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Byron M. Talman in the 22nd New York Cavalry

by Anne van Leeuwen, descendant, Colorado

with editing by Jon Tallman, distant cousin

This article is about Perinton, New York’s Byron Talman (1838-1909); the 22nd NY and the capture of Confederate raider Major Harry Gilmor.

The 22nd NY Cavalry existed during the last eighteen months of the Civil War, when fighting closed on the Confederate capital in Virginia. Much of this time, the 22nd NY Cavalry regiment was assigned to the 3rd Division of the Cavalry Corps. The 3rd Division was commanded by General George Armstrong Custer, who had established a reputation at Gettysburg. The Cavalry Corps was under the overall command of General Philip Sheridan, whose battle experience included Stones River, Chattanooga, and Chickamauga.

The 22nd participated in two great campaigns — the Overland Campaign and the (Shenandoah) Valley Campaign. During the Overland Campaign, Sheridan’s Cavalry Corps was attached to Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Potomac as it progressed southward toward the Confederate capital, fighting battles at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor. When battle lines became entrenched at Richmond and Petersburg, Grant made Sheridan’s Cavalry Corps into the autonomous Army of the Shenandoah. Their mission was to halt Confederate military operations in western Virginia and to eliminate the threat of attack on Washington. The Valley Campaign fought battles at Opequon or (Third Winchester), Cedar Creek, and Waynesboro. All of these battles, from the Wilderness to Waynesboro, are considered major battles, critical to the war’s outcome. The valley being rich fertile farmland serving as the breadbasket to Confederate troops ⁽⁶⁾. The 22nd fought them all within a six month period and suffered high casualties. 22nd casualties included 3 officers and 22 men killed, or died of wounds; 1 officer and 178 men died of disease, accidents and all other causes; total, 204. Of this number, 87 men died in Confederate prisons ⁽⁶⁾. The regiment especially distinguished itself at Kearneysville, Dinwiddle Court House and White Oak swamp.

The legacy of the 22nd or Rochester Cavalry and the Cavalry Corps is significant. When the war began, the Union Army had no effective cavalry. In contrast, the Confederacy had the illustrious cavalryman Maj. General J.E.B. Stuart. By the end of the campaigns, Stuart had been removed and the reputations of Custer and Sheridan established. In his farewell address to the division, Custer said, “In the past six months, although confronted by superior numbers,… you have never lost a gun, never lost a color, and have never been defeated.”

At Perinton on 12 October 1863, Talman was among the first to enlist in Company A of the 22nd NY Cavalry. He was elected ⁽⁶⁾ their First Sergeant, as more men volunteered, Companies B through M were formed. Talman was 25, had a wife ⁽¹⁾, and had already sailed the Atlantic and Mediterranean. His father was an abolitionist who had campaigned for Lincoln in Perinton and Rochester. Talman served as First Sergeant through the Overland Campaign. For the Shenandoah Campaign, he was commissioned 18 Aug 1864 to second lieutenant in Company H. Later, he would command Company M as a Brevet ⁽⁶⁾ Captain and would frequently be in command of the battalion or regiment. He was mustered out 1 Aug 1865 officially as a second lieutenant.

Byron Talman, a cavalry officer in the field (ca. 1864)

Talman received a gunshot wound to his left arm at Opequon (Winchester). There are several accounts. General Custer reported, “The enemy upon our approach delivered a well-directed volley of musketry, but before a second discharge could be given my command was in their midst, sabering right and left.” Talman’s brother, a journalist and historian, wrote, “he was shot in the left arm while leading a charge, but fought on until, faint from loss of blood, his colonel forced him to the rear.” In his promotion to Brevet Captain and the command of Company M, the Army record cited his “gallant and meritorious services at the Battle of Winchester, Va.” A report dated March 16, 1865 from George Sperry, Assistant Regimental Quarter Master, 22nd NY Cavalry stated in an assault near Rock Fish Gap that “four of the nine battle flags were captured” and lists Lt. Talman among many others being present.

Major Harry Gilmor was a Confederate raider who destroyed railroad bridges near Washington in Maryland and West Virginia. As the Confederacy grew desperate, Gilmor terrorized civilians and burned the town of Chambersburg, Penn, under orders from General John McCausland ⁽⁶⁾ nearly to the ground.

Gilmor’s Capture, recorded from another regimental history of that time, told that, Sheridan had scouts “Jessie Scouts.⁽²⁾” Union soldiers who had been selected for their courage and fitness for this dangerous work. They tracked Gilmor, and on 4 Feb 1865, they found him in bed, sound asleep, his revolver on a chair nearby. Gilmor was imprisoned for the remainder of the war. (Military records indicate the 22^nd Cav were at Moorefield, WV Feb 4-6.)

Byron Talman’s role in Gilmor’s capture is unclear, as the story was not told during his life, but it is consistent with the known facts.

• Was Talman ever a scout for Sheridan? (Probably⁽⁶⁾) In the Monroe County Mail ^{(3 4)} dated 13 Feb 1919, Talman’s brother wrote, “In the Battle of the Wilderness, Byron led a squad of troopers detailed to carry dispatches between Gen. Grant and his corps commanders who included Sheridan and half the time was inside the Confederate lines.” This is consistent with deployment of the regiment at the Wilderness.
• Was Talman serving as Sheridan’s scout in February 1865? (Probably⁽⁶⁾) The Army record indicates that he was present but unattached to a command from January through March 1865.
• Was Talman involved with Gilmor’s capture? (Doubtful, “Jessie’s Scouts” were all handpicked men working mostly in enemy territory⁽⁶⁾) In the Monroe County Mail ^{(3 4)} dated 15 Nov 1909, Talman’s brother writes, “he was the captor of Major Harry Gilmor, the famous Baltimore officer, whom he chased for three days and nights. ⁽⁵⁾”

⁽¹⁾ Probably unbeknownst to Byron, his wife Elizabeth was already pregnant with their first child.

⁽²⁾ From Wikipedia: created by John C. Fremont as irregular troops operating in the south dressed as Confederate wearing a white handkerchief over their shoulders and commanded by Maj. Henry Young.

⁽³⁾ Byron’s younger brother John Talman Jr. held a career in the newspaper industry from the 1870’s thru 1908. In 1909 he went to work for the Minnesota Historical Society; even then he contributed numerous articles on many subjects in both newspapers and magazines. In studying a number of his articles it may be noted he often embellished them.

⁽⁴⁾ In 1866 Col. Harry Gilmor wrote “Four Years in the Saddle” published by the Harper Bros. and on pages 173-4 he describes Union Major Harry Young along with four men as his captors. Additionally, he went on to describe that they were dressed as Confederates. That upon leaving there were an additional 200 Union Cavalry drawn up across the river. “The 22^nd Pennsylvania Cavalry and Ringgold Battalion” by S. C. Farr 1911 pages 448-9 tells a similar version. This unit served in the Shenandoah and many of its soldiers were from Chambersburg, which was burned 30 July 1864.

⁽⁵⁾ John’s account of “he was the captor” mocks Gilmor, who was an exceptional braggart, boasting in the newspapers and defying his pursuers.

⁽⁶⁾ Editors comments, additions, corrections.

 

Byron Talman

After the war, Talman and his wife Elizabeth Thompson first moved to Minnesota before moving on to Iowa and the quiet life as a farmer. They would become the parents of eight children, 4 sons and 4 daughters. Byron and was buried in Williams Cemetery 1909 near his grandchildren in Williams, Iowa. Tragically, an 1896 tuberculosis epidemic took the lives of three of his grandchildren (by daughter Ida May) — except my grandfather Frank.

