Person Page - 555

     John Kougher married Anna Belle Bussert.¹

     Anna Belle Bussert married John Kougher.¹

     Rev. Salmon Giddings was born on 2 March 1782 at Hartland, Hartford Co., CT.¹ He was the son of Benjamin Giddings and Affiah Holcombe. Rev. Salmon Giddings married Almira Collins at Collinsville, IL.² Rev. Salmon Giddings died on 1 February 1828 at St. Louis, MO, at age 45.³ He was buried at Old Bonhomme Presbyterian Cemetery, Chesterfield, St. Louis Co., MO.³

Condensed from the New Englander, for July 1874:

But the man whom God was preparing to be the apostle to Missouri and Illinois was yet in teh East -- Salmon Giddings. Born at Hartland, Conn., March 2d, 1782, received to the Congregational Church in 1807, and educated at Williams and Andover, where he imbibed the freshened missionary spirit of the time. He had for several years thought of the foreign field, but having read with deep inerest the report of Mills and Schermerhorn, and Mills and Smith, he decided to devote himself to the work of Missions in the region of St. Louis, Mo. He left Hartford at once to make his winter journey of twelve hundred miles, on horseback, through the wilderness, to arrive at St.Louis April 6, 1815 preaching along the way.

In the Spring of 1824 he ventured east again, but a six months' tour brought little aid, though he received a donatin of $25 from the President, John Quincy Adams. In June, 1825, the house, which in brich had cost $8,000, was dedicated, at once to be filled with attentive audiences. One year and a half after the dedication he was installed, and a month after the installation he was married at Collinsville, Illinois, to Almira Collins, a sister of the founder of the place, whose going west from Litchfield, Conn., Dr. Lyman Beecher had pronounced "a wild-goose chase." She was born in Litchfield Co., Conn., July 13, 1790, died in Quincy, Ill., May 1872. Mrs. Giddings was a woman whose devoted piety and superior qualities were well fitted to the position to which she was called.

     Zeriuah Giddings was born circa 1784 at Hartland, Hartford Co., CT. She was the daughter of Benjamin Giddings and Affiah Holcombe. Zeriuah Giddings married John Tuttle on 31 August 1807.¹ Zeriuah Giddings died on 3 May 1871 at Williamsfield, Ashtabula Co., OH. She was buried at Roberts Cemetery, Wayne, Ashtabula Co., OH.²

     Lorrain Giddings was born on 12 February 1789 at Hartland, Hartford Co., CT.^1,2 He was the son of Benjamin Giddings and Affiah Holcombe. Lorrain Giddings married Desdemona Cowdry on 4 January 1816.³ Lorrain Giddings died on 30 April 1858 at New Hartland, CT, at age 69.² He was buried at Barkhamsted Center Cemetery, Barkhamsted, Litchfield Co., CT.¹

Lorrain and Desdemona were enumerated in the 1850 Barkhamsted, Litchfield Co., CT, federal census. He was a farmer, age 61, she was 52. Children in the household were Harriet E. 23, Caroline D. 19, Mary J. 17, and Lorrain 15.

Desdemona was enumerated in the 1860 Hartland, Hartford Co., CT, federal census in the household of Salmon Giddings.

     Almon Giddings was born circa 1786 at Hartland, Hartford Co., CT. He was the son of Benjamin Giddings and Affiah Holcombe. Almon Giddings married Lola Miller.¹ Almon Giddings died on 31 March 1849 at Pontiac, Oakland Co, MI.² He was buried at Bigler Cemetery, Oakland Co., MI.²

     Anderson Shipp Truman was born on 27 February 1816 at Shelby Co., KY.¹ He was the son of William Truman Jr.¹ Anderson Shipp Truman married Mary Jane Holmes, daughter of Jesse Holmes and Ann Drusilla Tyler, on 13 August 1846 at Shelby Co., KY.¹ Anderson Shipp Truman died on 3 July 1887 at Grandview, MO, at age 71.¹

