Searching for info on Benjamine Franklin Halderman; B. abt 1851, d. 1913, buried in Russelville Cem. Married to Alberta Powers. Children: Arthur, Helen, Cecelia. All children listed on Servoss School Census, Cochise County. After 1913, children listed with mother and step-father Earnest White.
Thanks

If you have not already found it, the death certificate for Benjamin Halderman is online here:
http://genealogy.az.gov/
However:
This Benjamin Halderman was married to Emma; according to the death certificates of two of their sons at the same link, she was Emma Snyder/Schneider.
Census records for 1880-PA, &1900,1910-AZ give their children as Charles,Edmund,Benjamin F. and Ada Emma. The boys all born in PA, and Ada born in AZ; at that same link you will find several birth records for children of Ada Halderman who married Charles McKinney, and various birth records for children of the male Halderman's.

Thank you, I have been to the Arizona web site. My mother visits the Russelville cem. periodically. The site was where I found a girl born to BF's daughter Helen that we did not know about. Thank you again

This is in response to Barbara Prestridge's 10-18-05 post regarding Benjamin Franklin Halderman from Russelville, Arizona born 1851 died 1913.

My husband is a great grandson of this B.F. Halderman. B.F. Halderman married Emma in Pennsylvania and had three sons in Pennsylvania - B.F., Jr., Edmund, and Charles. They moved to Russelville, Arizona around 1881. Ada was born in 1887 in Arizona. B.F., Sr. died in 1913. In 1919, Emma married Rufus McKinney (Ada's father-in-law). Emma died in 1937 and is buried in Douglas, Arizona.

I think the Servoss names you cite might be the children of B.F., Jr. The school dates are around 1912, which would make those three (Arthur, Helen and Cecilia) too young to be children of B.F., Sr. who was 61 in 1912.

A good website for Cochise County is www.mycochise.com.

Finally a Halderman descendant! This side of the family has been very elusive and has many stone walls and secrets. In no way am I trying to discredit anyone. But in 20 years of researching I have found all kinds of interesting relationships and situations.

I have had all kinds of questions, NO one has been able to document Benjamin F Halderman, Jr. in Arizona in the early 1900’s. In March 06, a researcher found record of Marriage for Alberta and a B F Halderman, Jan 1903, married at Russelville, AZ. The woman I spoke with said she could not read/say if it was Jr. or Sr. I would need to look for myself to determine. I believe it is B.F., Jr. But do not have record in hand that documents it is indeed Jr. as of yet. This is the first documentation that shows BF, Jr. in Arizona.

Question: For over 100 years the Halderman children- Helen and Cecelia, (Arthur was killed in the late 20's or early 30's), their mother, aunt and her daughter visited the Russellville Cemetery. Helen and Cecelia’s cousin, the aunt’s daughter still goes yearly. If BF, Sr, was not the father why has the family spent 100 years and three generations visiting this cemetery paying respect to Helen and Cecelia’s “father”?

Question: where is Halderman Jr. buried? Is he buried in an unmarked grave at Russelville? There are some 60 or so graves without any markings other than small wooden crosses with the lot number to denote grave site. The older portion is partitioned off within the cemetery to denote its historical portion.

Question: the birth dates; when comparing a death date of 1913 to birthdates. Arthur was born in 1904, Helen in 05, and Cecelia abt 09. That would have made BF, Sr. in mid to late 50’s, which is not abnormal to have children. But, he, his wife Emma, and children are listed on various censuses in both Penn. and Az. Alberta was to have remarried after the death of her husband to Earnest White, abt 1913. Later she married Martin Walker, 1919, they remained married to each other until death. Alberta was in her 90's at the time of death.

(This too has been a question in the back of my mine. I have found that many miners, frontiersmen, and Indian fighters here in the southwest had more than one family- one back East or in their homeland and one here in the West. The area I live in many men were practicing polygamists- Arizona since the 1870-1880’s.)

For a period of time I thought perhaps Alberta had not married the father of her children. However, I am in possession of court records of her sister where Alberta testified in court. Alberta is listed as Mrs. Halderman. No distinction as to Jr. or Sr.

All family notes do not distinguish Jr. or Sr. Old mining claims record only list a B.F. Halderman; one has Jr. written in long hand on a typed form. This is questionable- a new form should have been written or new certificate showing transfer to from Sr. to Jr. upon Sr’s death.