John “Jack” Lathrop Tallman

November 16, 1898 – October 24, 1958

Jack’s childhood is put together from a diary his mother kept of their life. A family heirloom which I was very fortunate to acquire a few years ago.

John “Jack” Lathrop Tallman was born at 9 AM at the family residence at 55 Pineapple St., Brooklyn, NY he weighed 9 lbs. The only child of John Francis Tallman and Mai Comstock Lathrop. His grandparents were John P. H. and Sarah J. (Anderson) Tallman of Poughkeepsie, NY and Norman B. and Sarah (Comstock) Lathrop of Torrington, CT. He was christened Jan. 10, 1899 at home by his uncle Rev. Dr. Maltbie D. Babcock. His parents were married in Syracuse April 16, 1896 by Rev. Babcock. Rev. Babcock was the husband of John’s sister Katherine.

In September 1903, they moved to 39 S. Oxford St. Brooklyn. For whatever reason John and Mai’s marriage started souring; from the diary it’s indicated that in May 1904 she stored all her things and in June she and Jack moved to Syracuse. Jack would spend his formative years growing up in Syracuse around the Babcock’s. Mai’s older sister was married to Howard Babcock and her sister-in-law Katherine was married to Rev. Maltbie Babcock.  In October 1905, he learned to ride a bicycle, in February ‘06’ he had the 3 day measles and during the summer he learned to swim and dive. That September he entered Prescott Elementary and in December he came down with the mumps which he promptly gave to his Aunt Katherine. In 1907 he skipped a grade to 5^th and again in ‘08’ he skipped two grades to 7th. In August of 1908, he learned to play golf and the next month his father bought him his first set of clubs; he got a first baseman’s glove that Christmas. The summer of 1909 was spent playing golf and tennis every day on Block Island. Located 13 miles off the south coast of Rhode Island the island is known as a popular summer tourist destination. Almost every Christmas was spent at the Babcock’s in Syracuse. In the summer of 1911, with his parents temporarily back together, they went on a family trip. Their first stop was at Niagara Falls, then a steamer on to the Thousand Islands, leaving there they shot the rapids of the St. Lawrence to Montreal. From there they sailed on to Quebec and then back to Montreal where they would head south down to Lake Champlain, visiting the Ausable Chasm known as the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. They stayed at Lake George where they fished and Jack shot his first rifle.

Jack entered North High School January 1912 graduating the fall of 1913, age 16, where he played baseball, hockey, tennis and golf. That summer he went to Nova Scotia and Newport with his father, then with his mother to Block Island where he won his first golf tournament. In the fall of ‘13’ he entered Dr. Holbrook’s Military Academy in Briar Cliff on the banks of the Hudson River, NY. Besides learning military drill skills, he studied math, Latin, German and French. His summer break of 1914 again started with 2 weeks at Block Island before going back to Syracuse the rest of the summer where he learned to ride a motorcycle. In 1915 he played on the school’s baseball team and graduated Cum Laude in June and went back to his mother’s in Syracuse. Starting in August he attended Syracuse University summer classes where he studied drawing and German. As usual he found time to again return to Block Island for a couple of weeks, this time by himself. He took a two-year course in bookkeeping and stenography. July of 1916 was spent attending a military training camp at Plattsburg. In August, he found his first job working at the Syracuse Herald-Journal for $12 a week and was tutored three evenings a week in Spanish.

In February 1917, he moved back to Brooklyn with his father. No one knows for sure but, it may have been due to the heart problems his father suffered from. He went to work at the Cuba Cane Sugar Co at 42 Wall Street, New York City earning $60 a month. The United States entered WW I in April of 1917 and Jack enlisted in the Naval Reserve in December. The Cane Company gave him a Christmas bonus. His dad died suddenly from heart failure the 12^th of January 1918 and his mother came to stay with him. Not long after, he informed the Company he was leaving to enter active duty; for his dedication they gave him a wrist watch and a check for $200. In March, he was sent to Pelham Bay Naval Station, NYC where he earned a Quartermaster rating and was sent to Officer Candidate School. He was now 19, an Ensign and transferred to a Communication School. When the Armistice was signed the end of October he was discharged from service. It was then while visiting a boyhood friend at Princeton who convinced him to also enroll there.

While at Princeton he was on the Rowing Crew, played Hockey, was Manager of the Cottage Club, Pres. of the Musical Club and leader of the Glee Club. Like his earlier education experiences Jack graduated from Princeton with Honors in 1922. Through a Princeton friend he took a two-year training program with Goodyear Tire Company in Akron, Ohio starting in the factory learning the processes. Next stop in the Ad department and then in Sales working his way to number 25 out of 625 Salesmen. He was then transferred to Manchester, New Hampshire as Branch Manager. Following Goodyear he would make a number of moves working his way up the ladder in the “Advertising world.”

His first would be in Boston to work for the Carroll J. Swan advertising company for a year and a half. Now, with some experience under his belt, his next move was to the Blackman Company as an account executive in New York City. His accounts there were Proctor & Gamble, U.S. Rubber and Socony Vacuum. In March 1930, he took a position as assistant manager of the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency in Antwerp, Belgium. His wife would move with him but, it was short lived due to his suffering appendicitis in May. The surgery was performed in the American Hospital in Paris. He remained in the hospital till mid-August when they sent him to the London office where he only stayed three weeks. Whether he quit or it was a mutual decision he returned home to Syracuse and in November 1930 took the same position with Barlow ^(Soule), Feeley & Richmond Ad Agency there. He was promoted to manager in August 1931 and stayed in that position until March of 1934. That month he accepted a position as Advertising Executive for the Curtis Publishing Company at a base salary of $8,500 plus commissions. Curtis Publishing owned the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Country Gentleman and Holiday Magazines. Jack’s responsibility was with the Saturday Evening Post with a territory of New York and Connecticut. He purchased a home in Darien, Connecticut before moving to New Canaan in 1947. He kept his position with the Post for 23 years until 1957; learning that he too like his father before him had heart problems and made a decision to retire.

Because of his health he made the decision in September of ‘57’ to move the family to Scottsdale, Ariz. They bought a new home there at 7011 Jackrabbit Road. For a while he did real-estate sales for Caldwell Banker until making acquaintances with Tom Chambers who had recently started a company called Ranch Wagon Foods a specialty food company. At the time, sales of boutique specialty foods was a $70 million dollar business. Jack became Tom’s partner handling distribution in July of ‘58.’ As it turned out, it was a very short lived partnership as Jack succumbed to a heart attack on October 24, 1958 in St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was remembered by all his friends as “Jack”; and an excellent Golfer. He won Club Championships in Connecticut at Wee Burn Country Club and was a past Governor of; also at Woodway Country Club and New Canaan Country Club. A lover of Sports Cars and racing he owned a Morgan and a Porsche. While in Scottsdale he was member of Scottsdale Country Club and Paradise Valley Country Club. An interesting note from his mother’s diary dated January 1918 reads “father died on the 12^th at his house 711 Park Place, Brooklyn, NY very suddenly of heart trouble”.