     Mary Jane Holmes was born on 15 March 1821 at Shelby Co., KY.¹ She was the daughter of Jesse Holmes and Ann Drusilla Tyler. Mary Jane Holmes married Anderson Shipp Truman, son of William Truman Jr., on 13 August 1846 at Shelby Co., KY.¹ Mary Jane Holmes died on 15 February 1879 at Jackson Co., MO, at age 57.¹

     William Truman Jr. was born on 15 January 1783 at VA.¹ He died on 28 November 1863 at Shelby Co., KY, at age 80.¹

     William Thomas Truman was born on 24 April 1847. He was the son of Anderson Shipp Truman and Mary Jane Holmes. William Thomas Truman married Henrietta Strang on 21 December 1871. William Thomas Truman died on 6 April 1930 at Seymour, TX, at age 82.

     Henrietta Strang married William Thomas Truman, son of Anderson Shipp Truman and Mary Jane Holmes, on 21 December 1871. Henrietta Strang died on 26 April 1881.

     Maj. Gen Ralph Emerson Truman was born on 10 May 1880 at Jackson Co., MO. He was the son of William Thomas Truman and Henrietta Strang. Maj. Gen Ralph Emerson Truman married Nannie Louise Watson on 4 July 1903 at Lone Oak, TX. Maj. Gen Ralph Emerson Truman died on 30 April 1962 at age 81.

Ralph and Nannie were enumerated in the 1920 Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO, federal census. He was a city detective, age 39, she was 38. Children in the household were Henrietta 14, and Louis 11.

     Nannie Louise Watson married Maj. Gen Ralph Emerson Truman, son of William Thomas Truman and Henrietta Strang, on 4 July 1903 at Lone Oak, TX. Nannie Louise Watson died on 2 July 1931.

     Lt. Gen. Louis Watson Truman was born on 20 June 1908 at Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO. He was the son of Maj. Gen Ralph Emerson Truman and Nannie Louise Watson. Lt. Gen. Louis Watson Truman married Margaret Stevenson. Lt. Gen. Louis Watson Truman died on 2 December 2004 at VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA, at age 96. He was buried at West Point, Orange Co., NY.

Lieutenant General Louis W. Truman, former Commanding General of Third U.S. Army passed away on December 2, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 96. He has resided in Atlanta since his retirement in 1967 after 37 years of active duty in the Army. He was a reluctant soldier who came to find himself at one of the great junctures of military history. At his death he was the second-oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Born June 20, 1908 in Kansas City, MO. He was preceded in death by his parents, Maj. Gen. Ralph Emerson Truman, Nanny Louise Watson Truman, his brother Col. Corbie Truman, his sister, Henrietta Truman Davidson, and his first wife, Margret Stevenson Truman. General Truman was cousin to 33rd President, Harry S. Truman, and served as his Aide-de-Camp during President Truman's inauguration in 1948.

After high school, Truman planned to study law or go to work for a railroad, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a 2003 interview. But his father, a National Guard commander insisted he apply to West Point.

Truman failed the first time he took the entrance exam, in 1927, coming in 24th out of a field of 26 applicants. That so angered him that he took it again and passed.

In 1926, General Truman enlisted in Company E, 140th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Division. In July 1928, Truman entered the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation in June 1932, he was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant. Truman's first duty assignment was the 6th Infantry Regiment at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. In 1936, then-1st Lt. Truman was assigned to Fort Benning, Ga., where he completed the Infantry School and the Tank School. Next, he served a two-year tour of duty at Fort Davis, in the Canal Zone and then returned to Fort Benning in Sept. 1940 to be a staff and logistics officer in the 2nd Armored Division's 14th Armored Brigade. The 2nd Armored Division at the time was commanded by one of the Army's fastest rising officers; his name was Brig. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.

In Jan. 1941, Truman was transferred to Pearl Harbor, Hi., where he was an Aide-de-Camp to Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department. He was a first-hand witness when the Japanese launched their surprise attack on December 7, 1941. He would continue to serve there until Feb. 1942. Truman said in an interview last year (2003) that he had a conversation with Short before the attack but Short, in keeping with most military opinions at the time, thought that a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor highly unlikely.