Another problem is that there were several BF Haldermans' in Arizona at about the same time. Three are from Penn. And, several Benjamin’s live/living in Penn in the same time frame. Benjamin is a very popular name within the family. Each one has a Senior and Junior or Benjamin, II, named after an uncle. I have a child being born to BF Halderman and Henrietta Martin in 1919 (Arizona) . I believe this to be Ben Jr., please correct me if I am wrong. Later I found them in Liberty Chapel, Miss., 1920, farming with their son BF Halderman, Jr., (age 4, no distinction as to months or years) I am just now researching this family— If this is the same family; Jr. would be 4 months and born in Arizona. (birth record on line)

Alberta remained in the Cochise/Servos area her entire life time. For a short period of time she lived in Pima County where she and Martin owned a dairy. She and Martin remained ranchers until they were no longer physically able. They also owned a store in Cochise for a number of years, later daughter Helen ran it. Then, Helen left and lived in New York during the 1950’s. She returned when Martin’s health began to fail and later passed away, leaving Helen to sell out.

I have so many questions- again not trying to discredit anyone but trying to find answers and put this family together.

Thank you

Wow! ! ! Might I be communicating with a descendent of Frank Halderman (BF, Jr.)???

I certainly don't have all the answers. I have just been looking into the family history for a couple years. But, I do have some research tools available to me that many people do not. The Arizona Capitol has micro-fische of most Arizona newspapers. From the Douglas, Arizona newspaper, Emma Schneider Halderman McKinney died in 1937 and her son, BF Jr was living in Mississippi at the time. So your findings of records for Liberty Chapel, MS might be the son of BF Sr and Emma Schneider Halderman McKinney, or in other words Frank Halderman (BF, Jr.).

You are right, I am also running into several Benjamin Franklin Haldermans. They probably all fit in somewhere, as I think BF Sr had a brother, Harry. And BF Sr's father's name was also Benjamin with a middle initial of V.

I did run into some Cochise County land records with the name of Cecilia Halderman. Do you think/know she was a granddaughter of BF Sr and Emma?

I have also come across the name of Henrietta. I'm not certain she is part of this BF Halderman, (son of BF Sr. & Emma).

I'm assuming the "Birdie" listed in the Servoss school records is the same Alberta you refer to. You say "Alberta was to have remarried after the death of her husband..." I do know there was some reason why Frank (BF Jr) left Arizona. Even the 90 year old granddaughter of BF Sr & Emma does not know the reason (the brick wall stands tall and thick). I am hoping that some day my research of Arizona newspapers will shed some light.

Also, a note of interest. There is a new head-stone at the grave of BF Sr. in the Russelville cemetery. We do not know who put it up. It is a fairly large head-stone and the above mentioned 90 year granddaughter had not seen it before a trip to Russelville in 2004, nor was she a party to putting it up.

Please let me know your decendents' lines. My husband's grandmother was the daughter born to BF Sr & Emma in 1887 in Russelville. She was Emma, the only girl with three older brothers - BF Jr., Charles, and Edmund, who were born in Pennsylvania.

While we both have many questions, maybe one day we'll be able to piece the puzzle together. Do you know if there's a way to contact each other directly?

Hoping to continue our communication.

Mary J.

Just read your post of June 12, 2006.
My husband is a grandson of B. F. Halderman.
We have researched for years on some of the background
of this family. They just did not 'talk'.
We did meet and visit with Helen some years back. (daughter of Frank and at that time her mother was still living)
Be glad to exchange info with you--perhaps solve some mysteries.

Would like to converse. sorry for the delay, we moved our "Wounded Warrior" home the first of December and we have been busy. I have not been on-line but to check with immediate family. I checked with Helen's daughter several years ago and she had nothing- she could not give me good info of our great gmother burial site much less history on Helen's family. I have some-- but for years we were told that BF Halderman that is buried in Texas Canyon area was parent not Frank (II). Stumbled on to Frank (II) by accident. Helen passed away a few years back. Please email directly that way I will get to you quicker as I have let geneology sit for awhile.

HAVE YOU PICKED UP ANY MORE ON THE HALDERMAN'S? I AM BACK TO DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN DOWN THE HALDERMAN LINE YET. HAVE A GOOD EVENING!

Frank Halderman went to Miss. when he got out of the Yuma Territorial Prison.
His wife divorced him. He remarried in Miss. Drowned.