He married first to Isabel Dickinson Maltby on May 4, 1929 in Greenwich, Conn. by the Rev. Dr. Charles G. Sewall, she was born May 8, 1902 in Corning, NY. They went on a honeymoon cruise after the wedding to Europe returning June 2^nd to the Port of New York. In 1941 they built a new house in New Canaan moving in March 1942. In April of 1945, Isabel and Jack separated and Isabel obtained a divorce in Florida May 1946. No children.

On Oct. 3, 1947, he married Martha (Pace) Livesay whom he had met in Darien; she too was a divorcee with two young boys. She was a graduate of Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Penn. a well-known college prep school for girls and then attended Sarah Lawrence College.

John and Martha are buried in Green Acres Memorial Park at the corner of N. Hayden and E. McKellips Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ. The picture above of Jack & Martha was taken in December 1952 at Le Cog Rouge 65 East 56^th Street, NYC celebrating after the Broadway Play “Grey-eyed People” which starred Walter Matthau.

To provide some background into Jack’s lineage is the following:

His grandfather John P. H., had been a prominent Poughkeepsie Lawyer, later a Judge and involved in many outside successful businesses. His father, was also a lawyer, obtained his bachelor’s and master’s from Syracuse University. He started his career practicing in Poughkeepsie before accepting a management position for New York Life in New York City and finally in charge of underwriters for the Mutual Life Insurance in Brooklyn. He was also a noted art collector. His father-in-law, Norman Lathrop was a successful merchant and store owner in Torrington, Conn. Jack’s father in-fact had to pay a dowry in order to marry Mai Lathrop. Even though they separated, from the diary it’s easy to determine they maintained a friendly relationship and spent a number of family vacations together.

David Newton Tallman

A Man who “Fell From Grace”

Jan. 22, 1872 – Apr. 23, 1958

by Jon Tallman

David will always be one of my special cousins, being that rare double cousin. His grandfather Solomon was a 2nd cousin of my gg-grandfather John  J. but, even closer his grandmother Jane was a younger sister of my gg-grandmother Sarah “Sally”.  And they’re farms were next to each other on Chestnut Ridge.

David was the third child of David Solomon Tallman, the Town of Washington’s Supervisor and Commissioner of Highways his mother was the former Angeline Hall.  David spent his formative years growing up on the family farm in South Millbrook, Dutchess County, New York.  As a youth he was educated in the local schools and was actively involved with sports, especially baseball.  His grandparents were Solomon and Jane Ann (Newton) Tallman whose farm had been on Hammond Hill Road located on Chestnut Ridge.  His given name came from his great grandfather David Newton.

His siblings were older brother Akin Solomon b.1868 d.10/31/1929; a clerk for 27 years for Congressman John H. Ketchum and then as personal secretary to Hamilton Fish II and Edward Platt.  In 1920-21 he was a clerk on the Committee for Banking & Currency.  His other brother Isaac b.1870 d.10/31/1950 followed in their father’s footsteps.  Isaac, also an accomplished Trap Shooter competed in tournaments in New York and throughout the east.  In 1900 he competed at the Grand Opening of the Interstate Park in Queens, N.Y. which featured Annie Oakley who was entered in the live bird contest.  His younger sister Elizabeth b.1876 d.8/12/1940 was a well know local seamstress.  His siblings never married and Isaac and Elizabeth were caretakers of the family farm in South Millbrook.

David prepared for college at Seymour Smith Institute in Pine Plains, NY.  In 1893 he graduated from Union College in Schenectady with a degree in Civil Engineering.  He was the Class Historian, a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, his senior year won the Engineering prize for his thesis on “Civil Engineering”.  Active in sports, he was a pitcher on the college baseball team and 1892 was elected its team captain.

Like many at the time seeking his fortune and future in the west he moved to Willmar, Minnesota in 1893.  Obtaining a clerks job in the superintendent’s office of the Great Northern Railway; probably due to his being an acquaintance of the superintendent William Thorne, second son of Samuel Thorne, of Millbrook.  There he met and married Gertrude Clara Adelaide Larson the daughter of Andrew Larson one of its wealthy pioneer citizens.

The daily papers of Willmar and those of St. Paul have long articles giving a glowing account of their wedding, which occurred Tuesday, March 27, 1894.  The ceremony was solemnized in St Luke’s Episcopal Church, which was beautifully decorated for the occasion with potted plants, and cut flowers in banks and festoons, which gave the appearance of a fairyland.  All that wealth could afford was done to make the occasion what it was—one long to be remembered in Willmar society.  The bride, who is the daughter of Mr. Andrew Larson, a wealthy merchant and banker of Willmar, is a general favorite on account of her social position, her beauty, her charming disposition and her considerable attainments in art and music.

The wedding march was rendered while the groom, his best man and the ushers, followed by the six bridesmaids, dressed in white, with white roses, and the bride leaning upon the arm of her father, marched to the chancel rail.  The bride’s dress was cordon pleated white satin with pearl trimmings, heavy lace veil, and in her hand she carried a white prayer book and a white rose.  The reception at the spacious residence was from 8:30 to 10 p. m., during which the bride and groom, amid the discourse of the best music, received congratulations from the scores of guests present.  The presents were costly, beautiful, and seemed innumerable.  Of one which was not visible, the Willmar papers say, “It came-from a wealthy father, and consists of an annual income sufficient to keep them in comfortable circumstances the rest of their days.”

The groom is a thorough gentleman, and has never disappointed his many friends who predicted a fine future for him.  He graduated from Union College, Schenectady, NY with honors.  All his many friends will rejoice at his social success, and be glad also to hear that be holds a very responsible position in the general office of the Eastern Minnesota Railroad in West Superior.

His family, friends and business associates, simply referred to him as “DN” or “Newt”.  Later years while on the golf circuit he picked up the nickname “Tolly” by golfing buddies.  David would earn a real life story that reads better than science fiction.  While in his prime, he would become one of the wealthiest men in Minnesota a self-made millionaire who lost it all.

David and Clara would have five daughters, Helen Margaret b.2/1895, Esther Jane b.10/1898, Gertrude May b.6/26/1902 and twins Margaret Angeline and Marjorie Mary b.6/26/1905.  In 1900 he was a Minnesota delegate in Philadelphia that helped nominate William McKinley and Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt to the White House.

Three years after starting with the Great Northern, he was in the banking business, joining his father-in-law Andrew. By 1897 he began acquiring independent telephone companies and formed the Minnesota Central Telephone Co. with about 2000 miles of toll line and 26 local exchanges. In 1902 he announced the expenditure of $250,000 to update and improve its facilities. After seven years in the telephone business, he divested his interests to focus his attention to the Willmar Realty Co. which he started in April 1902 with $30,000 capital. In April 1905, he formed the Dakota Development Co. and the Farmers’ Lumber Company. In May of 1906 with $100,000 in capital stock he started the Northern Town & Land Co. Both companies were engaged in developing townsites along the Great Northern system where the railroad was building new rail spurs. Finally in January 1907 with $500,000 capital stock the Tallman Investment Co.,  with D. N. president and treasurer, father-in-law Andrew Larson vice-president and Sigurdt B. Qvale secretary, this was done for convenience in overseeing all his companies. The Town Site business was probably partially financed through the 1909 sale of 482 acres of his livestock farm (at the time the largest in Minnesota) to the State. September 29, 1909 an auction was held to sell all the farm implements, remaining animals and feed, crop, etc. In 1911 the State built the Willmar State Hospital there and in 1917 expanded and renamed it the Willmar State Asylum. Another part of his farm became the Willmar Country Club (today Eagle Creek Golf Course). David helped with the design of the first nine holes which opened in 1931. David is also acknowledged as having been able to acquire the funding to have the Willmar Public Library built, opening in 1904. Having Andrew Carnegie as acquaintance, who at the time was giving matching funds based on the Carnegie formula to cities for library construction, which allowed the Library to be built. The Town Site business can be directly attributed to his personal friendship with Louis W. Hill, the son of James J. Hill, Great Northern’s chairman. At first, Hill’s Great Northern had an agreement with Frederick H. Stoltze, a St. Paul Coal and Lumber dealer. After some dealings in which there were only minor successes, Hill knew that Stoltze was not the man to entrust with future sites. By 1905 Louis, had now assumed control of the Great Northern from his father; asked his personal friend Tallman to take the lead in these ventures as the Great Northern was in stiff competition with the Canadian “Soo Line.” Hill’s organization determined where the railroad towns should be built and the desired size of each calculated on the potential grain freight business. It should be noted here that the Dakota’s and Montana were in the heart of the Great Wheat belt known for its spring wheat. Eureka, SD held the distinction of once being the “wheat capital of the world”. Tallman then designed 3 or 4 master plan layouts of the towns that would meet the specs’ of the railroad. However, before any advertising or sales could begin; the proposed Town plats had to be filed and the lots had to be staked. All told, Tallman became the principal investor of 125 small towns in Montana and in North and South Dakota.