By March 1942, Truman was promoted to the rank of Major and was assigned to U.S. Army Ground Forces Command headquarters, first as an assistant G3/Operations officer and later as Secretary of the General Staff for Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair.

In April 1944, now a Lieutenant Colonel, he joined the 84th Infantry Division at Camp Claiborne, La., where he served as both Division Chief of Staff and later as Assistant Division Commander with the 84th Infantry for the duration of World War II.

In August 1944, now promoted as Colonel with only twelve years commissioned service, Truman and the 84th Division landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy unopposed and would later see combat in the European Theater along the Siegfried Line, the Bulge, the Ardennes and in Germany from the Roer to the Elbe Rivers. In Jan. 1946, Truman was assigned to HQ, U. S. Forces European Theater, Frankfurt, Germany, as Deputy Theater Chief for Special Services. From 1946 to 1948, he was assigned as Secretary, U.S. Delegation, United Nations Military Staff Committee. Truman was a student at the National War College from 1948 to 1949. After his graduation from the War College, Truman was a member of the Joint Strategic Planning Group, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. During this time, Gen. Omar Bradley was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Two years after the start of the Korean War, Truman commanded the 223rd Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division from July 1952 to January 1953. He saw combat first-hand and later served as Assistant Division Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division until the end of hostilities in July 1953. Later that year, he was selected and promoted to the rank of Brig. Gen and for the next two years, he served as Chief of Staff to Third Army at Fort McPherson, Ga. In 1955, he was transferred to Naples, Italy, where Truman was Deputy Chief of Staff - G3/Plans and Operations Officer for NATO's Southern European Command.

Truman received his second star in 1956 and with it, the Chairmanship of the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Karachi, Pakistan. Truman later returned to the U.S. to take command of the Army's 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Wash., from 1958 until 1960. Subsequently, he was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Training and later as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Continental Army Command at Fort Monroe, Va. from 1960-1962. In that same capacity, Truman also commanded Joint Task Force-Four.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy nominated General Truman for promotion to Lieutenant General and from 1963 until 1965, he commanded the Army's VII Corps at Kelly Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. His final assignment was his selection by the Army's senior leadership to be the Commanding General of Third Army, at Fort McPherson. Truman commanded Third Army for two years until his retirement in August 1, 1967. During his distinguished military career, Truman was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals (one with 'V' device), two Army Commendation Medals, and the Combat Infantryman Badge with one star. He also wore the American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the WW II Victory Medal, The Army of Occupation Medal (Germany), two National Defense Service Medals, Korean Service Medal and UN Service Medal. Along with his Army awards, he received several foreign decorations; the Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre from France, the Order of Leopold and Croix de Guerre from Belgium, the Order of Orange Nassau from the Netherlands and the Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of Korea and others.

After his retirement from the Army, Truman served as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade under Georgia Governors Lester Maddox, Jimmy Carter, and George Busbee. From 1976 until 1984, Truman served as vice president and special assistant to the president of Adams/Cates Realty in Atlanta. General Truman also received many civilian honors. Among them were a Doctorate of Laws degree from Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, a proclamation of July 27, 1967 as "Lt. Gen. Louis W. Truman Day" by former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. in December 1975 and another proclamation from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He was also the third recipient of the "Good Neighbor Award" from the Harry S. Truman Foundation in 1975. Recently, Truman was honored by the West Point Society of Atlanta with its "Distinguished Graduate Award." General Truman was also very active in the following organizations: West Point Society of Atlanta, the Georgia Industrial Developers Association, the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Atlanta, the Truman Presidential Library, Independence, Mo., the Rail Splitters, and the Capital City Club of Atlanta.

Over the years, he has promoted many charitable organizations to include the Shriners. General Truman is survived by his loving wife, Anastasia (Tassie) Poulos Truman, his stepson, Michael G. Creety, Jr., Esq., and stepdaughter, Ariadne Adriane Creety. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m., Friday, December 10, at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Dr. David Sapp officiating. Following the service a reception will be held in Fellowship Hall. Interment at United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. In lieu of flowers, the Truman family has requested donations be made to the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC), 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, Georgia 30033. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill, (404)876-1022.

Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 12/8/2004.

     Judge Philo Holcomb Hillyer was born on 14 January 1811 at Henderson Co., KY.¹ He was the son of James Hillyer and Mary Hart.¹ Judge Philo Holcomb Hillyer married Minerva Frances Catlett on 7 October 1841 at Henderson, KY.

     Eliza Ruth Hillyer was born on 26 January 1813 at probably Henderson Co., KY.¹ She was the daughter of James Hillyer and Mary Hart.¹ Eliza Ruth Hillyer died on 18 January 1857 at Henderson, KY, at age 43; unmarried.¹

     James Virgil Hillyer was born on 2 January 1815 at probably Henderson Co., KY.¹ He was the son of James Hillyer and Mary Hart.¹ James Virgil Hillyer died on 14 April 1840 at age 25.¹

     Mary Susan Hillyer was born on 25 May 1817 at probably Henderson Co., KY.¹ She was the daughter of James Hillyer and Mary Hart.¹

     George W. Alderman was born circa 1838 at VA.¹ He was the son of Daniel Alderman and Susan Wade.¹

     Mary M. Alderman was born circa 1842 at VA.¹ She was the daughter of Daniel Alderman and Susan Wade.¹

     Sedan Ellen Helmick was born on 1 February 1829 at Pendleton Co., WV.¹ She married James C. Alderman, son of Daniel Alderman and Susan Wade, in 1850 at Pocahontas Co., WV.¹ Sedan Ellen Helmick died on 9 March 1919 at Upshur Co., WV, at age 90.¹ She was buried at Rock Cave Cemetery, Upshur Co., WV.¹

     Silas D. Alderman was born in February 1852.¹ He was the son of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹ Silas D. Alderman died on 31 December 1917 at Upshur Co., WV, at age 65.¹

Silas and Mary were enumerated in the 1880 Banks, Upshur Co., WV, federal census. He was a farmer, age 28, she was 28. Children in the household were Alberta 5, Sarah C. 4, and Florence 1.

     Rebecca Alderman was born circa 1854.¹ She was the daughter of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹

     Mary S. Alderman was born circa 1858.¹ She was the daughter of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹

     Charles Wesley Alderman was born on 12 September 1859 at Upshur Co., WV.¹ He was the son of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹ Charles Wesley Alderman married Mary Etta Helmick, daughter of William Helmick, on 12 March 1884.¹ Charles Wesley Alderman died on 8 February 1944 at Upshur Co., WV, at age 84.¹

     William Alderman was born on 10 June 1862 at Upshur Co., WV.¹ He was the son of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹ William Alderman died in 1935.¹ He was buried at Rock Cave Cemetery, Upshur Co., WV.¹

     Sarah S. Alderman was born in 1864.¹ She was the daughter of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹ Sarah S. Alderman died on 28 October 1883.¹

     Lillie Mae Alderman was born in 1866.¹ She was the daughter of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹ Lillie Mae Alderman married Simon M. Lane in 1884.¹

     Simon M. Lane was born circa 1860.¹ He married Lillie Mae Alderman, daughter of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick, in 1884.¹

     Robert E. Lee Alderman was born on 28 June 1869 at Barbour Co., WV.¹ He was the son of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick.¹

     Mary Etta Helmick was born on 24 November 1864 at Marion Co., IL.¹ She was the daughter of William Helmick.¹ Mary Etta Helmick married Charles Wesley Alderman, son of James C. Alderman and Sedan Ellen Helmick, on 12 March 1884.¹ Mary Etta Helmick died on 23 February 1946 at Akron, Summit Co., OH, at age 81.¹

     Zaphania Holcombe was born circa 1800 at VA.¹ He was the son of Stephen Holcombe and Susan Ewing.¹ Zaphania Holcombe married Mary Ann Collins, daughter of John Collins and Hannah Ewing, on 13 May 1820 at Gallia Co., OH.¹ Zaphania Holcombe died in 1843 at Village, Van Buren Co., IA.¹

     Mary Ann Collins was born circa 1802 at VA.¹ She was the daughter of John Collins and Hannah Ewing.¹ Mary Ann Collins married Zaphania Holcombe, son of Stephen Holcombe and Susan Ewing, on 13 May 1820 at Gallia Co., OH.¹ Mary Ann Collins died circa 1865 at Wapello Co., IA.¹

     John Collins married Hannah Ewing.

