The Proeger Family · The people

Generation 3 — Earl's grandparents

27 people, Earl's side. Each name opens a page of their own with the full card, portrait, photographs, documents and the sources it rests on.

Search and browse the people in the record.

Family record · People

Person by person

The record in detail

Deceased ancestors are given in full — this is ordinary published genealogy drawn from records that are already public. Living adults appear by name and relationship, with the year only — Earl's instruction of 3 October 2026: no full date of birth and no home town on any page that search engines index, and a living person's own page is kept out of search engines. Minors appear by name only: no date of birth, no birth year, no age, no school, no place, no address. A minor may be named and may appear in a family photograph; nothing further about them is published. Where it is not established whether someone is an adult or a minor, the minor rule applies — an unknown age is resolved protectively, not conveniently.

← All generations

Generation 3 — Earl's grandparents

27 people
Portrait — Aileane Marie Silva, 1940s
Photograph, 1940s

Aileane Marie Silva

CaliforniaConfirmed

Paternal grandmother · 1918–2001

Born
15 August 1918, Alameda County, California
Died
10 January 2001, National City, San Diego County, California
Parents
Frank T. Silva & Mildred A. Rose
Married
William Harry Proeger
Sources
21
Images
42
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1918
Born 15 August 1918, Alameda County, California; NUMIDENT gives the birthplace as "Mission San" S12S13
Death2001
Died 10 January 2001, National City, San Diego County, California S12S13
Death1960
Confirmed In October 1960 she was living at San Lorenzo, Alameda County: her mother Mildred Springer’s death notice names her only child as “Mrs. Earl T. Roberts of San Lorenzo”, Oakland Tribune, 9 October 1960 (p. 40) S1596. Read from the newspaper page text (OCR), not checked word for word against the page image. Know more? Use “Add to this record”
Death1918
A public-records address index has “Aileane S Roberts”, born 15 August 1918, living at National City and San Diego, California, in 1975, some twenty-six years before her death there Probable confirm or correct → S768. A commercial list, index only, but the birth date matches to the day.
Photograph1937
Photograph, 10 February 1937 Confirmed (family testimony): she and William Harry Proeger on the grass with a cat, three and a half years before their 1940 marriage. Their daughter Patricia (Proeger) Collins named them on 1 October 2026: “My father William Harry Proeger and my Mother Aileane Da Silva”. In Photos below.
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 1 Oct 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed. One more note carried a “new” mark with no date on it; that mark was taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the note was changed. 13 Oct 2026
one note on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; it was added on: 26 Sep 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.
Her own "cousins list", c. 1996. Written by Eileen herself about thirty years ago, for Tasha Proeger, Earl's sister, who later sent it to Earl. Its closing line is addressed to her: "I thought you might like to know how many cousins you have." Each of her four children appears with that child's children and their ages. It is undated, but Bill's 55 and Earl's 29 place it in c. 1996. Ages are hers. Every "b. c." year below is derived from age minus 1996, not taken from a record S205.
  • Nancy — "deceased" at the time of writing. Her children:
    • Sheryl, 40 (b. c.1956, derived): children Bryan, 16 (b. c.1980, derived); Stephanie, 14 (b. c.1982, derived); Amanda, 11 (b. c.1985, derived)
    • Joann, 39 (b. c.1957, derived): children Robert, 22 (b. c.1974, derived); Derek confirmed by Earl Proeger, 22 Sep 2026, 12 (b. c.1984, derived); Rex confirmed by Earl Proeger, 22 Sep 2026, 11 (b. c.1985, derived)
    • Elain (spelled without a final E) confirmed by Earl Proeger, 22 Sep 2026, 35 (b. c.1961, derived): child Tessa confirmed by Earl Proeger, 23 Sep 2026, 11 (b. c.1985, derived)
    • David, 24 (b. c.1972, derived)
  • Patricia, 58 (b. c.1938, derived). Listed under her:
    • Ginger, 40 (b. c.1956, derived): children Edgar, 16 (b. c.1980, derived); India confirmed by Earl Proeger, 23 Sep 2026, 13 (b. c.1983, derived); Carolina, 10 (b. c.1986, derived). After Carolina's name: "(adopted) Same family"
    • Rusty: "deceased", "57yrs". At 57 he cannot be the child of a 58-year-old. He is more likely Patricia's late husband, but the sheet does not say. Patricia married Albert R. Collins in 1967, when he was 48 (born c.1918–19) S1207; Earl confirmed him as his uncle on 2 October 2026 Family testimony. If Rusty is Albert, “57yrs” would be his age at death (c.1975–76), not his age on the list. Nothing yet links the two names.
    • Robbie, 36 (b. c.1960, derived): children John Paul, 4 (b. c.1992, derived); Kelsey, 3 (b. c.1993, derived)
    • Carl, 35 (b. c.1961, derived): children Mindy, 10 (b. c.1986, derived); Albert, 7 (b. c.1989, derived)
    • Teal confirmed by Earl Proeger, 23 Sep 2026, 27 (b. c.1969, derived)
  • Bill, 55: children Earl, 29; Mark-Damon, 24, written as one entry with one age (the twins, b. 1972); Tasha, 21 (b. c.1975, derived); J J, 2 (b. 1994 S24) = John Jacob “Jacob” Proeger, Earl’s half-brother, Bill’s son confirmed by Earl Proeger, 22 Sep 2026
  • Kathie (the list's spelling of Kathy Roberts), 40 (b. c.1956, derived). No children are listed.
Nancy's death, settled 23 September 2026: the sheet calls Nancy deceased by c. 1996, and the record agrees. She died on 9 January 1973 in Wallowa County, Oregon, as Nancy Wortman (Oregon Death Index, certificate 73-01723) S298; the Wallowa County Chieftain reported that she took her own life at Wallowa Lake S343. The 2025 date this page once carried for her was an error. Sheryl on this list matches Sheryl Lynn Parsons, Nancy's daughter and the owner of the Parsons/Prejean Ancestry tree.
Census1930
In 1930 she is living with her paternal grandparents, Frank and Anna Silva, at Washington Judicial Township, Alameda County
the census lists her at age 11 with the relationship "Granddaughter", and gives both her parents' birthplace as California S49. Her father had died in December 1924. She was six.
Record
The NUMIDENT birthplace fragment "Mission San" resolves: Mission San Jose is one of the villages of Washington Township
the Portuguese-Azorean district, now part of Fremont, where the whole Silva family lived S47S50
Earl's own given names are "Robert Earl," and his father's stepfather from the age of five was Earl … Roberts. A striking fit — but it is an inference about naming, not a record. A lead for family interviews, nothing more.

Family

Marriage1940
Married (1) William Harry Proeger, 13 August 1940, Heber City, Wasatch County, Utah Confirmed
Wasatch County marriage record, certificate no. 2915, read from the register image 20 September 2026 S125. He was 25, she was 21; both gave residence as "Rockford, Madison County, Illinois." Married by Alfred Sharp, County Clerk and LDS Elder; witnesses Bert M. Lindsay and Marjorie Duke, neither family. Three children: William Leonard Proeger (b. 1941, Los Angeles) S43, Nancy Aileen Proeger (b. 6 April 1937, Niles, California S275; d. 9 January 1973, Wallowa County, Oregon S298), and Patty Proeger. Nancy predated the marriage; Earl's direct testimony identifies William Harry as her father S24.
Marriage1943
Married (2) Clifford Ray Parliman, 31 May 1943, Los Angeles Confirmed
Los Angeles County marriage record; she is indexed as Aileane S Proeger, using her first married name S51. No children recorded.
Marriage1946
Married (3) Earl Theodore Roberts, 8 February 1946, Los Angeles Confirmed
Los Angeles County marriage record, read 16 September 2026; both parties aged 27; she is indexed under her first married name, Proeger S88. He was a naval officer. One child: Kathy Roberts (living). ⚠ He is no kin to the Anna Blanche Roberts in the generation above — two unrelated Roberts families sit on this tree and share nothing but the surname; do not merge them.
Parents1943
Daughter of Frank T. Silva and Mildred A. Rose. Five records agree, none derived from another: the NUMIDENT parent fields S13; the California Birth Index entry for her own birth, whose mother's-maiden-name field reads Rose S56; the 1943 Parliman marriage record, which assigns Frank Silva the role "Father Of Bride" and Mildard [Mildred] A Rose the role of mother S51; the 1946 Roberts marriage record, which names both again
"Lank" [Frank] Silva and Mildred Ross S88; and her grandfather's November 1946 obituary, which calls her his granddaughter S67
Marriage1943
Roberts was her third husband, not her second
the 1943 Parliman marriage S51 came between Proeger and Roberts. The Los Angeles County marriage record, read 16 September 2026, gives both parties aged 27 and names his parents Leon H Roberts and Bessie H Henderson S88. He was a naval officer — the 1958 photograph aboard USS Wexford County shows the officer's cap. ⚠ He is no kin to the Anna Blanche Roberts in the generation above — she was born a Roberts at Bellaire, Ohio in 1892 S17, he to Leon H Roberts and Bessie H Henderson in Massachusetts about 1918 S88. Two unrelated Roberts families sit on this tree and share nothing but the surname; do not merge them.
Names1946
Recorded variously as Aileane Roberts, Aileane Silva Proeger, Aileen Marie Proeger and Aileane Silva Parliman S13; her grandfather's November 1946 obituary names her as "Aileen Roberts of Philadelphia" S67
the only record so far of where the Roberts household was that year, nine months after the Los Angeles wedding.

