Archibald, Tolman, Collingwood Genealogy: Clifford Earl Tolman

Clifford Earl Tolman
15 Jun 1921
27 Aug 1983

Great Uncle Clifford

My Great-Uncle Clifford was a quiet man. I can close my eyes and picture him wearing overalls and working on a dairy farm. As a child, I always had the feeling he didn't like me, probably because he didn't talk to me. Now as an adult I suspect he was just shy and/or quiet. Or possibly didn't care for noise, active (misbehaving) children. My mother told me that he was very conservative and moral.

Clifford is the son of George Earl Tolman and Pearl May Banta. Here are his parents pictures:

George Tolman

Pearl Banta

George & Pearl with Ethel & Glen

His daughter Virginia is my age, only a month older than I. We didn't see these cousins as often as other cousins but I do remember Donnie and Virginia very well. I think that the last time I actually saw Donnie, Virginia and Aunt Millie was when they came to my parents 50th wedding anniversary in Bend, OR in 2003 (if I a remembering correctly). I hope they all know how thrilled I was to see them again. Here is a picture of cousins Virginia, Rita and this author, taken in 1954. Aren't we cute in our matching dresses?


Virginia Tolman, Rita Montgomery, Cathy Jo Archibald cousins

I never have met Laura and Stan, my uncle's other children but I have become friends with Laura on Facebook and through a few emails/internet contacts. I lived close to Stan (about 1-2 hours away) for a few years in Montana and regret that I never took the time to go visit him. I did talk to him on the phone once for a short time. I also never took the time to go visit Laura when she lived in Portland, OR, only a few hours away. She has now moved across the country to live near her daughter in Indiana.
Here is another picture of us cousins. This time Donnie is with us girls.

Virginia Tolman, Rita Montgomery, Cathy Archibald, Donnie Tolman

I remember Aunt Millie the best. She was my mother's cousin (the daughter of my mother's father's half brother, Uncle Isaac Jones), and was one of my mother's dear friends as well as her cousin (before Millie ever married her uncle). My mother (Bernice Collingwood Archibald) and Aunt Millie are close in age. At this time (Nov 2014) Aunt Millie is still alive and living in Oregon again, near her daughter Virginia. My mother is alive and living in Minnesota with my brother Tom. So they continue to live far apart.

Donnie, Virginia, Uncle Clifford, Aunt Millie

So my mother's cousin (Aunt Millie) on her father's side, married her uncle (Uncle Clifford) on her mother's side. So my mother's cousin became her aunt. Yeah, my family has some really weird connections like that!

Clifford's information:
DOB: 15 Jun 1921    Place:     Lane, Oregon, USA

DOD: 27 Aug 1983 Place: Seattle, King, Washington, USA (Moxee, Yakima, WA, USA)

He married Laura Marjorie Chapman (DOB: 30 Jul 1929) on 24 Apr. 1950 (divorced abt 1952)
He then married Mildred Irene Jones (DOB: 11 Feb. 1932) on 23 Jun 1953.
[Millie is the daughter of Isaac Jones, who is the half brother of my grandfather, William Collingwood. So she is my grandfather's half-niece and she married my grandfather's wife's half brother. She went from being my mom's cousin to becoming her aunt. Interesting!]

Children (with Laura):

1. Clifford Stanley "Stan" Tolman
DOB: 17 Mar 1948 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon
living
He was married (9 Jun 1967 in Oregon) to Kathleen Friedneberg
      (DOB: 8 Apr 1949 in Oregon. DOD: 31 May 1994)

They have two children:
1. Mary Kathleen Tolman born 20 Oct 1974. She has three children.
2. Travis Dale Tolman born 5 Jun 1970. He has two children.

2. Laura George-Jeanne Tolman (she verified her middle name)
DOB: 13 Sep 1952 in Salem, Oregon
living
She married: John D. Roberts (now deceased)
They have one daughter, Karolyn who married Joel Parsons and they have two boys.
Laura is now living in Mitchel, IN near her daughter and family.

Children (with Mildred):

3. Donald Tolman
DOB: 1 Mar 1952 in Junction City, Oregon
living
Donnie married: Terry L. Smith
one child: Jason Earl Tolman born 8 Nov 1974
     Jason married Bobbi Crane, they have two children Kylie (2005) & Jenna (2008)

4. Virginia May Tolman
DOB: 18 Apr 1954 in Yakima, Washington
living
She married Mahre, now divorced. They have three grown daughter with families of their own:
Amy Dawn Mahre (Cory) DOB: 5 Sep 1979
     Brenda Kay Mahre (Geffert) DOB: 10 Apr 1981
   Crystal Mahre (Sandoval) DOB: 4 Oct 1983

Clifford Earl Tolman enlisted in the Army on 11 Jul 1942 (WWII). He was discharged honorably). While in the war he befriended Robert Eugene Montgomery, who later married his younger sister Esther.

Sources:
1940 United States Census
1930 United States Census
Washington Death Index
US Social Security Death Index