     Hannah Ewing married John Collins.

     William Francis Holcombe was born on 27 January 1831 at Tippecanoe Co., IN.¹ He was the son of Zaphania Holcombe and Mary Ann Collins.¹ William Francis Holcombe married Nancy Ceceilia Stewart on 8 November 1860.¹ William Francis Holcombe died on 25 January 1912 at San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., CA, at age 80.^1,2 He was buried on 27 January 1912 at Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., CA.


From Wikipedia under titles "Holcomb Valley," and "William F. Holcomb":

William Francis "Grizzly Bill" Holcomb was an American prospector and the first to discover gold in the region which became known as Holcomb Valley, near present-day Big Bear Lake, California. Holcomb Valley had the most gold of any Southern California field. The boomtown of Belleville grew up there and for a time was the third or fourth largest in Southern California. Holcomb was the first justice of the peace in Belleville and later was elected to county offices.

At about age 18, he migrated with many other young men in the California Gold Rush for a chance of riches. His party had many difficulties. At the Green River crossing on the Sublette Cutoff in present-day Wyoming, he lost his wagon and entire outfit; his oxen drowned. He had to reach Placerville, California on foot. He failed in his attempts at mining in the Sierra Nevada gold fields and later in the Kern River fields. He went to Oregon for a while, then went down to Southern California.

In 1859 while in Los Angeles, Holcomb and a companion Jack Martin heard of the Bear Valley diggings near San Bernardino. They set out to make another try at mining. They had to force their horses through deep snow to reach the Bear Valley diggings. Already Bear Valley had been dubbed “Starvation Flatts” by its discouraged group of miners, who were finding little. Soon after Holcomb’s arrival, one of the miners panned some gold from under the pine trees a few hundred feet up the hillside and saved the Bear Valley diggings from abandonment.

Like the others, Holcomb suffered from the lack of supplies and minimal gold finds in the rural mountain community. Called "the best sharpshooter west of the Mississippi", Holcomb was asked by the miners to shoot some of the grizzly bears living in the area for their meat. Holcomb was able to bring back dead bears to feed the starving miners. He was nicknamed "Grizzly Bill" because he was known to have killed many bears. He was said to have finished off all the bears in the Bear Valley.

While tracking the bears, Holcomb kept his eye out for gold, and he took chunks of likely rock. About five miles from Bear Valley, he discovered gold. On May 5, 1860, Holcomb and Ben Ware arrived at the office of the County Recorder to record five gold claims located in the Holcomb Valley five miles north of Bear Valley.

That spring, the Bear Valley miners chipped in and sent Martin to San Bernardino for flour. The people there knew Bear Valley was producing little gold, so when Martin paid with gold dust for his flour, the men in San Bernardino followed him back and found out about Holcomb Valley. They rushed to mine its rich sand and shale placers. That was the start of the Holcomb Valley gold rush. By July miners poured into the Holcomb Valley, as the news of gold spread far and wide. The gold rush was on, and miners founded the short-lived boom town of Belleville there. For ten years it was the third or fourth largest town in Southern California. Holcomb Valley turned out to be the source of more gold than any other part of Southern California. Holcomb Valley produced the most wealth from gold of any Southern California mining district. With time, major placer and quartz mining declined, followed by the departure of most of the population of Belleville after 1870. Hard rock mining continued at the Gold Mountain Mine until 1919. Some mining activity continues today, with 2,000 claims by hobbyists.

The valley is the site of the Holcomb Valley Scout Ranch (formerly of Old Baldy Council), on the site of the old Hitchcock Ranch. It provides opportunities for youth to have experience in ranching, hiking and related outdoor activities.