Full record

Robert William Coffman

TexasConfirmed

Maternal grandfather · 1906–1990

Born
6 November 1906, Dudley, Callahan County, Texas
Died
17 February 1990, Harris County, Texas
Children
Nancy Martin Coffman Proeger
Sources
8
Images
86
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1906
Born 6 November 1906, Dudley, Callahan County, Texas S15
Death1990
Died 17 February 1990, Harris County, Texas; buried Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, Houston, Section 27 Lakeview Gardens S15
Schooling1927
A student at Abilene Christian College in The 1927 Prickly Pear, “Robert Coffman, Potosi”, with his portrait S384.
Record2026
History of this card. 13 Oct 2026
one note on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; it was added on: 24 Sep 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.
Burial
Grave marker: 1st Lt, US Army Air Corps, World War II S15
Census1950
1950 US Census: head of household 184, Pasadena, Harris County, ED 101-78, sheet 16, enumerated 5 April 1950; age 43, born Texas, occupation superintendent, school district S10
a census occupation field records a line of work, not a job title
Work1943
The posts themselves, from the Texas press: teacher at Pasadena and Genoa to March 1943 → ward school principal → Army Air Forces personnel officer, Brooks Field → assistant superintendent, elected August 1945 → still assistant superintendent, July 1951 → business manager, 1955–56 → deputy superintendent, August 1961, one of two candidates for acting superintendent → investments, Pasadena, by 1967 S78. No source found places him in the top job, and the 1961 article is the closest he is recorded as getting S78

Family

Marriage1939
Married Louise Martin Timberman on 8 June 1939, Sumner County, Tennessee; they were married fifty years, to his death S28S26
Children
Parents1972
Named as a surviving son in his mother's 1972 obituary S16
the document that welds this generation to the one above it.
Siblings1905
One of six children. His elder brother was Dr. James Burton Coffman (1905–2006), the Church of Christ Bible commentator, who performed his wedding in 1939 S28S16. The others were David Emily (1909–2005), Jesse Jerome (1912–1992) and Horace Glen (1915–2006), with an infant sister Obera (1902–1904) and sisters Lydia Frances Nesmith and Ila Belle Windham S16S30

Full record

Louise Martin Timberman

New JerseyConfirmed

Maternal grandmother · 1917–2008

Born
10 April 1917, East Orange / Orange, Essex County, New Jersey
Died
20 January 2008, Deltona, Volusia County, Florida
Parents
James Harris Timberman Jr. & Nancy Louise Martin
Sources
11
Images
9
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1917
Born 10 April 1917, East Orange / Orange, Essex County, New Jersey
read off the printed Index of Births in New Jersey, 1915–19, Orange: "Timberman, Louise M. — Apr. 10, 1917 — Vol. 59, p. 95" S25. A printed index, not a transcription, and the date is exact.
Schooling1934
Already at Ward-Belmont School in 1934–35, in the F. F. Club in the 1935 Milestones S395.
Photograph1935
She is also in the French Club photograph in the same 1935 Milestones, bottom row, eleventh from left S490.
Record2026
History of this card. 13 Oct 2026
2 notes on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; they were added on: 24 Sep 2026 (1 note), 25 Sep 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.
Death2008
Died 20 January 2008, Deltona, Volusia County, Florida S26S30
Death1967
Confirmed Named in print as her mother’s daughter: Nancy Martin Timberman’s 1967 obituary says she moved to Pasadena in 1957 “to make her home with her daughter, Mrs. Louise Coffman” S1598
Census1919
Raised in Gallatin, Tennessee from the age of two
her father died in January 1919, when she was 21 months old, and by 1930 her mother is enumerated as widowed S26S27
Death
Interment at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, Houston, is stated in her obituary Probable
but no FindAGrave memorial exists for her Not found. All sixteen Coffman memorials at that cemetery were checked, under both surnames. Her husband is there; she is not. The grave exists; the memorial has simply never been created S26S15
Why this is certainly the right woman. Her 2008 obituary names her surviving children as "Ginger Clayton, Nancy Proeger, David Coffman and James Coffman" — an exact match for the 1950 census household, plus David, who was born after it. It names her late husband as Robert W. Coffman, married fifty years S26S10.
⚠️ One disagreement, recorded rather than hidden. Zoomed to 5× on three separate passes, the bride's surname in the 1939 Sumner County marriage bond reads "Tuckerman" to this researcher — a ck where FamilySearch's indexers read an mb and transcribed "Timberman" S28. Timberman still stands, because it does not rest on that handwriting at all: the printed New Jersey birth index, the family-supplied obituary, the 1930 census and the 1915 marriage record in a different clerk's hand all read Timberman S25S26S27S29. Four sources, three of them not handwriting-dependent, against one 1939 clerk's cursive.
⚠️ A second conflict, also unresolved: the 1930 census gives her birthplace as Tennessee, not New Jersey, as it does for everyone in that household S27. Her mother had been back in Gallatin for a decade by then and the enumerator most likely wrote the family's state. The 1950 census, the New Jersey birth index and the obituary all say New Jersey — three to one.

Family

Parents2026
Maiden name: TIMBERMAN. Full maiden name Louise Martin Timberman. This was the last blank on the maternal side and it closed on 13 September 2026 S25S26S28
Marriage1939
Married Robert William Coffman on 8 June 1939, Sumner County, Tennessee
bond dated the 6th, solemnised on the 8th by the groom's own older brother, James Burton Coffman, M.G. S28
Parents1886
Parents: James Harris Timberman Jr. (1886–1919) and Nancy Louise Martin (1878–1967), married at Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee on 17 June 1915 S29S27
Children
M.A. Library Science, Peabody College; librarian at Milby High School, Houston, then North Shore Junior High; member, Daughters of the American Revolution S26

Full record

William Harry Proeger

PennsylvaniaConfirmed

Paternal grandfather · 1911–1982

Born
26 June 1911, Pennsylvania
Died
7 July 1982, Marin County, California
Married
Dorothy Susan Reid
Children
Nancy Aileen Proeger, Patty Proeger
Sources
7
Images
7
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1911
Born 26 June 1911, Pennsylvania
Social Security NUMIDENT, California-issued SSN S13. The day, the month and Pa. are corroborated in his own presence on the 1932 Ohio licence application S144. ⚠️ The year digit on that line is smeared and is not legible — the abt 1911 in Ancestry's index is derived from the age column, not read off the page.
Death1982
Died 7 July 1982, Marin County, California S13S12
Residence1932
Living at 4823 Summit Street, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio in February–March 1932, occupation machinist S144
the first paper behind the family's memory of Ohio. Earl's own account has his grandfather travelling back to California from Ohio around the 1940 Utah wedding; until this pull, Ohio had nothing but the telling behind it.
Record1946
Listed in the 1946 Los Angeles County voter index at 1839½ Lake Shore Avenue, party “Declines to State” Probable confirm or correct → S351
Military1940
Registered for the draft 16 October 1940 at North Hollywood, Los Angeles County S12
which places him in the county in exactly the window a child born there in early 1941 would have been carried and delivered.
Photograph1937
Photograph, 10 February 1937 Confirmed (family testimony): he and Aileane Da Silva on the grass with a cat, three and a half years before their 1940 marriage. Their daughter Patricia (Proeger) Collins named them on 1 October 2026: “My father William Harry Proeger and my Mother Aileane Da Silva”. In Photos below.
Schooling1927
Possible, not confirmed: He may be in the orchestra photograph of the 1927 Union High School yearbook, Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania (p. 170; Ancestry records 988851428 and 1456659542), but no names are printed on the page, so the photo is not shown here. What would settle it: the facing name key, pp. 169 or 171, listing a “Harry Praeger”.
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 1 Oct 2026 (1 note), 2 Oct 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed.

Family

Parents1876
Son of William Leonard Proeger (1876–1955) and Anna Blanche Roberts S12S14
and now in a document he swore to himself: the 1932 Ohio licence application gives his father as Wm. L. Proeger and his mother's maiden name as Anna B. Roberts S144.
Parents1955
Named as a son, “William H.”, in his father's 1955 death notice S1176.
Marriage1932
Married (1) Dorothy Susan Reid, 4 March 1932, Lucas County, Ohio
the county ledger, licence no. 97864, read at full resolution S144S12. Both are recorded not previously married, so this was his first and Aileane was his second. She was Dorothy Susan Reid, born in Indiana, daughter of Charles Reid and Bessie Craighead; she had turned 18 two days before the wedding S366 and her mother signed the consent line a week earlier. He gave his occupation as machinist and his address as 4823 Summit Street, Toledo — the same address the bride gave.
Marriage1940
Married (2) Aileane Marie Silva, 13 August 1940, Heber City, Wasatch County, Utah S12
Children
Children
Father of Patty Proeger

Open questions

Open question
⚠️ What became of Dorothy Susan Reid is not known. Between 4 March 1932 and the August 1940 Utah wedding there was a divorce or a death, and no record here says which. Nothing has been looked for yet S144.

Full record

The Coffman household, Pasadena, 5 April 1950

Confirmed

1950 US Census · Harris County, ED 101-78, sheet 16, household 184

  • Robert W. Coffman, head, 43, born Texas — superintendent, school district
  • Louise T. Coffman, wife, 33, born New Jersey — the "T." is Timberman, established 13 September 2026 S25
More · 4 further facts
  • Virginia L., daughter — the "Ginger" of the family obituary, Nancy's older sister. Living; details withheld S1
  • Nancy M., daughter, age 7 — Earl's mother
  • James R., son — Nancy's younger brother. Living; details withheld
  • David — born after the census and therefore absent from it. Living, in Florida; details withheld. Not found in records
The obituary's sibling list — older sister Ginger, younger brothers James and David — matches the census household exactly. That cross-check is what makes this whole line safe S1S10. The same four children are named again in Louise's own 2008 obituary, fifty-eight years later, which is how her identity was pinned beyond argument S26.

Three generations of the name Martin

Confirmed

A naming puzzle this page listed as unanswered — now closed

  • Nancy Louise MARTIN (b. 1878, Gallatin, Tennessee) — the maiden surname, and the given name, of the whole chain S29
  • her daughter Louise MARTIN Timberman (1917–2008) — her mother's maiden name carried as a middle name S26S28
More · 1 further fact
  • her daughter Nancy MARTIN Coffman (1943–2025) — Earl's mother, carrying her grandmother's given name and that same maiden surname S1
What proved it was one census line. The 1930 census for Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee puts four people in one household: Timberman, Nancy, 52, widowed, head, high-school teacher; Timberman, Louise M., 13, daughter; Martin, Emma, 59, sister, public-school teacher; and a boarder, Chenault, Ermin, 28, a saleslady S27. A widow's unmarried sister living under her roof, still using the family surname, proves the widow's maiden name from a record rather than from a tree — and the Chenault boarder independently corroborates the generation above.
The earlier version of this page had it backwards. It reasoned that if Louise's maiden name turned out to be Timberman, then "Martin" could not be her mother's maiden name, and where Martin came from became a new open question. Both halves were right except the conclusion: Martin is the mother's maiden name — one generation further back than anyone was looking. The surname's origin is Confirmed; the intent behind the naming is inference, and is not claimed here.

