The Haldeman Boys: Franklin and Charles

If you're a Haldeman researcher you can understand the undertaking it is to research, record and store the numerous documents that contain the Haldeman, Halderman, Haldiman, Holdman, Holderman, etc............. surnames. There are many versions of the Haldeman name and many branches through out the US. My Haldeman research as of late has led me to a story about father and son Franklin and Charles Haldeman of Camden, NJ.

The Franklin Haldeman family was made up of Franklin, born 31 January 1855 in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, his wife Anna Maria (Heins) Haldeman born August 1854 in Pennsylvania, and children (all born in Pa.)

• Leroy Stanley b. 1 March 1880
• Bertha E. b. 1 Jan 1882
• Charles C. b. Feb 1886
• Harold F. b. 1889

Franklin Haldeman was a master carpenter. His artistry and skill were featured in an artcile written in The Camden Courier, a local newspaper. The article is complete with a photo of Franklin with the masterpiece of a table he built with 10,954 pieces of wood, brass, ivory, bone, and pearl. The amazing part of the construction process is that he did it with only a pocket knife and a small file! The table was to be displayed at the sesqui-centennial exposition. http://www.phillyhistory.org/blog/archive/2008/07/31/the-sesquicentennial-exposition-of-1926.aspx

Below is the photo from the Camden Courier Newspaper dated June 2, 1926.
(Click full screen above the photo in order to view the entire photo.)


Franklin Haldeman -

Franklin's son, Charles, was a semi-professional boxer and a semi-professional baseball player about the turn of the 20th century.  He played with and managed the State Field Club in North Camden.  He also played with the Highland SC. (Currently, I don't have anymore information on his sports records or these teams - More to follow.)

Sadly, both Franklin and Charles came down with pneumonia and died on the same day within 20 minutes of each other.  The date was 19 Dec 1929.  Both were buried together in the New Camden Cemetery, Camden, NJ.  I visited the cemetery, but could locate no headstones for the pair.  Franklin and his bride, Anna were set to celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve the following week.  Charles was 43 years old and single.  I can only imagine the saddness felt that Christmas in the Haldeman home, but Anna Maria Haldeman must have had such pride for and fond memories of her son and husband.

We Share Common Ancestors

Allied families are always interesting to check out and some times they allow you to back door information you can't find directly. I've been researching the Carson Family once again to see what new information I can come up with. I did find that Brigadier General John Miller Carson, Jr. was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. More details can be found at www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/citation.php?citation=24098

The Brigadier General's daughter was Margaret Sumner (Carson) Holt. Margaret's husband was Henry Chandler Holt, a Yale graduate and President of Central Hanover Bank and Trust Co., NY. The couple's daughter, Margaret Carson Holt, deeded her Great Grandparent's, (Bowen) summer home, "Rosedale" to the Society for the Preservation for New England Antiquities.

Visit www.historicnewengland.org/visit/homes/Roseland.htm for information.

Margaret Carson Holt's Grandmother,

Mary Louisa Bowen (right - photo c. 1855) was the Granddaughter

of Lewis Tappan (below - photo c. 1853)

Lewis Tappan and his brother, Arthur, were abolitionist who set out to free African slaves who were brought to America on the ship Amistad. For more information visit

www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=370&nm=Arthur-and-Lewis-Tappan or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Tappan

Lewis Tappan was the Great Grandson of Robert and Mary (Franklin) Homes/Holmes. Mary Franklin was the sister of Benjamin Franklin.

There are so many more details to share about these families, but that will be for another day. There are family genealogies written for the Bowen, Chandler, Tappan, Homes, and other Carson allied families. If you do a Google book search you can view them.

Thomas and Oliver Carson

I haven't written in a long time mostly because I haven't had time to get deep into my genealogy research :-( But after I pulled a muscle in my back I thought I'd sit a while and begin digging. Well I think I hit pay dirt!

After not getting anywhere with the immigration of Thomas Carson (born about 1800 in Ireland) I took another look online at any new resources available. I found the www.clancarson.com site and a list of some Irish immigrations. On the site was a listing for a Thomas Carson coming to Philadelphia on the Ship Adeline in the year 1831. I searched for the ship on Google.com and found a ships list (www.immigrantships.net); however, there was no Thomas Carson, but a Thomas Cassin. Well, if you know anything about genealogy research you know not to stick steadfast to the spelling of a name. To further my curiosity Thomas is listed with a Jane and Eliza Cassin (Thomas' wife and oldest child's name) , Jane aged 22 and Eliza age 1. (Thomas' age was listed as 29yrs.) These ages fit to my immigrating Carsons. Another curiosity was Eliza being born in Ire, that's if these are my Carsons. I have no listing for Eliza being born in Ireland; however, when the family joins the 3rd UP Church in Philadelphia about 1837 all of Jane and Thomas Carson's children are christened except for Eliza. I'm now thinking that she was christened in Ireland.

The other half of this duo - Oliver Carson - has not been proven to be related to Thomas. I believe Oliver and Thomas are brothers or at least cousins. The two , at times, live together in Philadelphia or very close to each other. There is an Oliver Carson listed as sailing on the Ship Conestoga from Ireland to Philadelphia in 1818. He is 22 years old and a farmer. He lists his town as Aughnacloy, Ireland which is 11 miles from Dungannon where Thomas Carson has been recorded to be from (see Dungannon it is! post.) I'm wondering if Thomas could have been from Aughnacloy as well, but listed as being from Dungannon because it was the closest large town. Oliver never seems to have married and dies in the Almshouse in Philadelphia at the age of 74. Oliver was born about 1799 and Thomas about 1802. There are other Carsons to research for a possible relationship. I'm off to research a Robert Carson who attended the same church in Kensington as Thomas and family.

To Be Continued.................