With some financial future seeming in his grasp, in 1860 Holcomb married Nancy Stewart and built a house in San Bernardino. They had five sons and two daughters. His sons were William Jr, John, Michael, Steven, and Matthew. His daughters were Kathryn Holcomb and Annie "Angel", who died of Scarlet fever in her infancy.

Holcomb's grandson, Grant Holcomb, served as the mayor of San Bernardino from 1925 through 1927. His great-grandson, Bob Holcomb, was the longest serving mayor of San Bernardino in history, holding the office from 1971 through 1985 and again from 1989 through 1993.

Holcomb was elected the first justice of the peace at Belleville, but he soon resigned to devote more time to his mines. He returned to San Bernardino during the fall of 1861, where his house was destroyed by the flood of 1862. Holcomb returned to mining in the mountains that summer to make up for his losses. In 1863 he moved for more than a year to the vicinity of Prescott, Arizona, where he mined and hunted.

Upon returning to San Bernardino, Holcomb worked in mountain lumber camps for four years until his election as the county assessor in 1871. He was the first member of the Republican Party to be elected to public office in San Bernardino County. Holcomb held the office of county assessor for three terms. In 1882 he returned to politics, and he was elected the county clerk.

Following his services as county assessor and county clerk, Holcomb became a merchant in San Bernardino.

William and Nancy were enumerated in the 1870 San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., CA, federal census. He was 40 she was 37. Children in the household were Charles S. 11, William 8, Francis 7, Minna 4, and George V. 1.

William and Nancy C. "Holcum" were again enumerated in San Bernardino in the 1880 federal census. He was 49, she was 42. Children in the household were William W. 18, Francis L. 17, Minnie C. 14, George V. 11. Mary Jane 4, and Lewis Clark 2.

Wm. F. and Nancy S. were enumerated in the 1900 San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., CA, federal census. He was 69, she was 62. The only child in the household was Mary J. 24, listed as daughter. They had been married 39 years and had 9 children, 6 still living.

William F. and Nancy C. were again enumerated in San Bernardino in the 1910 federal census. He was 79 she was 71. She was listed as having 10 children, 6 still living. Both were listed as having been married only once.

From the San Bernardino Daily Sun January 26, 1912, viewed on www.newspapers.com:

Death closed the activities of William Francis Holcomb, pioneer, at 9:30 last night, and the history of one of the most picturesque and noble characters of the Golden West was terminated.

Realizing that even if his illness, that had forces him to his bed for over two weeks did not end in death, he would spend the remainder of his eventful life as an invalid, he aged and once hardiest of pioneers sought the end by his own hand. The denial of the life in the open, that had always been his, was too much for his free spirit, and slipping away from his sick couch and nurse, he searched out his rifle, laid down on the earthen floor of an out-room of his house -- and found surcease.

There he was found by members of his family a moment after a solitary rifle shot rang out. His head rested on the bottom step of the short stairs leading down into the little room. His hands were folded across his breast and his face was turned up to the heavens. He lived but an instant, just long enough to place his hands on his breast. A faint smile was on the drawn face of the kindly old man.

He would have celebrated his eighty-first birthday on Saturday, and he had looked forward to the occasion eagerly. He had told members of his family, who were constantly at his bedside, that he would get up and register on his birthday. Wednesday night he sank so low that at one time it was fared he was dying. With the early hours of yesterday morning, however, he rallied, grew stronger and it was thought the crisis had passed. All day he was much improved, and his spirit was brighter, although he was delirious. About nine o'clock he told his nurse, Jesse Morse, to go to bed, that he was all right and would soon be asleep himself. Then he left his bed, found his rifle and box of cartridges, and pressed the trigger.

The deceased pioneer is survived by his wife, whom he married on November 8, 1860, in this city. She was the daughter of John M. Stewart. There are four sons: W. W. Holcomb and F. L. Holcomb, of this city; C. S. Holcomb, of Banning; George V. Holcomb, of Chino; and two daughters, Mrs. Harley Swarthout, of this city; and Mrs. James Robinson, of Santa Paula.