Generation 3 — relatives in this generation

Clifford Ray Parliman

Confirmed

Grandmother's 2nd husband · born 1920

Born
14 November 1920
Married
Aileane Marie Silva
Sources
6
Images
3
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1920
Born 14 November 1920 at Erie, Pennsylvania, by his own 1942 draft card, read from the image, which he signed “C. R. Parliman Jr.” S1618; his death is not found
Census1950
In April 1950 he was a real estate dealer in his own business at 4719 LaBranch, Houston, with his wife Ruth E. (named only, as she may be living) and Ruth E. Black, 53, a widowed saleswoman, whom the census page enters as a lodger, not as his mother S1453; the 1951 Houston directory lists him at the same address as a citrus developer S1454

Family

Marriage1943
Married Aileane Marie Silva on 31 May 1943, Los Angeles
her second of three marriages S51; the county’s own index of marriages, read from the image, calls him Clifford R. Parliman Jr S1619
Children
No children recorded S51
Parents2026
History of this card. 13 Oct 2026
the note on his parents said the label was changed on 8 Oct 2026. The date was taken out of the standing text and stands here only; no fact or grade was changed.

Open questions

Probable
Probable (strong) confirm or correct → His parents were Clifford Ray Parliman, an engineer born in Virginia, and Ruth E. Black, born at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he was born at Erie, Pennsylvania: so says, read from the image, a later civil marriage record in Chihuahua, Mexico, in which Clifford Ray Parliman Jr., 24, an engineer, married Blanca Eloisa Trejo (named only, as she may be living) S1544. Inconsistency: that record enters him as single, yet he had married Aileane Marie Silva in Los Angeles on 31 May 1943 S51. Best guess: the 1943 marriage had ended by divorce or annulment and he gave “single” (or the clerk wrote it), not that this is another man: his name with “Jr.”, his age and his Erie birth match his draft card S1618, which also names Mrs. Ruth E. Black at his own address without saying who she was to him. Second inconsistency: the index of the 1943 marriage names his mother as Ruth E Lenord, not Black S51; she is probably one woman under two surnames, but no record read says so. What would settle it: the 1943 Los Angeles licence image, a Los Angeles divorce or annulment record for Parliman and Silva, and a marriage record for Ruth to a Mr Black. Marked Probable, not Confirmed, because both conflicts are open; entered as a best guess under the family’s rule that conflicts are recorded and marked, not held back.

Full record

James Burton Coffman, formal portrait, late life
Photograph, c. 1980s–1990s

James Burton Coffman

TexasConfirmed

Maternal great-uncle · 1905–2006 · "Dr." by three honorary doctorates

Born
24 May 1905, Taylor County, Texas
Died
30 June 2006, Houston, Harris County, Texas
Parents
James David "Jim" Coffman & Lydia Mae Bowles
Married
Thelma "Sissy" Bradford
Sources
26
Images
25
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1905
Born 24 May 1905, Taylor County, Texas S109S110S111
the family tree says Potosi Probable confirm or correct →; the obituaries say only the county
Death2006
Died 30 June 2006, Houston, Harris County, Texas, aged 101; buried beside his first wife in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, Houston, section Lakeview Gardens 27
Find a Grave memorial 14852608 S109S110
Schooling1920
A sophomore at Abilene High School in 1920–21, on The Sophomore Class roll of The Flashlight as “Coffman, Burton” S383.
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 1 Oct 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed. 13 Oct 2026
2 notes on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; they were added on: 24 Sep 2026 (1 note), 25 Sep 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.
Census1910
1910 census: "James B", aged 4, in his father's household, Justice Precinct 3, Taylor County, with "Robt W", 3 S118. 1930: "Burton Coffman", 24, a roomer at Abilene with three of his brothers S119. 1940: head of household, Houston, occupation "Minister, Church", wife Thelma S120. 1950: Houston, "Pastor, Church" S121
Birth1923
Baptised in 1923 during the Abilene Christian College lectureship; Abilene High School; B.A., Abilene Christian College, 1927, history and music S111S112S113
Schooling
Rural school principal in Callahan County for two years, then history and English teacher at Abilene High School S111S112
Work1930
Ministry, 1930 onward: associate minister and song leader, Wichita Falls, 1930 → Lawton, Oklahoma → Sherman, Texas → Central Church of Christ, Houston, 1938–1951 (raised the money for its building at 4100 Montrose Boulevard) → Sixteenth Street Church, Washington, D.C., with ninety days as a guest chaplain to the armed forces in Japan and Korea → one year as vice-president of Harding College, Searcy, Arkansas → Manhattan Church of Christ, 1954–1971 → retired to Houston, 1971 S110S111S112S115
Schooling
The "Dr." is three honorary doctorates
Abilene Christian, Pepperdine University and Magic Valley Christian College (Albion, Idaho). No earned doctorate; the years are not established S110S111S112
Death1971
ACU Outstanding Alumnus (ACU says 1971, the obituary 1972); ACU Christian Service Award, 1987, with Thelma; the Burton Coffman Chair of Biblical Research at ACU is named for him S111S110
Work1992
The Commentaries: a verse-by-verse commentary on every book of the Bible, 37 volumes, written from his retirement into 1992, published by Abilene Christian University Press and hosted online by StudyLight.org. His unpublished memoirs (five parts, 1990) are ACU Center for Restoration Studies MS #44 S111S112S113S114
Death
Survived by three daughters
Cynthia Shry, Mary Glenn Kochendefer and Nancy Willis — eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren S111

Why he matters to this record

Three documents tie him to Earl's line, and none of them is a family story. The 1939 marriage return from Gallatin names the officiant as "James Burton Coffman, M.G." — the man who married Earl's grandparents was the groom's brother S28. The 1972 obituaries of both parents list "James" and "Robert" side by side among the sons S16. And the Dee Coffman family photograph, circa 1924, has both brothers standing in the back row, named by their niece Ginger Probable S108. The 1910 census page adds the earliest witness of all: two small boys, 4 and 3, in the same house S118.

James Burton Coffman was born on 24 May 1905 in Taylor County, Texas, the second child and eldest surviving son of James David Coffman and Lydia Mae Bowles, "so far out in the country," he liked to say, "it took two days to go to town and back." He was baptised in 1923 during the Abilene Christian College lectureship, finished Abilene High School, and took his B.A. in history and music from Abilene Christian College in 1927. After two years as a rural school principal in Callahan County and a spell teaching history and English at Abilene High School, the Wichita Falls church offered him a post in 1930 as associate minister and song leader, and preaching became his life S111S112.

He served congregations in Wichita Falls, Lawton and Sherman before moving to Houston in 1938, where as minister of the Central Church of Christ until 1951 he raised the money for its building at 4100 Montrose Boulevard. From Houston he went to the Sixteenth Street Church in Washington, D.C., spent ninety days as a guest chaplain to the armed forces in Japan and Korea, and served a year as vice-president of Harding College before turning down tenure for the pulpit S110S111. In 1954 he became minister of the Manhattan Church of Christ in New York City. Within a year he had appointed elders and launched a building fund he preached for across the country; on 30 June 1968 the new building at East 80th Street and Madison Avenue was dedicated. "A hundred years is long enough," he said of the converted residences and lodge halls the city's Churches of Christ had worshipped in. He retired in 1971 and went home to Houston S115S111.

Retirement produced the work by which he is known: beginning at sixty-five he wrote a verse-by-verse commentary on every book of the Bible, thirty-seven volumes from Abilene Christian University Press, finished when he was eighty-seven. Abilene Christian named him Outstanding Alumnus, endowed the Burton Coffman Chair of Biblical Research, and gave him an honorary doctorate, as did Pepperdine and Magic Valley Christian College. Thelma died in 1995; he later married June Bristow. Two days before his hundredth birthday he preached, standing, at the West University church in Houston. James Burton Coffman died on 30 June 2006, aged 101, and is buried beside Thelma at Forest Park Lawndale S110S111S114S109.

Family

Siblings1914
His sister Lydia Frances married Hayden Ralph Nesmith, born 15 April 1914 in Taylor County S488. He was a Santa Fe Railway agent, an author and poet, and a Second World War veteran, and died at Lubbock on 18 October 1980; he is buried in Resthaven Memorial Park S487.
Siblings1929
His brother David followed him to Abilene Christian College: “David Coffman, Abilene” is among the sophomores in the 1929 Prickly Pear Confirmed S1143 and on that year’s roster of the A.C.C. Glee Club, under Miss Myrtle Dunn S1144. The yearbook gives no middle name.
Parents1881
Son of James David "Jim" Coffman (1881–1972) and Lydia Mae Bowles (1883–1972); grandson of David Emily "Dee" Coffman. Named first among the surviving sons in his mother's 1972 obituary, and linked to both parents on his memorial S16S109
Siblings1902
Elder brother of Robert William Coffman, Earl's grandfather. The other siblings: Obera (1902–1904), David Emily (1909–2005), Jesse Jerome (1912–1992), Horace Glen (1915–2006), Lydia Frances Nesmith (1916–1993) and Ila Belle Windham (1922–2011) S16S109
Marriage1906
Married Thelma "Sissy" Bradford of Arlington (31 December 1906 – 30 November 1995), in 1931 Probable
the year is inferred from "wife of 64 plus years"; her dates are on the shared headstone S110S111S116
Marriage1922
Married secondly June Annette Easley Bristow (1922–2010), widow of John Wiley Bristow, after 1995; she survived him. The date of that marriage is not established S110S111S117
Marriage1939
Solemnised his brother Robert's wedding to Louise Martin Timberman at Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee, on 8 June 1939, signing the return "James Burton Coffman, M.G." S28