These new towns were advertised widely in the press and were launched by auction.  Tallman hired Willard F. Hanks, a savvy salesperson, to attract merchants to establish good trade opportunities in the new towns.  Adds such as: “Splendid openings for all lines of business, in a territory already noted for its productiveness.  Each Town has an enormous territory both North and South which means big business and large profits.”  Promises of establishing a lumber company to furnish supplies for building construction was a known factor.  Tallman established banks in 42 of these towns and was the president; he also established 24 lumber companies.

One of his Towns “Tolna, ND” includes a little insight about it’s history and “Newt” click the link below.

http://www.cityoftolna.com/history.htm

One of his banks in Montana came about as follows:  The Havre National Bank of Havre, MT. was founded on July 1, 1909 with a capitol of $50,000 with $10,000 surplus.  Frank Chestnut owned the buildings that originally housed the bank; Directors included Tallman (pres.), C. F. George of Helena, M. L. Helgerson (vice-pres.), ex-mayor E. F. Burke, and A. L. Herrig, cashier, of Havre.  Tallman’s string of banks were in Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota.  Helgerson, also controlled his own Land Company of Lethbridge, Canada and Minnesota.  Major stockholders in the Havre National Bank also included Louis W. Hill.  Another major stockholder in a number of his banks was Sigurdt B. Qvale the mayor of Willmar.  The Tallman Investment Company purchased the lot at a cost of $7,500 with the aid of E. C. Carruth, prominent local real estate and insurance salesman.  The new bank building completed in 1910, was described in the “St. James Plaindealer” of Minnesota –as being 30-by-80 feet and having a basement with the first floor being devoted entirely to the bank.  The front of the building held a “court” for the transaction of banking business and had massive mahogany fixtures and furniture with marble counters having brass latticework.  The floor had multi colored tile blocks and the whole interior had a “rich appearance”.  It was the central bank for several branches in northern Montana including Galata, Concord, Dunkirk, Brady, Collins, and Dutton.  In 1912, the county attorney, coroner, assessor, and superintendent of schools were all located there because of a shortage of space.  Rent was $210 per month.  The Havre National Bank did not remain at this location long, however, as they relocated to the old Citizen’s Bank location at 228 First Street in 1913.

David’s financial collapse went as follows: “he told that with WWI he lost most of his good men and after the War, property values fell from $100/acre to $20.” Times were tough in the 1920’s, dry years, plant diseases and insect infestations took their toll. When the Great Depression set in, during the 30’s half the population was on relief and Tallman’s banks held loans primarily to farmers. Farmers were unable to bring in enough crops to market, bringing them to their knees and thus his empire started its collapse. He was now losing his fortune faster than he had made it. Another factor he may not have recognized that certainly contributed were the railroads competition for freight and Towns with grain elevators. The two railroads were continually spec’ing towns practically side by side and in most cases only one succeeding to attract growth. One 1952 story about Tallman included the mention that he had lost “$600,000 in one nightmarish stretch”. However, he didn’t lose his fortune all at once. He was still well off enough in 1927 to take Clara and the twins on trip to Egypt where they can be seen riding camels at the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. His holdings were so large it wasn’t until the late 1940’s that he eventually lost their house.

DN never let this fall from grace get him down. From a letter dated October 12^th 1936 quote- “After all when Depressions come that you had nothing to do with-and sweep away life’s work why should one go “nutty” about it, as so many have.” In a number of his letters he talked about his blessed home life with his wife and daughters.

Tallman could count among his personal friends the likes of such as Louis W. Hill, Pres. of the Great Northern; Murry Guggenheim and his son Edmund A. of the Mining Industry; Robert A. Stranahan, founder of Champion Spark Plug; Hall of Famer – Babe Ruth; Jack Ryerson whose father helped organize the US Golf Association; David Draper Dayton of Dayton Dry Goods Stores.

At age 50 he took up golf and won 142 trophies.  Tallman was dubbed “Minnesota’s Grand Old Man of Golf” in a 1952 profile published by the West Central Tribune of Willmar.  When it comes to stars of Minnesota golf, there’s one star that stands with the all-time greats but remains largely forgotten to modern players.  Tallman is arguably one of the most accomplished senior golfers of all time.  He won four Minnesota Senior Golf Championships, a feat trumped only by Runcie Martin who won five.  On the National stage he won a National Seniors Championship.  At 55 he played in the 1927 US Amateur Championship held at Minikahda Club won by Bobby Jones Jr. in Minneapolis but failed to qualify.  For seven years he played in the Seniors National Golf at Apawamis Country Club in Rye, NY.  He finished second twice and played on the US team against Canada and England.  He played golf often with Babe Ruth in Belleair, FL. during the spring training season.  He won numerous Midwestern and Southern senior titles.  He was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Golf Association’s Hall Of Fame in June 2010.

“He was a fantastic putter; he could putt up a storm” says Richard Larson of Willmar.  As a teenager Larson caddied for “DN” for a handful of years starting in 1949 by which time Tallman was 77.  “I never heard DN complain (unless it was a golf shot that went bad),” wrote Larson, his former caddie.  “He was a very upbeat guy.  Very likeable, he was short of stature at that time and kind of shuffled along.  He always looked forward to that next shot.  He was sharp as a tack, fun to be with and knew a few jokes.  He was quick on the draw”.  Though Tallman stopped golfing competitively in the early1940’s he continued to shoot his age even as he approached his 80^th birthday.  “By the time I started caddying for him, he had become a smaller version of the athlete he had been,” Larson wrote in a letter about Tallman.  “He used a wood as a cane when he walked around the course.  Even though they had electric carts at that time, he chose to walk.  As I look back, I’m sure he did this to keep his strength up.  When I caddied for him, he couldn’t hit the ball a great distance, but he made up for it with accuracy”, Larson added.  “He did shoot his age a few times when I caddied for him.”  He served as President of the Minnesota Golf Association for five years from 1925 through 1930.