The body was removed to the parlors of the Mark B. Shaw Undertaking company. The funeral arrangements will be made today, and announced later.

William Francis Holcomb, or "Uncle Billy" Holcomb, as he was known to the early settlers of the valley, was one of the most widely known pioneers. He crossed the plains to California in 1850 and the story of his life breathes with the very atmosphere of the exciting days of the early history of the west. He came to San Bernardino valley in 1860 and made his home in the valley continually from that time.

He was born on January 27, 1831 in Indiana, but his parents moved to Will county, Illinois, in his infancy. In 1839 he went to Portland, Van Buren county, Iowa. On May 5, 1850, he started for California, and the story of his life from that time is interwoven with the early history of the state.

After hardships, mishaps that cost nearly all of his worldly belongings, and skirmishes with the Indians, Holcomb completed his journey across the plains, mountains and desert, and reached Hangtown, now Placerville, on August 28, 1850. For 10 years he sought the golden wealth in the placer mines in various camps in the northern part of the state, but with little success, and he then turned southward. In February, 1860, he reached San Bernardino and continued on to Bear valley, which he had heard of before his arrival here.

It was after he reached Bear valley, and had found gold in paying quantities at that point, that he discovered, hit away o the slope of the range, the beautiful valley that was named by the miners after him, and which now bears his name -- Holcomb Valley. His discovery of gold at that point caused excitement throughout Southern California and at one time there were 1,500 people in the valley.

In 1863-64 Mr. Holcomb spent a year in Arizona, but on his return took up and active life in this city. In 1872 he was elected county assessor on the Republican ticket, and served for eight years. In 1882 he was elected county clerk, and was the first Republican clerk in the county. He was re-elected for a second term. During his first term he served in various other official capacities that were not created into separate offices until later.

Mr. Holcomb's fame as a huntsman was known throughout the west. It is said he killed more grizzly bears than any other man in the state. Until within the past few months he had joined hunting expeditions to the mountains. In 1888 he won the prize over 50 competitors in the Christmas hunt of the "Old Boys" Club and Pioneer society.

Since the organization of the Pioneer society he took a most active part. He never tired telling and hearing of the tales of the early fifties and sixties. He served as both president and secretary of the society.

On February 23, 1900, he read his "Reminiscences and History of Holcomb Valley," which he wrote at the request of the Pioneers' society.

The story, written as he had often told it, contains many interesting events in the early days of San Bernardino county, and particularly of Holcomb Valley, in which he took up claims on May 5, 1860, he writes, "Just 10 years to a day from the time I left home for California."

His passing will bring grief into the hearts of hundreds who knew him as "Uncle Billy."

     Nancy Ceceilia Stewart was born on 25 March 1838 at Adams Co., IL.¹ She married William Francis Holcombe, son of Zaphania Holcombe and Mary Ann Collins, on 8 November 1860.¹ Nancy Ceceilia Stewart died on 16 November 1919 at San Bernardino Co., CA, at age 81.¹ She was buried at Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., CA.¹

It is apparently Nancy that appears in the 11 July 1860 San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., CA, federal census, age 22 as Nancy Dougal (Dregail) with child Charles, age 1.

There are references in Find A Grave referencing Charles Stewart Dougall Holcomb. Further research is necessary.

     Oliver Ensworth Goddard was also known as Oliver Ensworth Godard. He was born on 19 February 1926.^1,2 He was the son of Ensworth Merrill Goddard and Ethel Tingley.¹ Oliver Ensworth Goddard married Gladys May Ingvertsen. Oliver Ensworth Goddard died on 4 February 1989 at Village of North Granby, Granby, Hartford Co., CT, at age 62.²

     Gladys May Ingvertsen was born on 26 May 1925.¹ She married Oliver Ensworth Goddard, son of Ensworth Merrill Goddard and Ethel Tingley. Gladys May Ingvertsen died in March 1993 at Granby, Hartford Co., CT, at age 67.¹