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In the 1930 Prickly Pear his brother David Coffman is on the roster of the James A. Garfield Scholarship Society, which took the top ten percent of the junior and senior classes. Weak: the page gives the name only. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1450
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → His brother Jesse Coffman (Jesse Jerome, 1912–1992) probably appears with a portrait in the 1927 Abilene High School yearbook. Weak: name only. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1509
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → His sister Frances (Lydia Frances, 1916–1993) was probably the F. Coffman in the freshman class of Abilene High School in 1930–31. Weak: an initial only. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1505
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → His brother Horace (Horace Glen, 1915–2006) was probably the H. Coffman in the Future Farmers of America chapter of Abilene High School in 1931–32. Weak: an initial only. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1521
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In 1942 Horace Glenn Coffman, a supervisor, was registered to vote as a Democrat at 1121 W. 79th Street, Los Angeles, an address shared by fifteen students and other staff; the family spells the name Glenn. Weak: no age or birthplace on the page. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1522
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → His brother David Coffman, Abilene is probably the student of that name among the class portraits of the 1930 Prickly Pear (p. 48; Ancestry record 200394645), the year after his 1929 sophomore portrait. Weak: name and town only, and the 1930 face does not obviously match the 1929 portrait, so the photograph is not shown here. What would settle it: a side-by-side comparison of the two portraits by family, or a caption with his middle name. Entered as a best guess under the family’s 6 October 2026 rule: conflicts are recorded, marked, not held back. Know more? Use “Add to this record”
Not found
Manhattan, stated exactly. He did not found the congregation: it began in 1920 and had met since 1941 in a brownstone at 48 East 80th Street. He became its minister in 1954, appointed elders in May 1955 (it had had none since 1935), launched the building fund the same year, saw the mortgage burned in October 1960, and the new building at East 80th and Madison
the first purpose-built Church of Christ in New York County — was first used 19 May 1968 and dedicated 30 June 1968 S115S111

Full record

Lucille Odelle Chrane

Probable

Daughter of Lucy C. Coffman Chrane · 1906–1998

Born
in Texas
Died
on 6 October 1998
Parents
George Albert Chrane & Lucy C. Coffman Chrane
Sources
4

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a daughter of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. The evidence is strong: the index of the Texas death records gives her mother as Lucy C. Coffman, and the indexes of the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list her as a daughter in the Chrane household S1726S1717S1723. It stays Probable because every record is an index: no image has been read.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The index of the Texas death records gives Lucille Odelle, born 17 November 1906, died 6 October 1998 in Taylor County, with her mother named as Lucy C. Coffman; the indexes of the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list her as a daughter in the household of George A. Chrane (S1726, S1717, S1723). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Every record is an index and no image has been read; her father is named by the census households only; no birth record, death certificate or obituary has been read. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Burial1998
Lucille Odelle Chrane died on 6 October 1998 in Taylor County, Texas, aged 91. She was born in Texas on 17 November 1906. Both days come from the index of the Texas death records; the Find a Grave index places her grave at Dudley, Callahan County S1726.
Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree, from the death, grave and census indexes (S1726, S1717, S1723). 12 Oct 2026 — her brother Troy Litton linked when his card was written, and her home in May 1977 added, as Probable, from his obituary (S1734, S1735).

Family

Parents
Daughter of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. Her sister and brothers Carey Oletta Chrane, Leo George Chrane and Troy Litton Chrane have cards. She married; her husbands and any children are not named here.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In May 1977 she was living at Austin, Texas, where the obituary lists her as Odelle Cody, by the obituary of her brother Troy Litton Chrane, read as machine text S1735. What is weak: the obituary is the only record of it, and its page image has not been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: every record here is an index, and no image has been read; her father is named by the census households only, not by a record of her own; her birthplace, Texas, comes from the census index; no birth record, death certificate or obituary has been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Carey Oletta Chrane

Probable

Daughter of Lucy C. Coffman Chrane · 1908–1988

Parents
George Albert Chrane & Lucy C. Coffman Chrane
Sources
4

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a daughter of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. The evidence is strong: the indexes of the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list her as a daughter in the Chrane household, in 1910 as “Cassie O.” S1726S1717S1723. It stays Probable because every record is an index, no image has been read, and no record of her own names her parents: the link rests on the three households.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The indexes of the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list her as a daughter in the household of George A. and Lucy C. Chrane, in 1910 as Cassie O.; the Find a Grave index gives her birth on 8 November 1908 and her death on 15 June 1988 (S1726, S1717, S1723). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Every record is an index and no image has been read; no record of her own names her parents; both dates rest on one grave index, and no place of death is known. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree, from the grave and census indexes (S1726, S1717, S1723). 12 Oct 2026 — her brother Troy Litton linked when his card was written, and her home in May 1977 added, as Probable, from his obituary (S1734, S1735).

Family

Parents
Daughter of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. Her sister and brothers Lucille Odelle Chrane, Leo George Chrane and Troy Litton Chrane have cards. She married; her husband and any children are not named here.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Carey Oletta Chrane died on 15 June 1988. She was born in Texas on 8 November 1908. Both days come from the Find a Grave index alone S1726. What is weak or missing: no death record has been read, and no place of death is known; the index places her grave in Mendocino County, in the state of California. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In May 1977 she was living at Potter Valley, California, where the obituary lists her as Oletta Windham, by the obituary of her brother Troy Litton Chrane, read as machine text S1735. What is weak: the obituary is the only record of it, and its page image has not been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: every record here is an index, and no image has been read; no record of her own names her parents; the 1910 index spells her name “Cassie O.”; both of her dates rest on one grave index. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Leo George Chrane

Probable

Son of Lucy C. Coffman Chrane · 1911–1994

Born
at Dudley, Callahan County, Texas
Parents
George Albert Chrane & Lucy C. Coffman Chrane
Sources
5

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a son of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. The evidence is strong: the indexes of the 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list him as a son in the Chrane household S1717S1723, and the index of his Second World War draft registration gives his birth at Dudley, in the same county S1726. It stays Probable because every record is an index, no image has been read, and no record of his own names his parents: the link rests on the two households and the name.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The indexes of the 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list him as a son in the household of George A. Chrane; the index of his Second World War draft registration gives his birth on 20 November 1911 at Dudley, Callahan County, and the Texas Death Index his death on 21 October 1994 in Taylor County (S1726, S1717, S1723). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Every record is an index and no image has been read; no record of his own names his parents; a family history printed in 1940 gives 17 November for his birth. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death1994
Leo George Chrane died on 21 October 1994 in Taylor County, Texas, aged 82. He was born at Dudley, Callahan County, Texas, on 20 November 1911. The day of birth comes from the index of his draft registration and the day of death from the Texas Death Index; the Find a Grave index also lists him S1726.
Military1940
A family history printed in 1940 gives his birthday as 17 November; the draft registration index, a record made in his own lifetime, gives 20 November, and that day is followed here S1222.
Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when he was added to the family tree, from the draft, death, grave and census indexes (S1726, S1717, S1723). 12 Oct 2026 — his brother Troy Litton linked when his card was written, and his home in May 1977 added, as Probable, from his obituary (S1734, S1735).

Family

Parents
Son of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. His sisters Lucille Odelle Chrane and Carey Oletta Chrane and his brother Troy Litton Chrane have cards. He married; his wife and any children are not named here.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In May 1977 he was living at Dudley, Callahan County, by the obituary of his brother Troy Litton Chrane, read as machine text S1735. What is weak: the obituary is the only record of it, and its page image has not been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: every record here is an index, and no image has been read; no record of his own names his parents; two days are given for his birth. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Troy Litton Chrane

Probable

Son of Lucy C. Coffman Chrane · 1916–1977

Born
at Dudley, Callahan County, Texas
Died
on 18 May 1977
Parents
George Albert Chrane & Lucy C. Coffman Chrane
Sources
3

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a son of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. The evidence is strong: the indexes of the 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list him as a son in the Chrane household S1734; the index of his Second World War draft registration gives his birth at Dudley, in the same county S1734; and his 1977 obituary, read as machine text, names a brother Leo and sisters Odelle and Oletta, who have cards as children of the same couple S1735. It stays Probable because every record is an index or the machine-read text of a newspaper, no image has been read, and no record names his parents: the link rests on the two households and on the brother and sisters in the obituary.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The indexes of the 1920 and 1930 censuses of Callahan County list him as a son in the household of George A. Chrane; the index of his Second World War draft registration gives his birth on 14 January 1916 at Dudley, Callahan County, and the Find a Grave index his death on 18 May 1977 (S1734); his 1977 obituary, read as machine text, gives the same birth and names a brother Leo and sisters Odelle and Oletta (S1735). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Every record is an index or the machine-read text of a newspaper, and no image has been read; no record names his parents; his burial is the Tecumseh Cemetery in the obituary and Denton in the grave index; a family history printed in 1940 gives 15 January for his birth. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Military1977
Troy Litton Chrane died on 18 May 1977, aged 61. He was born at Dudley, Callahan County, Texas, on 14 January 1916. The day of birth is in the index of his draft registration, in the Social Security Death Index and in the obituary; the day of death is in the Find a Grave index, and the obituary, printed on Friday 20 May, says that he died at 10:45 p.m. on the Wednesday S1734S1735. No place of death is printed: the obituary calls him “of the Dudley Community”, and the Social Security index gives Taylor County as his last residence.
Military1940
A family history printed in 1940 gives his birthday as 15 January; the draft registration index, the Social Security index and the obituary all give 14 January, and that day is followed here S1222.
Burial
His burial has two readings, and neither is chosen here. The obituary says that burial would be in the Tecumseh Cemetery; the Find a Grave index puts his grave at Denton, Callahan County S1735S1734. The two may be one place under two names; that has not been checked, and no cemetery record has been read.
Death1936
By the obituary he lived at Dudley all his life, was a farmer and rancher, and belonged to the Highway 36 Church of Christ. He married on 26 April 1936 at Potosi, Taylor County Probable confirm or correct → S1735. What is weak: the date and place are in the machine-read obituary alone, and no marriage record has been read. His wife is not named here.
Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when he was added to the family tree, from the draft, Social Security, grave and census indexes (S1734) and the machine-read text of his 1977 obituary (S1735).

