I am trying to find my long lost grandfather, Clifford D. or David C. HERDMAN.
He left Clearfield County, Pennsylvania sometime around the first decade of the last
century, probably with his brothers Frank and Ernest, for the State of Washington. I
think that they settled in Tacoma, but it was Pierce County. He married my grandmother
Hazel LEONARD and they had a child, Julia Mary, born in 1916 in Pierce County. By the
1920 census they had split up, and possibly a divorce had occurred. We have no record of
that though.
He registered for the World War I draft in 1917 at the age of 29, giving his address as
410 3rd Street, NE, Puyallup, Pierce Co., Washington St. He owned a cleaners and dyers in
Puyallup at that time.
Here is where we have some trouble. It appears that there were two Herdman families in
Clearfield County, and the census data indicate that each family had a Clifford, around
the same age. We have recovered draft cards for both boys, and the other Clifford was
Clifford B.
Could they be cousins, because the data we have do not discriminate between the two
families.
Apparently, the grandfather we have lost was the son of Jesse and Mary C. HERDMAN. That
does track with the naming of the daughter, named Mary for one mother and Julia for her
grandmother on the mother's side. (But to complicate matters, Julia Mary was also
listed as a HERTMAN.)
Any help filling out this picture would be greatly appreciated.
Oh yes, this grandfather was located in the 1960's living in Redlands, CA. But there
are no death notices in California, nor have I been able to locate social security
information. He was probably employed by the Southern Pacific Rail Road. The census
information that we have early on shows that a David was back in Pennsylvania - but that
is all we have to go on.
Regards,
Jim Carroll