The following is a quote from his granddaughter Jean Tallman (Wilson) Buechner.  “I will share with you a story from 1946 when Babe Ruth came to Cleveland to play golf with ‘Newt’.  They met twice a year for golf in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  When ‘The Babe’ was introduced to me at age 14, I thought I was going to be given a Baby Ruth bar.  I am looking at that autograph right now.  Then the 2 golfers played at our little country club in Pepper Pike, Ohio”.

Of his five daughters; Helen married Willard Ware Wilson a Trust officer with the Cleveland Trust Co. one of the largest banks in Ohio.  D. D. Dayton of the Dayton Store Empire sent a wedding gift by aero-plane from Minneapolis to Helen on her wedding day.  Esther married W. V. Freeman son of Right Rev James Edward Freeman the 3^rd Bishop of Washington, DC.  Gertrude married Frank Roos a 1925 graduate of the Univ. of Minnesota.  Marjorie married Vendale Lundquist a Willmar judge and attorney.  At least two of David’s daughters learned the game well from their father.  In 1924 Esther Tallman Freeman was the Minnesota Women’s Amateur Champion defeating Mrs. Dow L. George at the Minneapolis Country Club.  In the same year she also won the women’s Division of the Resorters Tournament at Alexandria Golf Course, Alexandria, MN.  She was the 1922 Runner-up of the Minnesota Women’s Amateur at Interlachen Country Club.  Daughter Helen Tallman Wilson in 1938 won the Tracey Cup at The Country Club of Cleveland, OH.

David Newton Tallman died April 23^rd 1958 nearly 2 years following his Clara’s passing.  They are buried overlooking Foot Lake in the Lakeview Section of Fairview cemetery in Willmar.

Major Golfing Accomplishments

November 1^st 2010: Posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Golf Association Hall of Fame.

1927: Played in the US Amateur Championship held at Minikahda Club, Minneapolis, MN.

Seven-time player in the Seniors National Golf at Apawamis Country Club in Rye, NY.

1931, 1934 & 1943: Winner of the Lakeland Open Golf Tournament, Eagle Creek Golf Course, Willmar, MN.

1928 & 1932: winner of the Birchmont Golf Tournament, Bemidji Town & CC, Lake Bemidji, MN.

Winner of five “Senior Trans-Mississippi” titles.

Winner of four Minnesota State Senior titles: 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1937.

Florida West Coast Senior Championship 1934, 36 and 39 winner and permanent possession of the Murry Guggenheim trophy.

1942: winner of the Detroit Lakes tournament, Detroit Lakes Country Club, Detroit Lakes, MN

DN’s Original House c. 1910

1925 taken after adding an east addition and extensive exterior landscaping.

Biography of E. E. “Doc” Tallman written by William Tallman Hagny in the 1970’s

updated by distant cousin Jon Tallman 2015.

Erwin Edwin Tallman, prominent Guthrie businessman and pioneer was known to most people in Guthrie and Logan County, Oklahoma as “E.E., or Doc”.  He was born Oct. 5, 1863 in Davenport, Iowa, 6^th child and 3^rd son of Darius Benham Tallman and Emeline Smith both of Dutchess County, N.Y.  His father had 10 surviving children 2 by his 1^st wife Louisa Jane Gray and 8 by Emeline.  On Nov. 12, 1881 Erwin married Carrie Mae Sweet born April 5, 1865 in Greenboro, Ind., daughter of Eli Macy Sweet of Indiana and Martha Susan Risk of Virginia.  They were the parents of three daughters Mattie Emeline, Alice Mae and Bessie Mattie.  Mrs. Tallman died May 31, 1937 and Mr. Tallman died Sept. 6, 1952.  Both are buried in Summit View Cemetery, Guthrie.

Mattie was born June 3, 1883 in Davenport, Iowa and died April 30, 1972 in Santa Monica, Cal.  Mattie married Ernest Ludwig Hagny in Guthrie July 11, 1906 at her parent’s home by the Rev. Harry Omar Scott and honeymooned in the northern states.  Ernest, known by many as “Jack”, was born June 1, 1878 in Keokuk, Iowa and died Sept. 23, 1954 in Downey, Cal. Both are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, CA.  They were the parents of William Tallman Hagny, born June 8, 1907 and Alice Harryette Hagny born May 3, 1919 in Guthrie.  They first lived in Oklahoma City. Ernest, a railroad man, consequently made several moves with his family until 1917 when they settled in Denver, Colorado.  They resided there until his retirement when they moved to Downey.

Alice Tallman was born March 12, 1885 in Davenport and died Mar. 26, 1965 in Guthrie, where she is buried with her parents and a sister in Summit View Cemetery.  She married John William Martin Dec. 12, 1912 in the First Presbyterian Church by the Rev. G. O. Nichols.  They left for a honeymoon in San Antonio, TX.  The marriage however, was short-lived and after the divorce she resumed her maiden name.  “Miss Alice,” as she was known to her many friends in Guthrie, remained with her parents and assisting them with the businesses eventually becoming a co-owner.

Bessie was born Nov. 5, 1888 in Bentonville, Ark. and died in Guthrie, May 20, 1890, she too is interred in Summit View.

Mattie and Alice were educated locally at Carleton Guthrie Schools and both were attending Christian Female College (now Columbia College) in Columbia, Missouri in the years 1903 and 04.

A “Boomer” organization began growing in the 1880’s started by William Couch and here, I’ll make the assumption that Erwin saw an opportunity for a new future in Oklahoma Territory.  E.E. having been born, raised and married in Iowa made a temporary move to Bentonville, AR where they spent the winter of “88”.  Then on April 22^nd, 1889 Erwin made the “Run” with a team and buckboard.  It’s estimated that nearly 14,000 made the “Run” that day with only 1000 staking a claim.  Erwin staked his homestead northeast of Guthrie, near where Summit View Cemetery is now located.

Mr. Tallman started the first dairy farm in Logan County and delivered milk which sold for five cents per quart and fifteen cents per gallon.  After two years of operating the dairy, he moved his family to Guthrie to the southwest corner of Division Street and Noble Avenue, where he established the first large “wagon yard”, feed store and livery stable.  In 1910 the feed store and livery grew with the addition of a large brick and frame structure added and he started one of the first automobile agencies selling Reo and Oldsmobile.  “Miss Alice” held the two-fold distinction of bookkeeper and driving instructor for the new automobile owners.  In later years it was again updated for servicing all automobiles, adding a filling station, yellow taxi cab and Greyhound bus station that he operated with his daughter.  The Tallman’s also had the distinction of having the first telephone in Guthrie with the number 1. The building suffered serious fire damage in 1946 but, was saved.  Today the building is on the Cities Historical list and is occupied by the Stables Restaurant.

In the year 1904, St. Louis held the “World’s Fair” in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase.  Erwin, Carrie, Mattie and Alice would take advantage by visiting the Expo and left Sep. 3, 1904 on the Santa Fe train.

In April 1906, Erwin with Jay E. Pickard purchased a lot at the corner of Division St. & Cleveland Ave. for real estate firm Milliken & Reynolds to build 100 room hotel and lease to hoteliers Van Dunn & Eaton.

Mr. Tallman held the distinction of serving for a half century as County-Weigher, a position to which he was regularly elected until his retirement.  He also served terms on the school board and city council and was active for many years in civic affairs.  He was a member of the First Presbyterian church, the Guthrie Lodge No. 35 AF & AM, Guthrie Country Club, the Oklahoma Consistory, and the 89ers Association.