Family

Parents
Son of George Albert Chrane and Lucy C. Coffman Chrane. His sisters and brother Lucille Odelle Chrane, Carey Oletta Chrane and Leo George Chrane have cards. His wife, his children and his other brothers and sisters are not named here.

Open questions

Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: every record here is an index or the machine-read text of a newspaper, and no image has been read; no record names his parents; two days are given for his birth and two places for his grave; the obituary prints no place of death. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Eva Mae Coffman Manly

Probable

Daughter of Dee Carl Coffman · 1920–2013

Born
at Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Parents
Dee Carl Coffman & Minnie Mae Schultz Coffman
Married
Dennis Price Manly
Sources
3

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a daughter of Dee Carl Coffman and Minnie Mae Schultz Coffman. The evidence is strong: the index of her Texas birth certificate names both parents and gives her birth at Abilene on 17 September 1920 S1738; the census pages of 1930 and 1940, read from the images, show two daughters with Minnie Mae at 426 Elm, Abilene, though their names were not copied from the pages S1220S1221. It stays Probable because the certificate itself has not been read, only its index, and her name has not been read on any image.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The index of her Texas birth certificate names her parents as Dee Carl Coffman and Minnie Mae Schultz and gives her birth at Abilene on 17 September 1920; the Social Security Death Index and the Find a Grave index give her death on 19 May 2013 (S1738); the census pages of 1930 and 1940, read from the images, show two daughters with Minnie Mae at 426 Elm (S1220, S1221). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: The certificate itself has not been read, only its index, and her name has not been read on any image; no place of death is known; the marriage index shows no date. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death2013
Eva Mae Coffman Manly died on 19 May 2013. She was born at Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, on 17 September 1920. The birth is in the index of her birth certificate, and the death in the Social Security Death Index and the Find a Grave index S1738. No place of death is given in any index read.
Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree, from the birth certificate, Social Security, grave, marriage and census indexes (S1738). 12 Oct 2026 — her husband linked to a card of his own, graded Probable; until then the card said he had none.

Family

Marriage1917
She married Dennis Price Manly (1917–1996). A Texas marriage index names the couple and shows no date, and the index of the 1950 census lists them together S1738. The marriage is graded Probable. Her children are not named here.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Daughter of Dee Carl Coffman (1898–1938) and Minnie Mae Schultz Coffman (1900–1975). Granddaughter of Pauline Augusta Betcher Schultz, in whose house at 426 Elm the family lived. Her sister Dorothy Dee Coffman is named only, because she may be living.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: every record of her own is an index, and no image naming her has been read; no place of death is known; the marriage index shows no date. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Jessie Loveta Coffman Riley

Probable

Daughter of Jesse Lee Coffman · 1931–1989

Born
on 6 November 1931
Parents
Jesse Lee Coffman & Mattie Jane Moody Coffman
Sources
4

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a daughter of Jesse Lee Coffman and Mattie Jane Moody Coffman. The evidence is strong: the index of her Social Security claim names both parents and gives her birth at Eula, Callahan County, on 6 November 1931 S1739; and the Texas birth certificate of a daughter of this couple, filed on 1 January 1932 and read from the image, fits that birth S1368. It stays Probable because the certificate leaves the child’s name and date of birth blank, so her name and her dates rest on indexes alone.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The index of her Social Security claim names her parents as Jesse Lee Coffman and Mattie Jane Moody and gives her birth at Eula, Callahan County, on 6 November 1931; the Texas Death Index gives her death on 14 April 1989 in Howard County (S1739); the Texas birth certificate of a daughter of this couple, filed on 1 January 1932 and read from the image, fits that birth (S1368). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: The birth certificate leaves the child's name and date of birth blank, so her name and her dates rest on indexes alone; the claim gives Eula for her birth and the certificate gives Clyde. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death1989
Jessie Loveta Coffman Riley died on 14 April 1989 in Howard County, Texas. She was born on 6 November 1931. The death is in the Texas Death Index and the birth in the index of her Social Security claim S1739.
Birth
Her birthplace has two readings. The index of her Social Security claim gives Eula, Callahan County, and that is followed here; the birth certificate read from the image gives Clyde, Route 2, Callahan County S1739S1368. Both are kept.
Burial2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree, from the Social Security, death, grave and marriage indexes (S1739) and the 1932 birth certificate image (S1368). Until then she was left unnamed on this record as possibly living; the index of her death in 1989 ended that.

Family

Parents1940
She is probably the daughter, 8, in her father’s household in Taylor County in 1940, and the daughter with her parents in Abilene in 1950 S1369S1534; her name was not copied from either page. A Texas marriage index names her with a husband named Riley and shows no date S1739; he is not named further here, and her children are not named.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Daughter of Jesse Lee Coffman (1891–1967) and Mattie Jane Moody Coffman (1906–1987). Her brother is not named here.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: the birth certificate names no child and gives no date; her name, both her dates and the place of her death are in indexes alone; two places are given for her birth. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Dennis Price Manly

Probable

Husband of Eva Mae Coffman Manly · 1917–1996

Born
at Lueders, Jones County, Texas
Sources
1

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as the husband of Eva Mae Coffman Manly. The evidence is strong: a Texas county marriage index names the couple, and the index of the 1950 census lists them together S1738. It stays Probable because the marriage index shows no date, and every record read is an index: no image has been read.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: A Texas county marriage index names him and Eva Mae Coffman, and the index of the 1950 census lists them together; the index of his Social Security claim gives his birth on 25 January 1917 at Lueders, Jones County, Texas, and the index of his draft card the same date; the Find a Grave index gives his death on 27 September 1996 (S1738). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: The marriage index shows no date; the Find a Grave index gives 1916 for his birth; no place of death is known; every record is an index, and no image has been read. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death1996
Dennis Price Manly died on 27 September 1996. He was born at Lueders, Jones County, Texas, on 25 January 1917. The birth date and place are in the index of his Social Security claim, and the index of his draft card gives the same date; the death is in the Find a Grave index, which gives his year of birth as 1916 S1738. The claim and the draft card are followed for the year. No place of death is given in any index read.
Record1885
He is not the Dennis Price Manly (1885–1942) of Hamby, an older man of the same name.
Military2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when he was added to the family tree as the husband of Eva Mae Coffman, from the marriage, census, Social Security, draft card and grave indexes (S1738).

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Husband of Eva Mae Coffman Manly (1920–2013), a daughter of Dee Carl Coffman and Minnie Mae Schultz Coffman. No date of marriage is known. His parents are not in this record, and his children are not named here.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: the marriage index shows no date; the Find a Grave index gives 1916 for his birth where the claim and the draft card give 1917; no place of death is known; every record here is an index, and no image has been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Daisy Bertha Atchley Morgan

Probable

Daughter of Leo Litton Atchley · 1918–1989

Born
at Sabinal, Uvalde County, Texas
Parents
Leo Litton Atchley & Sue Mary Coffman Atchley
Married
Joe Blanton Morgan
Sources
2

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a daughter of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman Atchley. The evidence is strong: the index of her Texas birth certificate and the index of her Social Security claim both name her parents, her mother’s 1979 obituary names Daisy B. Morgan of Dudley as a daughter, and her father’s 1957 funeral notice names a daughter Mrs. J. B. Morgan S1743S1740. It stays Probable because every record is an index or the machine-read text of a newspaper page: no image has been read, the birth certificate included.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The indexes of her Texas birth certificate and of her Social Security claim name both parents and give her birth on 22 April 1918 at Sabinal; her 1989 obituary gives her death on 21 February 1989 at Odessa (S1743); her mother's 1979 obituary and her father's 1957 funeral notice name her (S1740). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Two places are given for her death, Odessa and Abilene; the burial is in the obituary text only; every record is an index or machine-read newspaper text, and no image has been read. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death1989
Daisy Bertha Atchley Morgan died on 21 February 1989 at Odessa, Ector County, Texas, aged 70. She was born at Sabinal, Uvalde County, Texas, on 22 April 1918. Her obituary, in the Abilene Reporter-News of 23 February 1989, says she died in an Odessa hospital; the index of her Social Security claim gives Abilene. The obituary is followed here for the place S1743.

Family

Marriage1916
Wife of Joe Blanton Morgan (1916–1993), of Dudley, whom her obituary names as her husband. Her sons are not named here. According to the obituary she went to Oplin High School, attended Abilene Christian College and belonged to the Highway 36 Church of Christ; it gives her burial at Dudley Cemetery, which rests on the newspaper text alone S1743.
Parents2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree as a daughter of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman, from the birth certificate and Social Security indexes and her 1989 obituary (S1743). 12 Oct 2026 — her husband now has a card of his own and is linked.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Daughter of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman Atchley. Sister of Etta Pearl Atchley Dye, whom her obituary names. Her brother is not named here.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: two places are given for her death, Odessa and Abilene; the burial is in the obituary text only; every record is an index or machine-read newspaper text, and no image has been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Etta Pearl Atchley Dye

Probable

Daughter of Leo Litton Atchley · 1922–2009

Born
in Texas
Parents
Leo Litton Atchley & Sue Mary Coffman Atchley
Sources
2

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a daughter of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman Atchley. The evidence is strong: the indexes of the 1930 and 1940 censuses list her in her parents’ household, her mother’s 1979 obituary names Etta Pearl Atchley as a daughter, and her father’s 1957 funeral notice names a daughter Mrs. George B. Dye S1741S1740. It stays Probable because her 1922 birth certificate has not been found, and every record is an index or the machine-read text of a newspaper page: no image has been read.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The indexes of the 1930 and 1940 censuses list her in her parents' household; her mother's 1979 obituary names Etta Pearl Atchley as a daughter and her father's 1957 funeral notice names Mrs. George B. Dye (S1740); the Social Security Death Index and an obituary index give her birth on 8 April 1922 and her death on 10 May 2009 at Seven Lakes, North Carolina (S1741). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Her 1922 birth certificate has not been found; a birth index entry naming her as the mother of a child surnamed Morgan is unexplained; every record is an index or machine-read newspaper text, and no image has been read. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death2009
Etta Pearl Atchley Dye died on 10 May 2009 at Seven Lakes, Moore County, North Carolina. She was born in Texas on 8 April 1922. The dates are in the Social Security Death Index and an obituary index S1741. No image of either has been read.
Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree as a daughter of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman, from the Social Security, obituary, census and divorce indexes and her parents’ newspaper notices (S1741, S1740).

