avocation, takes over as an obsession and then in it's last stage, is an incurable disease."

Ethel Florence Tolman (Collingwood-Banker-Smith-Archibald)

   

 Ethel Florence Tolman

     This week I will be featuring my grandmother, Ethel Florence Tolman. I have decided to focus on her, then her siblings, then her parents, then grandparents and on back, over the next few weeks. I am researching records to verify the authenticity of my information and I admit that I have been finding some conflicting data about Albert Oscar Tolman, Ethel's grandpa.
   
     I am in contact with a person who is working in the genealogy research center in Salt Lake City, Utah who was married to a Tolman descendant and we each have different information regarding the parent's of Albert. If anyone out there knows or even has a suspicion of the names of his parents please contact me, my email address is cgillice@gmail.com.  

Now on to Ethel.

George, Ethel, Glen and Pearl Tolman

     Ethel is my maternal-grandmother. In addition to my personal memories, I also have the resource of my mother and her memories. In fact, four of Ethel's children (my mom, aunt, and uncles) are still around to verify her information.

     Ethel was the first child born to George Earl Tolman and Bella Eugenia Nestegard. 

I have a certified copy of her Certificate of Birth (registered No. 2722) which states the following:

Place of Birth: Lane county, city of Eugene (7 miles North). 

Her full name is Ethel Florence Tolman.

sex: female.  Legitimate.

Date if birth: June 30, 1913

Father: George E. Tolman, age 28 years, white race, birth place: Minn., occupation: Farmer.

Mother: Bella E. Nestegard, age 24 years, white race, birth place: Minn., occupation: housewife.

The reporting physician is: P.J. Bartle

Issued by: State of Oregon, Multnomah county. The original record is on file with the Division of Vital Statistics, State Board of Health.

I also have  a certificate of death, which states the following:

Decedent's name: Ethel Florence Archibald. sex: female. 

Date of death: 25 Sep, 1998, age 85.

birthplace: Eugene, Oregon

date of birth: June 30, 1913

place of death: Nursing home. Facility name: Gateway Assisted Living

Location of facility: 1630 Cloverleaf Loop, Springfield, Lane, Oregon

Decedent's education level: 4 (4th grade)

Father: George E. Tolman

Mother: Bella - Nestagard

Informant: Josephine Burrelle - daughter

name of cemetery: Springfield Memorial Gardens

7305 Main St.  Springfield, Oregon 97478

Original - Vital Statistics Copy, issued: 29 Sep 1998

Ethel's childhood

     When Ethel was about three years old her mother died. (See article about Bella Eugenia Nestegard Tolman).

 Ethel is on the lower left side, 

little boy on the right is Glen Tolman, 

the woman is Jessie Tolman (married to Arthur Tolman)
the older girl is Jessie and Art's daughter.

     Ethel went to live with her Uncle Art and Aunt Jessie Tolman until her father married Pearl Mae Banta. Pearl was the only mother that Ethel and her brother Glen ever knew. Ethel also had a half sister, Esther and half brother Clifford Tolman. I don't think that she ever thought of her step-mother or step-siblings as anything less than her whole family. 

    

     My mother told me the story of Ethel playing below a window when boiling water was thrown out the window and scalded her. She was still a preschooler when this occurred leaving her bald. The hair grew back and I don't remember ever seeing any burn scars on her head or face.

     

     Ethel also had a bout with polio which left both of her thumbs without movement. Her first husband (my grandpa) helped her work her thumbs until she could use them again. She was very fortunate to only have her thumbs affected by the polio. 

     

     Ethel had a very distinctive laugh, that sounded almost like a...well, the word "cackle" comes to mind. She also spoke with a distinct sound that may have been caused by her dentures, I would call it a "sideways lisp". If you heard it you would understand. [My daughter, JoAnne used to be able to imitate her talking and laughing].

     

     I never appreciated the hard life that my grandma lived. Her education was limited, therefore her reading and writing were limited, and therefore, her job opportunities were limited. And because she was divorced from her first two husbands, she often struggled to provide for and raise her children. I know that sometimes the children lived with other family members.

     

      My mother once told me that grandma's first marriage was forced on her by her parents. They felt that grandpa Collingwood was a great husband for her, and for whatever reason she married him. They were not particularly happy and divorced after having four children. She then married a man who fathered her fifth child. Juanita was born with cerebral palsy and died when she was about 2 years old. My mother, Ethel's oldest child, quit school (in about the 8th grade) to help care for Juanita. 

    

     My grandmother had a grandchild, my cousin Lee, who was also born with cerebral palsy. I think that he was special to grandma because of this similarity to her own baby who died. Lee was a blessing not only to his own parents but to grandma as well. 

      

     Ethel was married four times. First to William (Bill) Aaron Collingwood, then Harvey Eugene Banker, both of whom she divorced. She then married Charles  Arthur"Art" Smith, who is the grandpa that I remember. Finally, a few years after she was widowed, she married Daniel L. Archibald, who just happened to be my paternal grandpa. [Yes, my dad's dad married my mom's mom. Pretty strange, huh? This sort of made my dad and mom, step brother and sister!]

Ethel's marriages

Ethel’s Marriage #1  (Ethel=age 20)

William Aaron Collingwood (1908 – 1970) married in Aug 1931 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon. (Divorced abt. 1943) 

Children from this marriage:

Bill Collingwood with his children

Jo, Ed, Richard and Bernice

1)      Bernice Catherine Collingwood  (19 Nov 1934 –  ) 

     Married Thomas Ernest Archibald

2)      Josephine Elizabeth Collingwood  (29 Aug 1936 –  ) 

     Married Harold Donald Burrelle

3)      Richard Aaron Collingwood (2 Apr 1939 - ) 

     Married 1) Judy Smith, 2) Gertrude Hiner

4)      Edward Earl Collingwood (17 Jan 1942- ) 

     Married 1) Catherine Gesme 2) Shirley Hoffman

Marriage #2 (Ethel, age 35)

     Harvey Eugene Banker, they married in 1948 and Divorced in 1953

     in Lane County, Oregon, USA

Child of this marriage:

Juanita Irene Banker (Juanita was born with cerebral palsy)

DOB: 30 Jan 1949 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States
DOD: 10 Feb 1951 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States

 

Marriage #3 (Ethel, age 40)

Art & Ethel Smith

Charles Arthur "Art" Smith (Abt 1907-1972) on 11 Feb 1954.

     in Yakima, Yakima, Washington, United States.

     Art died in 1972, just before his 65^th birthday, in LaPine, Deshcutes, Oregon where they were planning to retire in just a few months. He died of a heart attack. (Cathy Jo Archibald Gillice has a copy of this marriage certificate). 

 Marriage #4 (Ethel, age 62)

Ethel & Dan Archibald

 Daniel Leonidas Archibald (1902-1993) on 12 Dec 1975 in      

Lane County, Oregon. USA. (Dan was Ethel’s eldest daughter, Bernice Archibald’s father-in-law).
(Cathy Jo Archibald Gillice has a copy of this marriage certificate).

     This is the story of Ethel in a nutshell. Many of you remember her, and I would love to hear your stories about her and you. Please share stories with us all, in the comments. I only knew her after 1954. There is so much that I don't know and would love to hear.