Mrs. Carrie Mae Tallman came to Oklahoma a month after her husband; having lived in Bentonville for six months before the urge for adventure and the chance of making a business stake in the new territory took them to Guthrie. After moving to the southwest corner of Division St. and Noble Ave. from the dairy farm, Mrs. Tallman was active until a few weeks before her death.  She spent her time at the desk in the business which her husband owned and was well known throughout central Oklahoma.  By dint of hard work and sheer business enterprise she assisted in building up the transportation business that was synonymous with the Tallman name, and her personality lent an individual note to an occupation in which meeting of emergency was an everyday occurrence.  Mrs. Tallman was an early member of the Guthrie chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and the Presbyterian Church.  Her strong character that lent itself to business routine, had another side, although not openly displayed. She was a talented painter, her skillful handling of oils subjects were displayed in their home.

Today there exists several of “Doc” and Carrie’s descendants in California.

George Washington Tallman the youngest child and son of Stephen and Mary (Tripp) Tallman was born 20 October 1814 in the Town of Washington, Dutchess County, New York. He migrated with his family to the Town of Mentz, Cayuga County, New York a youth of about 6 circa 1820. The family being farmers and like their cousins who’d migrated to Monroe County also grew the “Tallman Sweet” apple.

Little is known of him in his youth, but, most likely was educated in a one-room schoolhouse and spent much of his time helping on the farm. When news of the discovery of gold in January 1848 in California reached the outside world; a lot of eager men were overcome with the fever of striking it rich and George was one of them.

January of ‘49’ a group of adventurous men in Auburn, New York came together to form the “Cayuga Joint Stock Company”. If they came up with enough investors they would buy a vessel and sail around Cape Horn to San Francisco. They wanted only men of a good standing, and fair reputation who could contribute $500. By becoming a member they’d receive all the advantages derived from the venture. George became one of those investors and traveled to New York City with the group in February. The organization of the Company was completed in the dining room of the Western Hotel on Cortland Street just north of Battery Park. Member Samuel Barney, who had previous experience as a whaleman, was chosen as their Captain. Samuel recommended they purchase the bark “Belvidere”, a ship in the harbor of 396 tons built in Baltimore in 1815.

A Charter was then drawn up consisting of 24 Articles. The cargo they purchased consisted of mining tools, provisions for three years and a large amount of lumber supplies for building purposes. Company receipts showed the ship and supplies cost the company $14,716.71. Goods and merchandise purchased with the intent to sell $24,235. Drugs and medicine $500, a commission of $1,710.63 was paid, and that the amount received by members totaled $39,000. Captain Barney was exempt and in addition paid $500 for his services.

They set sail about 11 am on the 28th of February with 79 aboard, 12 men acting as crew, 4 women and 1 child. The women were the Captain’s wife and 3 of the other men’s wives and a daughter. A harbor pilot was brought on board who took them out to Sandy Hook where he departed. They would wait there until on March 2nd when favorable winds sent them off on their voyage to San Francisco.

George’s first letter to his brother Stephen Jr. dated 25 Feb ‘49’ was from the Western Hotel and said only that he had one note of $56.96 that was not due until he returned and that if something should happen to him that his interest in the “Stock Company” would be left to him.

His second and third letters of March 29 and 31st were both sent from the Cape Verde Islands. The ships letters had been taken a shore by fishermen and mailed. The letters were now addressed to “Brothers and Family”. They spoke of them crossing the Gulf Stream, the rough seas and one and all of sea-sickness for 5 or 6 days. That if they should write, to send his mail to San Francisco in care of the Cayuga Joint Stock Company.

From the islands they would then catch the westerly trade winds heading toward South America and the “Horn”. On the 3rd of May they made the Falkland Islands and on June 1st ran into their first snowstorm. On June 23rd the Belvidere rounded the Horn and they began making 5 to 6 knots an hour. July 4th was spent in celebration by firing guns and pistols; they read the Declaration of Independence, flew the Stars and Stripes. Their evening dinner was made of all the ships luxuries that it could afford.

The next letter came from Port of Callao, Peru addressed the 29th of July. George now writes a lengthy letter of their crossing the Equator on April 9 and making good runs. The company is all of good health and his couldn’t be better. They went on shore about 10 o’clock in the morning and were able to find two Americans living there that spoke Spanish. After taking a short tour around town they decided to visit Old Callao. The old city had been destroyed by an earthquake eons before but many of the ruins were still there. They ended the day going to a cockfight in which he said there was much heavy gambling by the locals. They visited and toured the City of Lima, George described how the Catholic religion was the only one allowed in the country and none other tolerated under penalty of imprisonment. August 5th they loaded fresh water and provisions and headed out to sea on the 6^th. The 29th they again crossed the Equator this time in the Pacific. He went on to say the only sad incident was the death of Walter W. Tuttle of Auburn who had been sick with diarrhea and inflammation of the bowels since leaving Callao. They sailed into San Francisco Bay, 12 October 1849 and set anchor at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and all was well.

There, they set up tents as living quarters and went to work seeking jobs to accumulate monies to head for mining camps. It was not long before things turned out not as supposed when they started the venture. By the time of the next annual meeting in the spring of 1850 it was decided to dissolve the Company. Everything was sold including the ship, two dividends were paid out the first of $208, the second of $70.92. Some of the men formed their own partnerships while others went their own way.

In his letter of October 14, he described the high wages paid to skilled laborers; there were probably 2000 men living in tents and seeing some of the gold brought back from the mines. Finally, that he was planning on heading to Stockton on the 18th to the mines.

There exists four other letters from California between November 1849 and August 1853 in which he talks of everything from doing well both financially and in health to being quite sick for lengthy periods. In one letter of note from Sacramento written Oct 30, 1850 he tells them Edgar Haight and John Havens are both here and well. By Jan 20, 1854 he has moved to the Alpha mining camp in Nevada County, east of Yuba City to try his luck there, John Havens has decided to join him there. It’s known that Edgar had returned to Buffalo, New York and continued his boat building business. Both Edgar and John are cousins of his from marriages. April of 1856, still mining in Camp Alpha with Havens they’re not having much luck; it’s been dry for a long period and no water for the sluices. He ends the letter with: Yours in Haste, G. W. Tallman give my respects to all of Bucksville. The next to last letter to Stephen Jr. from Sacramento was May 28 1857, is also short, stating all is well but, that he hadn’t heard from him since last November. It’s of note that it appears he may owe Stephen money and if it were not for bad luck he would send some.

There’s a gap now of 29 years between the existing letters. The last written to brother Stephen Jr. and probably his last to anyone was dated 12 December 1886 from Redwood City which states: he received Stephen’s letter of November 21; truly glad to hear from him but, sorry to hear of his poor health. As for himself he has but little to say other than his own health had been very good for a man of 71. As for business he’s been Justice of the Peace for the last two years and his term expires in January ‘87’. (Again not telling all) Financially I have nothing to brag of, I have made a lot of money but, I have made too many bad speculations. His brother Stephen Jr. died on 3 December 1887.

Apparently when George’s term as a Justice expired he was appointed a Deputy Jailer of the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department. The following took place on Saturday 18 February 1888 at the Redwood City Jail

 

RESULTED FATALLY Death of the Redwood City Jailer Who Was Beaten by Tramps.