Family

Parents1957
Her father’s funeral notice of July 1957 calls her Mrs. George B. Dye, of Dudley; a Texas divorce index has an entry for the couple, and her mother’s obituary of January 1979 calls her Etta Pearl Atchley, of McAllen S1741. Her husband has no card, and her children are not named here.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Daughter of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman Atchley. Sister of Daisy Bertha Atchley Morgan. Her brother is not named here.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: her birth certificate has not been found; a Texas birth index entry names her as the mother of a child surnamed Morgan, which is unexplained; every record is an index or machine-read newspaper text, and no image has been read. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Joe Blanton Morgan

Probable

Husband of Daisy Bertha Atchley Morgan · 1916–1993

Born
on 29 July 1916
Died
on 8 June 1993
Sources
3

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as the husband of Daisy Bertha Atchley Morgan. Her 1989 obituary names him as her husband, and her father’s 1957 funeral notice names a daughter Mrs. J. B. Morgan of Notrees S1743S1740. It stays Probable because both are the machine-read text of newspaper pages, no marriage record has been found, and his dates come from an index alone.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: His wife's 1989 obituary names Joe Blanton Morgan of Dudley as her husband (S1743), and her father's 1957 funeral notice names a daughter Mrs. J. B. Morgan of Notrees (S1740); the Find a Grave index gives a Joe Blanton Morgan, a veteran, born 29 July 1916 and died 8 June 1993, at Dudley Cemetery, Callahan County (S1746). Weak or missing: That the man of the memorial is Daisy's husband rests on the name and the cemetery alone; no marriage record has been found; his dates and burial are index text only, and no place of birth or death is known. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Military1993
Joe Blanton Morgan died on 8 June 1993. He was born on 29 July 1916. Both dates are from the Find a Grave index, which lists a veteran of that name at Dudley Cemetery, Callahan County, Texas S1746. No record read gives a place of birth or of death.
Burial2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when he was added to the family tree as the husband of Daisy Bertha Atchley, from her 1989 obituary, her father’s 1957 notice and the Find a Grave index (S1743, S1740, S1746).

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Husband of Daisy Bertha Atchley Morgan (1918–1989), and so a son-in-law of Leo Litton Atchley and Sue Mary Coffman Atchley. His parents are not in this record. His sons are not named here.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: that the man of the Dudley Cemetery memorial is Daisy’s husband rests on the name and the cemetery alone; no marriage record has been found; the burial is index text only; no place of birth or death is known. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Joseph Franklin Coffman Jr.

Probable

Son of Joseph Franklin Coffman · 1908–1990

Born
in Texas
Parents
Joseph Franklin Coffman
Sources
2

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE as a son of Joseph Franklin Coffman. The evidence is strong: the 1940 Kauffman-Coffman family book, page 567, gives his birth on 10 November 1908; the index of the 1930 census lists him in his father’s household; and the index of his California death record gives the same date of birth and his mother’s maiden name as Stanley, the surname the family book gives his father’s first wife S1753. It stays Probable because every record is an index or a compiled book: no image has been read and no birth record has been found.
Show detailsHide details

Evidence: The 1940 Kauffman-Coffman family book, page 567, gives his birth on 10 November 1908; the index of the 1930 census lists him in the household of his father, Joseph Franklin Coffman; the California Death Index gives the same date of birth, his death on 24 June 1990 in San Diego County and his mother's maiden name as Stanley; the Social Security Death Index agrees on the death (S1753). The evidence is strong. Weak or missing: Every record is an index or a compiled book, and no image has been read; no birth record has been found; his mother's first name rests on the family book alone; no record read names his wife. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life

Death1990
Joseph Franklin Coffman Jr., called J. Frank, died on 24 June 1990 in San Diego County, California. He was born in Texas on 10 November 1908. The date of birth is in the 1940 family book and in the California Death Index; the date of death is in the California Death Index and the Social Security Death Index S1753.
Census1933
The 1933 Abilene city directory lists a J. Frank Coffman with a wife Edna M. at 709 Grape S1400. A directory states no relationships, and that this is he is not proved. His wife and his children are not named here.
Census2026
History of this card. 12 Oct 2026
card written when he was added to the family tree as a son of Joseph Franklin Coffman, from the 1940 Kauffman-Coffman book, the 1930 census index, the California Death Index and the Social Security Death Index (S1753).

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Son of Joseph Franklin Coffman (1884–1966). His mother was his father’s first wife, whom the 1940 family book names as Pet Stanley; she has no card. He is not a son of Lora Matilda Maxwell Coffman, his father’s second wife, who was his stepmother.
Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: every record is an index or a compiled book, and no image has been read; no birth record has been found; his mother’s first name rests on the family book alone; no record read names his wife. Know more, or think this is wrong? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Nannie Mai Harsh

Confirmed

Daughter of Louise Bell Martin Harsh · 1894–1982

Sources
3

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED daughter of Nathan James Harsh and Louise Bell Martin Harsh, born 7 January 1894 at Castalian Springs, Sumner County, Tennessee; she died on 1 January 1982 at Abilene, Texas, as Nancy Timberman. Evidence: her birth record and her death certificate give the same birth date and name both parents, Nathan J. Harsh and Louise B. Martin S1652. Added to the family tree on 10 October 2026
Show detailsHide details

Life

Census1900
What else is weak: the birth record and death certificate were read from the index, not the images; the 1900 census gives her birth as April 1894, against 7 January on the two vital records. Any children are not named here.
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 10 Oct 2026 (1 note), 11 Oct 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed.

Family

Marriage1919
An index of newspaper marriage notices has her wedding three times: Miss Nancy Mai Harsh, of Castalian Springs, Tennessee, and Albert N. Timberman, licence dated 31 December 1919, in the Wilkes-Barre papers of 1 and 2 January 1920 S1658. The notices themselves have not been read. The Tennessee marriage register index entry found since is set out below.
Marriage1919
An index of the Tennessee state marriage registers now has the entry: Albert N. Timberman and Nancy Mai Harsh, 31 December 1919, Sumner County, Tennessee S1664. Only the index was read, not the register page, so it is not settled whether 31 December 1919 is the day of the licence, as the Wilkes-Barre papers have it, or the day of the wedding; the family tree enters it as the marriage date. The register writes her “Nancy Mai”. Know more? Use “Add to this record”.

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Her husband. She was probably the wife of Albert N. Timberman of Wilkes-Barre, a son of James Harris Timberman Sr.. Evidence: the 1920 census lists Nancy Timberman, 25, born in Tennessee, as the wife of Albert M. Timberman there S1652; that would make her the “Mrs. A. M. Timberman” of her mother’s 1935 notices. What is weak or missing: the census was read from the index, not the image, and prints her husband’s initial as M, not N; no marriage record has been found. A Harsh–Timberman marriage record would settle it. Know more? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Dorothy Susan Reid

Confirmed

Paternal grandfather's first wife · m. 1932

Born
in Indiana
Parents
Charles Reid & Bessie Craighead
Married
William Harry Proeger
Sources
5
Show detailsHide details

Not an ancestor of Earl's: she is the first wife of his grandfather William Harry Proeger. Earl descends from his second marriage, to Aileane Marie Silva.

Life

Birth
Born in Indiana, daughter of Charles Reid and Bessie Craighead; she had turned 18 two days before the wedding S366, and her mother signed the consent line a week earlier S144.
Census1933
Still married in 1933: the Toledo directory lists “Proeger Wm H (Dorothy S)”, William an apprentice at Toledo Mould Co. S367.
Census1930
In April 1930 she was 16 and in school, living on Summit Street, Washington Township, Lucas County, with her parents Charles L. Reid, a machinist, and Bessie Confirmed S1038.
Census1932
On 20 December 1932, nine months after the wedding, Dorothy Proeger, 18, tried to cross at Windsor to visit her husband William Proeger at 635 Duke St., Wallaceburg, Ontario, and was turned back Confirmed S1037.
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 29 Sep 2026 (2 notes). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed. One more note carried a “new” mark with no date on it; that mark was taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the note was changed. 13 Oct 2026
one note carried “added 24 September 2026” in mid-text; the words were taken out, nothing else changed.

Family

Marriage1932
Married William Harry Proeger on 4 March 1932, Lucas County, Ohio
the county ledger, licence and certificate no. 97864 S144. Both recorded not previously married.
Marriage
Gave her address as 4823 Summit Street, Toledo, the same address as the groom S144.
Parents1914
She was born Dorothy Susan Boost at Indianapolis on 2 March 1914, daughter of Andy Boost, a wagon cleaner of Logansport, and Bessie Craighead of Peru, Indiana S366. How she came to be a Reid is not yet known.
Marriage1940
Possible, not confirmed: In 1940 a Dorothy Martin, 26, born in Indiana, who had lived in Toledo in 1935, was the wife of Vincent Martin, with a child (not named, as the child may be living) (Ancestry record 30554193). Her age, birthplace and Toledo all fit, and it would explain the end of her marriage to William, but nothing on the page names Reid or Proeger. What would settle it: a Proeger divorce, or a Martin marriage licence naming her parents.

Open questions

Open question
⚠️ Nothing else is known of her. Between the 1932 marriage and William's August 1940 Utah wedding there was a divorce or a death, and no record read so far says which S144.

Full record

Richard Frederick Proeger

Confirmed

Son of William Leonard Proeger (1876–1955) · born 1913

Born
19 July 1913
Parents
William Leonard Proeger & Anna Blanche Roberts
Married
Ovalline Mabel Dubuque
Sources
10
Images
1

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED — from a record that names the parents; entered in the family tree.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1913
Born 19 July 1913 at 327 Fifth Street, Beaver, Pennsylvania
his birth certificate no. 105903 S193
Note1920
With the family in Cincinnati in 1920 and crossing into Canada at Windsor S269S239
Census1940
In 1940 Richard, 26, was a mould maker at a glass works in Castro Valley, California, his father's trade, with his wife Mable O. and their son Richard F., 3 S353. By 1950 he was a tool and die maker at an electrical-plug factory in Los Angeles S354. He is the uncle of Earl's father William Leonard Proeger (b. 1941), not his son: an earlier version of the site wrongly put these two censuses on that card (corrected 29 September 2026).
Census1921
Ovalline Mabel's mother was probably Helen (Hélène) Dubuque, née Labutte Probable confirm or correct →: the 1921 census of Canada for Wallaceburg, Kent County, Ontario, read from the image, lists Mabel, 8, daughter, born Ontario, in the household of the widowed Helen Dubuque, 43, with Harvy, Gertrude, Herbie and William S883. An Ontario marriage register, read from the index, records Helene Labutte's marriage to Jules Dubuc and names her parents as Francois Labutte and Agnes Lanzon S884. What is weak: the census gives only “Mabel”, and the parents on her 1913 birth registration have not been read, so nothing yet ties this Mabel to Ovalline by document; no record read names her father. Accepted by Earl on 28 September 2026 pending more evidence.
Census1937
The 1937 Oakland directory lists him as R. F. Proger, glass moulder, with his wife Mable, at 1364 82nd Avenue Confirmed S1166. The surname is misspelled.
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 28 Sep 2026 (1 note), 1 Oct 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed. 13 Oct 2026
the “Research status” line gave the day this card was added and entered in the family tree, 24 Sep 2026. The date was taken out of the sentence and stands here only; no fact or grade was changed.

Family

Parents
Son of William Leonard Proeger and Anna Blanche Roberts; brother of William Harry Proeger
Marriage1913
Married Ovalline Mabel Dubuque (born 24 April 1913, Kent County, Ontario; died 1 October 1956, Los Angeles); father of Richard F. Proeger Jr., born 1936 S11

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In June 1931 Ovalline Mabel was probably the Mable Debuque, 18, single, a packer at the glass factory in Wallaceburg, at 109 Queen Street with her mother Helen and her brothers Herbert and William. Weak: as in 1921, nothing on the page ties Mable to Ovalline or to Richard by document. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1456

Full record

Julius Karl Proeger (1917–1972)

Confirmed

Son of William Leonard Proeger (1876–1955) · 1917–1972

Born
1 October 1917
Died
20 October 1972
Parents
William Leonard Proeger & Anna Blanche Roberts
Married
Ann Elizabeth "Betty" Meyers
Sources
6

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED — from a record that names the parents; entered in the family tree.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1917
Born 1 October 1917, Tarentum, Pennsylvania; died 20 October 1972, Los Angeles
California Death Index (a memorial giving 1974 is not followed)
Military
His World War II draft card gives his home as 436 S. 5th St., Jeannette, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, his employer as the American Glass Co., Greensburg, and his wife as Mrs. Betty Ann Proeger Confirmed S970. The card gives his birthplace as “Campton, Pa.”, which is not a place that can be identified; the site keeps Tarentum. Know which place he meant? Use “Add to this record”.
Census1944
By 1944 he had moved west: the Los Angeles voter index lists him as a die maker at 2164 Lake Shore Avenue; a William L. Proeger, also a die maker, was registered a few doors away S1443
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 29 Sep 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed. 13 Oct 2026
the “Research status” line gave the day this card was added and entered in the family tree, 24 Sep 2026. The date was taken out of the sentence and stands here only; no fact or grade was changed.

Family

Parents1936
Son of William Leonard Proeger and Anna Blanche Roberts; his 1936 Indiana marriage record names both parents
Marriage1918
Married Ann Elizabeth “Betty” Meyers (11 November 1918 Bellaire, Ohio – 24 June 2001), 23 August 1936, Indiana
Parents1927
On 2 June 1927 he crossed into Canada at Windsor, Ontario, aged 9, as “Julius Carl”, with his father William L., his mother Anna B., his brothers William L. [Harry], 15, and Richard F., 13, and his sister Queen Ann, 7; the family’s last residence was Lake Worth, Florida, and his father was bound for the Dominion Glass Co. at Wallaceburg Confirmed S239

Open questions

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → The Los Angeles Times of 1 November 1972 (p. 56) lists “PROEGER, Julius K. Forest Lawn” among its death notices S1595. This is probably him, and it supports a death in 1972 rather than the 1974 of the memorial. Weak: the listing gives only a name and a mortuary, with no age, date or family, and no fuller obituary was found. Read from the newspaper page text (OCR), not checked word for word against the page image. Know more? Use “Add to this record”
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → His wife Ann Elizabeth Meyers was probably Anna Meyers, 1, born in Ohio, in January 1920 at Monaca, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, with her father Daniel Meyers, 26, a glass-works machinist born in West Virginia, her mother Margaret, 27, born in Ohio, and her brother Dellis, 5. Weak: the father is written Daniel, where her Social Security application names him Dallas. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1520
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → On 11 February 1961, as Ann E. Proeger, 39, she probably married Richard A. Ternet in Los Angeles County, which would mean her marriage to Julius had ended by then. Weak: an index entry only, and her age understates her 1918 birth by about three years. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1519

Full record

Queen Anne “Nancy” Proeger

Confirmed

Daughter of William Leonard Proeger · 1919–1985

Born
30 October 1919
Died
21 January 1985
Parents
William Leonard Proeger & Anna Blanche Roberts
Married
Warren Edgar Debelling
Sources
8

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED — from a record that names the parents; entered in the family tree.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Birth1919
Born 30 October 1919, Ohio; died 21 January 1985, San Bernardino County, California
California Death Index. With the family in Wallaceburg, Ontario in 1931 S192
Death1985
Confirmed Her obituary in the Daily Press of Victorville, 22 January 1985 (p. 2): Mrs. Queen Anne Helgedalen, 65, of Lucerne Valley, died on 21 January 1985 at an Apple Valley hospital. It calls her a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, a resident of California for 40 years and a retired waitress, survived by her husband Charles E. Helgedalen. The funeral was on Friday 25 January at Calvary Bible Church, Lucerne Valley; Dudley Mortuary, Victorville, had charge S1593. Cincinnati is new: the card had only Ohio. Read from the newspaper page text (OCR), not checked word for word against the page image. Know more? Use “Add to this record”
Record2026
History of this card. The notes on this card that carried a “new” mark were added on these days: 28 Sep 2026 (1 note), 29 Sep 2026 (1 note), 1 Oct 2026 (1 note). The marks and their dates were taken off on 12 Oct 2026, and nothing in the notes was changed. 13 Oct 2026
the “Research status” line gave the day this card was added and entered in the family tree, 24 Sep 2026. The date was taken out of the sentence and stands here only; no fact or grade was changed.

Family

Parents1937
Daughter of William Leonard Proeger and Anna Blanche Roberts; her 1937 Indiana marriage record names both parents S12
Marriage1918
Married first Warren Edgar Debelling (1918–1976), 16 October 1937, Valparaiso, Indiana; second Charles Edward Helgedalen (1926–1991)
Marriage1939
Her second husband's father was probably Hans S. Helgedalen Probable confirm or correct →: Clay County, Minnesota, school census entries of 1939–43 at Ulen, read from the FamilySearch index, name Hans Helgedalen as the parent of Charles Helgedalen, born 5 March 1926 S877. The 1930 census of Goose Prairie Township, Clay County, read from the image, lists Hans S. Helgedalen, 50, a farmer born in Minnesota to a Norwegian-born father S875, and the next sheet lists Charles E., 4, as his son, with Hans's wife Beulah S876. What is weak: the school census has been read only as an index; Hans's middle name, given in family trees as Silas, and his birth and death dates are on no document read. Accepted by Earl on 28 September 2026 pending more evidence.
Marriage1918
Her first husband, Warren E. Debelling (born 1918), had married Ollie A. Arthur by 1963. The California divorce index records a preliminary decree in their divorce in March 1968 Confirmed S1118.

Open questions

Probable
Probably her in Oakland, California, about 1943: “DeBelling Warren E (Nancy) mach h9234 Sunnyside”, Warren a machinist, living at 9234 Sunnyside Probable confirm or correct → S1000. Evidence: her husband's name and the name Nancy she went by. Weak: the year is from the index, not the page. Know more? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Sepia photograph of Earl Theodore Roberts, head and shoulders, in a Navy khaki shirt and a Navy officer's peaked cap with its eagle badge, standing on the deck of USS Wexford County beside a ladder and a steel bulkhead, 1958
Open the full photograph

Earl Theodore Roberts

Confirmed

Step-grandfather · 1918–2007

Born
7 May 1918, Windsor, Massachusetts
Died
26 February 2007
Parents
Leon Henry Roberts
Married
Aileane Marie Silva
Children
Kathy Roberts
Sources
21
Images
10
Show detailsHide details

Earl Theodore Roberts aboard USS Wexford County (LST-1168), Pearl Harbor, 1958, from the hand-written label on the original print. Family photograph supplied by Earl Proeger.