(Copyright 1888 by the California Associated Press)

Redwood City, February 24th. — “G. W. Tallman, the jailer who was so roughly handled by four tramps on Saturday evening last at the county jail, died in the Tremont House today. He had steadily failed since Monday, and the doctors gave up hope then. He was solicited to make an ante-mortem statement, but maintained that it was not necessary, as he would be able to testify, and was not going to die. He has relatives in Los Angeles. The funeral will take place on Sunday under the auspices of the Masons. A tramp was arrested at San Jose today on suspicion and brought here, but was not positively identified. Two of the four are in custody.” (Sacramento Daily Record Union, Saturday Morning, February 25, 1888.)

 

 

FAST FORWARD TO APRIL 7, 2003

The local citizenry so liked San Mateo County Sheriff’s Deputy George Washington Tallman that they had a parade in 1888 after he became the first local lawman killed in the line of duty from injuries suffered during a jail break. This weekend, Tallman got another showy sendoff by a group of history buffs and law enforcement officers and Masons who gathered in Redwood City’s historic Union Cemetery to dedicate his new gravestone — a replacement for the original, which was stolen about two decades ago.

The new granite headstone was unveiled Saturday after a motorcycle procession from the nearby courthouse and a bagpipe-led police honor guard that carried the flags of the United States and California. “We wanted to try to do it right. Even though none of us knew him, he still was one of our own,” said San Mateo County Deputy Philip Moser, who was dressed as a cowboy with a six-shooter on his hip for the event.

Also in attendance was Sheriff Don Horsley, members of the history preservation group “E. Clampus Vitus”, many wearing 19th-century costumes, and numerous representatives of four local Masonic lodges bedecked in their order’s regalia.

Tallman was a dedicated Mason and is buried in the Mason’s plot of the Union Cemetery, a tree-shaded oasis next to now busy Woodside Road just west of El Camino Real. Long neglected, the cemetery has been much rehabilitated in recent years by volunteers.

“He lived a very active and exciting life,” said Roy Fronberg, a past master of Peninsula Masonic Lodge 168, who cited Masonic records showing that Tallman was buried with Masonic honors following a procession of horses and carriages carrying public officials and police.

Fronberg recounted how Tallman came to California, seeking his fortune first in the gold fields of Nevada County and later Virginia City, Nev., where he operated a toll road and pursued mining.

Returning to Nevada County, Tallman served as a justice of the peace before running through much of his earnings and heading for Redwood City, where he again became a deputy, Fronberg said.

To honor Tallman, Moser said he collected $2 from more than 400 of San Mateo County Sheriff’s employees to pay for the new granite gravestone.

“I couldn’t believe it had not been replaced,” said Mary Ganley, president of the local Deputy Sheriffs Association. Ganley, a scarf of stars and stripes around her neck, was one of several to draw parallels between Tallman’s slaying and the sacrifices of U.S. troops now fighting abroad in Iraq and elsewhere.

“Help us never forget, ever, the lives that have been given so that we may live free and in this country,” said the Rev. Dennis Tarr of San Carlos’ Trinity Presbyterian Church in a prayer.

The ceremony was closed by a trumpeter playing “Taps.” (San Francisco Chronicle, April 7, 2003.)

About the Tallman Apple

It’s been documented in several places about the Talman’s of Perinton, NY particularly Isaac’s son Darius as the family that propagated the “Tallman Sweet or Tolman Sweeting” in their orchards.

I’ve wondered about the “Sweet” because it isn’t really a sweet apple. It’s known as great steamed, its esteemed use in baking products, and making cider for its higher acidity. Isaac’s older brother Stephen who had a farm in Savannah over in Wayne County, NY also grew apples. One of his sons William was married to Amanda “Sweet”; could that possibly be a source of the nickname? Also, another of Stephen’s sons, George Washington Tallman wrote a letter from California in 1850 to his brother Stephen Jr. in Savannah in which he wrote “I would like to “eat sum of your fine apples””. My GG-grandfather grew apples after moving to Chautauqua County, NY in 1848. It’s in the 1840’s and beyond that the variety became a money maker for the family shipping it via the Erie Canal and later railway to New York City for markets. Prices for it can be found in newspapers of the day throughout the east. It wasn’t long before the variety was grown in many states.

What drew even more interest to me was when I received a color illustration (Shown below) of the apple from our cousin Ann van Leeuwen a descendant of Byron Talman, a grandson of Isaac. Thanks & a “Tip O’ Hat to Ann.” It’s even mentioned in the 1844 will of my 3rd great-grandmother Ruth Tallman.  She wrote that Ursula Clapp who shared a room in their house that she “could have as much of the fruit as she may want for her own use.” Ursula came to live with John & Ruth for many years John left her monies in his 1830 will.  I believe Ursula was Ruth’s niece the daughter of Elias Clapp who lived next to John & Ruth, Elias had died prior to 1809.

The exact history of the apple is unknown other than it was probably first grown in either Rhode Island or Massachusetts. The earliest of any variety first appeared in Massachusetts orchards in 1625 on land farmed by William Blaxton. The first reference found of it is in Massachusetts Horticulture Society for 1837-8 by John Lewis Russell, published in 1839. Quote “White sweet is properly “Tolman Sweeting”, a fine yellow fruit, with a blush next the sun, encircled by two or three distinct black lines from summit to base, flesh breaking, relieved by a slight acid, valuable.”

U.P. Hedrick in his Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits 1922 states its development to 1822 which coincides with the time frame of Isaac’s son Darius and Isaac’s brother Stephen moving to Monroe and Wayne Counties respectively.

From a recently found article written on April 19, 1978 by then Perinton Town Historian Helen E. Butler who at the time owned the home built by Isaac’s son Darius.  “In Dutchess County the Tallman family had propagated the Tallman Sweet apples.  There were two kinds one yellow the other green with a streak.  Here they found land suitable for orchards and the hills on Whitney Road soon were covered in apple and peach orchards. Between the Tallman farms in 1855 they worked over 350 acres.  They shipped fruit to New York City as well as shipping dairy products.”

An alternative history in 1913 by Harriet M. Martin a Cornell Alumnus with the Station wrote the following; “An orchard standing near where the New York State Experimental Station is located in Ontario County, New York is said to have been set out by the Indians as early as 1817.  According to the foregoing authority, Ontario County has been the birth place of several varieties of apples. The Tolman originated on the farm of Mr. Thomas Tallman, near Geneva, one of the early settlers who planted seeds from an Indian orchard.”  She however didn’t document where the information came from.

It ripens late from October to December is of hardy and vigorous stock. Today the Tallman Sweet/Tolman Sweeting is considered an antique or heirloom apple. Old fashioned apples are making a comeback.

Now, how many other families can claim to have a fruit named after them….

Photo above is referenced to adamapples.blogspot.com dedicated to those who love all apples.

Our tree has had doctors; lawyers; rich men; poor men; beggar-men and well, hopefully no thieves.

Two men attached to two different branches should be recognized as important clergymen of their times. They are Rev. Maltbie Davenport Babcock, D.D. husband of Katherine Eliot Tallman from Darius Sr’s branch and Rev. Frank Flood German, D.D. from Rebecca’s branch.

First, let’s talk of Rev. Babcock who could be compared to the Billy Graham of his time. He was born 3 Aug 1858 in Syracuse, New York eldest son of Henry and Emily Maria (Maltbie) Babcock. His first American ancestor was James Babcock (1612–1679), a native of England, who emigrated in 1642, settling first at Portsmouth, Rhode Island and then in Westerly, where his descendants became prominent. Maltbie’s great-grandfather, Henry Davis, was second president of Hamilton College, and his grandfather, Rev. Ebenezer Davenport Maltbie, was also a Presbyterian minister of note.