Life

Birth1918
Born 7 May 1918, Windsor, Massachusetts S88 S299
Death2007
Died 26 February 2007 S88
Military1938
Military service — U.S. Navy, 1938 to after 1960.
  • Pay-entry base date 17 August 1938, which dates his first enlistment S266. The 1940 census, taken 15 June 1940 at his parents' farm in Hancock, Massachusetts, gives Earl, 22, as U.S. Navy; his brother Almon was in the U.S. Army S274
  • Enlisted 17 August 1938 at Springfield, Massachusetts, service number 212 50 12 S301
  • Second World War, Pacific. He was a plankowner of the destroyer USS Anderson (DD-411), joining her when she was commissioned in May 1939 and serving in her until August 1942 as ship's cook first class. That took him through the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway S302 Confirmed. Earl Proeger's account is that he fought in the Pacific S300
  • August 1942: sent to the Commissary Steward School, San Diego; re-enlisted 19 September 1942. On USS LST-455 from 27 February 1943 S303, and chief commissary steward on her by June 1944 S312
  • The galley story. In his obituary's words, when enemy dive bombers wrecked his destroyer's galley he fed the crew with the blacksmith's forge and a welder's torch S299. USS Anderson's recorded history for his time aboard shows no such attack, so the ship and the battle of this story are unidentified
  • 1950: Armed Forces, living at 219C Brush St, Alameda, beside the Naval Air Station S215
  • Guam, after the war. A family scrapbook page is captioned “May 1956 Guam Earl & Kathie”. Earl Proeger says he was stationed there as an officer and that Bill went through high school on Guam in those years S300. His stepdaughters Nancy and Patty Proeger were at George Washington High School, Guam, in 1954–55 S311, and his stepson Bill was a freshman there, enrolled as “B. Roberts” S313
  • Chief Warrant Officer W-4 from 1 February 1958 (Navy Register 1960, p. 664) S266. In 1958 he served aboard USS Wexford County (LST-1168) at Pearl Harbor, according to the handwritten caption on a family photograph
  • Served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Retired as CWO-4 to National City, California, and is honoured by a plaque at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial, La Jolla S299
  • Not yet found: his ships between mid-1944 and 1958, the Guam unit and its dates, and his retirement date
Residence
One child: Kathy Roberts (living) S24
Census1930
In 1930, aged 11, at Hancock, Massachusetts, with his parents Leon H. and Bessie H. Roberts S214. In 1950 he was in the Armed Forces, at 219C Brush St, Alameda, with Aileane and her three children S215

Family

Marriage1946
Third husband of Aileane Marie Silva, married 8 February 1946, Los Angeles S88
Parents
Stepfather to William Leonard Proeger, not biological father S24
Parents1882
His father, Leon Henry Roberts, was born 14 July 1882 at Lowell, Vermont, and was living at Ryegate in 1900 with his parents Henry and Delina and his brothers Theodore, Homer and Elmer S340. He was farming at Windsor, Mass. in 1918 S337 and on Main Road, Hancock, in 1942 S338, and he died at Hancock on 4 May 1961 S339. Leon's first wife, Grace May Avery, drowned on 5 July 1908, a year after their wedding S341. Earl's sister Bernice Louise Roberts married Charles Jay McDonald at Williamstown on 30 August 1940 S342

Open questions

Open question
⚠ No relation to Anna Blanche Roberts
different Roberts family S88
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → The 1918 Pittsfield directory notes that his father Leon H. Roberts had removed from the city since the previous edition, which fits Windsor in 1918 and Dalton in 1920. Weak: a removal notice only. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1458

Full record

Amelia Rita Roberts

Confirmed

Daughter of Harry Harrison Roberts · 1923–1990

Born
6 Jun 1923
Parents
Harry Harrison Roberts & Amelia M. Coutz Roberts
Sources
0

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED. Daughter of Harry Harrison Roberts and Amelia M. Coutz (’Amelia Jr’). Sources: Social Security NUMIDENT (FamilySearch 6K3K-KDR9), Amelia Rita Roberts, b. 6 Jun 1923 Wheeling, W. Va., parents Harry H Roberts and Amelia M Coutz; 1930 (X4SQ-X89) and 1940 (KWDG-R3H) censuses, Pease Twp, Belmont Co., Ohio. Death: California Death Index VP96-RR5, b. 6 Jun 1923 W.Va., d. 6 Jun 1990 Los Angeles Co., mother’s maiden name ’Cowtz’; SSDI J1HB-WJD agrees. Middle name: Rita (NUMIDENT) or Alta (California Death Index, Find a Grave). No married name found; no spouse added. Added to the family tree on Earl’s approval of 4 October 2026.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Death1923
Amelia Rita Roberts: born 6 Jun 1923 in Wheeling, Ohio, West Virginia; died 6 Jun 1990 in Los Angeles, California
Record2026
History of this card. 13 Oct 2026
one note on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; it was added on: 4 Oct 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.

Family

Open questions

Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: her middle name is Rita in the Social Security file but Alta in the California Death Index; no married name was found. Know more? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Etta Mae Roberts Mundt

Confirmed

Daughter of Harry Harrison Roberts · 1920–1982

Born
7 Sep 1920
Parents
Harry Harrison Roberts & Amelia M. Coutz Roberts
Sources
1

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED. Daughter of Harry Harrison Roberts and Amelia M. Coutz. Sources: Social Security NUMIDENT (FamilySearch 6KS8-7923) and Ohio marriage record K811-88D both name parents Harry H Roberts and Amelia Coutz; 1930 and 1940 censuses, Pease Twp, Belmont Co., Ohio (Etta M. 8; Etta Mae 18). Married name Mundt. Died Oct 1982 (NUMIDENT, month only). Husband not yet in this record. Added to the family tree on Earl’s approval of 4 October 2026.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Death1920
Etta Mae Roberts Mundt: born 7 Sep 1920 in West Virginia; died Oct 1982
Census1950
In April 1950 she was still single, living with her widowed mother at Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio, and working full time at domestic house work; her grandparents William and Jessie Koutz lived with them S1403
Record2026
History of this card. 13 Oct 2026
one note on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; it was added on: 4 Oct 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.

Family

Open questions

Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: her death is known to the month only (October 1982, Social Security index); her husband is not in this record. Know more? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Rose Alice Roberts Bumgardner

Confirmed

Daughter of Samuel Rowe Roberts · 1917–1969

Born
20 Feb 1917
Parents
Samuel Rowe Roberts & Ella Amelia Linton Roberts
Sources
1

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED. Daughter of Samuel Rowe Roberts and Ella Amelia (Ellen A.) Linton, named as her parents (Samuel Roberts x Ellen Litten) on her Ohio marriage record (FamilySearch XZ37-X6S). Married name Bumgardner. Her death on 24 Jan 1969 is Probable, on strong evidence: the Find a Grave index gives the date (FamilySearch 6ZR9-6H8Y), and the Columbus Dispatch list “Deaths in Ohio” of 2 February 1969 has, under Bridgeport, “Mrs. Rose Bumgardner, 51, Jan. 24” S1731. The list was read as machine text only; neither its page image nor a death certificate has been read. Husband not yet in this record. Added to the family tree on Earl’s approval of 4 October 2026.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Death1917
Rose Alice Roberts Bumgardner: born 20 Feb 1917; died 24 Jan 1969, probably at Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio Probable confirm or correct → The newspaper list files her under that town, which may be where she lived and not where she died S1731
Death2026
History of this card. 4 Oct 2026
card written when she was added to the family tree. 12 Oct 2026 — Bridgeport added as the probable place of death, and the newspaper list added beside the Find a Grave index for the date (S1731). 13 Oct 2026 — one note on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; it was added on: 4 Oct 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.

Family

Open questions

Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: the date and place of her death are Probable only. The date comes from a Find a Grave index entry and from one line of a newspaper list read as machine text; the page image and a death certificate have not been read. The list names no husband, parents or survivors, and the town it gives may be her home. Her birth place has not been read. Know more? Use “Add to this record”.

Full record

Betty Lee Roberts

Confirmed

Daughter of Samuel Rowe Roberts · 1923–1990

Born
7 Sep 1923
Parents
Samuel Rowe Roberts & Ella Amelia Linton Roberts
Sources
1

Research status

Research status: CONFIRMED. Daughter of Samuel Rowe Roberts and Ella Amelia (Ellen A.) Linton. Sources: Social Security NUMIDENT (FamilySearch 6K3K-KDT9) names parents Samuel R Roberts and Ella A Linton; 1930 and 1940 censuses, Pease Twp, Belmont Co., Ohio (X4SQ-XZ2, KWDG-Y3K); Ohio marriage record XZ39-TKC naming her parents. Death: Ohio Death Index VKG6-DNM, Betty Lee Griffith (maiden name Roberts), b. 7 Sep 1923, d. 3 Sep 1990 Bellaire, Belmont Co.; agrees with SSDI J2GZ-B4H. Married name Griffith; spouses not yet in this record. Added to the family tree on Earl’s approval of 4 October 2026.
Show detailsHide details

Life

Death1923
Betty Lee Roberts: born 7 Sep 1923 in Wheeling, Ohio, West Virginia; died 3 Sep 1990 in Bellaire, Belmont, Ohio
Record2026
History of this card. 13 Oct 2026
one note on this card ended with the words “added” and a date; it was added on: 4 Oct 2026 (1 note). The dated endings were taken off, and nothing else in the notes was changed.

Family

Open questions

Weak or missing
What is weak or missing: her husbands are not yet confirmed; one is probably Harley S. Rinehart (below). Know more? Use “Add to this record”.
Probable
Probable confirm or correct → In April 1950 she was probably Betty L. Rinehart, 26, born West Virginia, keeping house on 1st Street, Martins Ferry, Belmont County, Ohio, as the wife of Harley S. Rinehart, 37, an iron-foundry laborer, with a daughter, Mary L., who is named only. Weak: no maiden name or parents on the page; her Ohio marriage record would settle it. Know more? Use “Add to this record” S1489

Full record

Know something this page doesn't? Send it to Earl — corrections, names, dates, documents. Nothing appears here until he has reviewed it.

Compiled for the Proeger family

Living adults appear by name and relationship, with the year only: no full date of birth and no home town on any page that search engines index, and a living person’s own page is kept out of search engines. Minors appear by name only — no date of birth, no birth year, no age, no school, no place, no address, no other identifying detail. A minor may be named and may appear in a family photograph; nothing further about them is published. Where it is not established whether someone is an adult or a minor, the minor rule applies.

Know something this record doesn't? Send it to Earl.

Top