As a young man, Babcock was described as “tall and broad-shouldered” a muscular swimmer and baseball player. He was educated in the public schools of Syracuse and graduated in 1879 from Syracuse University with highest honors. He was a classmate and chum of John Frank Tallman, both were members of the University baseball team and Psi Upsilon Fraternity. He studied theology at the Auburn Theological Seminary, receiving his degree in 1882. He was selected to give the 1895 Alumni Address at Syracuse University where he received his Honorary Doctorate of Divinity.

He became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church the summer of 1882 in Lockport, NY. That fall he was married 4 Oct 1882 to Katherine Eliot Tallman of Poughkeepsie, NY youngest daughter of Judge John Peck Higgins Tallman. Katherine was three years younger than her brother John Francis who undoubtedly introduced them while at Syracuse University. He frequently took walks along the Niagara Escarpment to enjoy the overlook’s panoramic vista of upstate New York scenery and Lake Ontario, telling his wife he was “going out to see the Father’s world.” Love of sports and the ocean led them first to Duxbury, Mass for several years before buying land at Wiano on the south shore of Cape Cod and building a cottage there.

Then from 1887 till 1900 he served as pastor at the prestigious Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. During his tenure there he set up an office at Johns Hopkins University where he counseled students. During those years he also visited Princeton, Yale and Harvard several times to perform similar services. While in Baltimore he took to visiting Florida each year for Tarpon fishing. A spin off from the Brown Church was formed and built a new church the Park Presbyterian in 1892 which was renamed Babcock Memorial after his death.

In 1900 he was finally lured away by the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, hired at a salary of $30,000. At the time the church was receiving the highest parishioner contributions of any Presbyterian church in the world. First formed in NYC in 1767 on Beekman Street before moving to Fifth Ave in 1858 and now today it’s located on Park Avenue.

February of 1901 he along with his wife and a group of mostly other clergymen went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  In the later part of the pilgrimage he contracted Mediterranean fever, he was then taken to the International hospital in Naples, Italy. In a state of delirium he committed suicide age 42 on May 18, 1901. At his New York City memorial service the presiding clergyman eulogized him, “We do not need a candle to show a sunbeam…The work our brother has done — the life he lived speaks for him.” In Baltimore, a memorial service was held on June 2, 1901, where he was eulogized by various prominent educators and clergy, including Daniel C. Gilman, the first president of Johns Hopkins University, John F. Goucher, the founder of Goucher College, and Francis L. Patton, president of Princeton University. Babcock was praised as “always wise, patient, sympathetic and inspiring.” He was laid to rest 13 June 1901 in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, New York his hometown next to his sons. After his death Katherine wrote a book “Thoughts for Every-Day Living”  with assistance from Mary R. Sanford from notes in the flyleaf of his bible along with spoken words published in November 1901 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. The book was sold for one dollar per copy, in it was 16 verse poem converted to a well-known 3 or 4 stanza hymn written by Maltbie while at Lockport “This Is My Father’s World”. She also wrote a book in 1902 “Letters from Egypt and Palestine” compiled from his notes while they were on their pilgrimage. That book is attached and can be viewed and read by clicking the link.

Katherine and Maltbie had two boys, both stillborn Edward Anderson Aug. 21, 1883 in Lockport and John Tallman Feb. 11, 1890 in Baltimore.

Book: 1902 Letters from Egypt & Palestine

“This is my Father’s world.
Dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise
Cry, “The Lord is in this place.”” —Maltbie D. Babcock

Now, the other is Frank Flood German oldest of two sons of Isaac Talman German and Lina Colgate Spence. He was born 24 Nov 1867 in Ovid, Seneca County, New York. Frank’s first American Ancestor was Peter Tallman a native of the Netherlands who immigrated into Rhode Island in 1648 from Barbados. His grandfather Stephen Tallman German was married to Sally Ann Southworth a descendant of the Mayflower.

Frank received his early education in Geneva Classical & Union School, he entered Hobart College in Geneva graduating Cum Laude, 3rd in his 1890 Class with his AB. He was Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity and went on to Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, both graduating and ordained in 1893. On the 19th of June 1914 at Hobart College, he was bestowed with the Honorary Doctorate of Theology Degree.

September 14, 1893 he married Eliza “Lizzie” Mayell Gibbs the daughter of H. A. & Julia Gibbs of Buffalo, NY. He became rector of the St. Thomas Episcopalian Church in Mamaroneck, NY after serving as an assistant. Frank served as rector of St. Thomas for nearly 20 years before being transferred to Middletown, Conn. In Middletown he served as rector of the Church of Holy Trinity until his retirement in 1937. They had one son Spence Mayell born 15 March 1901 in Mamaroneck. Eliza died early August 1928 and Frank passed 3 January 1942; both are buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Middletown along with their son, daughter-in-law and one grandson.

Frank should be known for the very interesting wedding ceremonies he performed and his humorous inclusion in a book about the life and art of Norman Rockwell.

“New York Herald” – Tuesday, Sep. 9, 1902” Pg. 5

“B.B. McGregor, Clasping Brides Hand, Dies; Last Act is to sign his Will, Just Drawn.” The son of Ambrose McGregor one of John D. Rockefellers partners who left him a millionaire. He married Clara Schlemmer the same day that he had surgery to remove a large kidney stone. B.B. died under the knife and left his bride everything; knowing the operation to be dangerous but left her the will. Rev. Frank F. German, rector of the Church of the St. Thomas, performed the ceremony and the funeral the next day.

“Geneva Daily Times” – Thursday, Sep. 25, 1902.” Pg. 1

“$50,000 IN PRESENTS” – Wedding at Which a Geneva Clergyman officiated the wedding of Miss Florence Lockwood Stokes and Frederick Ambrose Clark. The ceremony was performed at the Stokes Villa, Oriental Point, near Mamaroneck. She had a great horror of coaches and cabs, so all of the guests proceeded from the train to the villa in wagonettes or automobiles. The value of the silver and bric-a-brac alone which the bride received is said to be between $50,000 and $75,000. Because of the great value of the gifts, detectives from New York were on duty all night. Among the gifts was a necklace of pearls from the bridegroom’s mother, Mrs. Alfred Corning Clark. It was valued at $10,000 and worn by the bride during the ceremony.

“New York Herald” – Thursday, Jun. 25, 1914” Pg. 9

Wedding of Miss Dorothy Violet Wilde daughter of Mrs. Siegel ^{(Famous Siegel-Cooper Department Store’s)} to Mr. Earl Joseph Moon of St. Louis and the Moon Automobile Company. The Matron of Honor was Countess Carlo Dentice de Frasso of Italy sister of the bride.

“Middletown Press” – “News, Notes and Social Events Sunday, Oct. 24, 1934.” Pg. 66

“Miss Janet Huntington Brewster, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Brewster of Mt. Vernon Street, was married to Mr. Edward R. Murrow, ^{(Noted American Broadcast Journalist)} son of Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Murrow of Beaver, Washington at 4 o’clock Saturday afternoon at the home of her parents. Rev. Dr. Frank F. German, rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, performed the ceremony…. Both the bride and groom were unattended….”

“Farrar, Straus and Giroux” – “American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell”

The fall of 1906 Norman Rockwell’s family moved from New York City north across the Long Island Sound to Mamaroneck a quiet woodsy suburb in Westchester County.

“In October 1906 the family joined the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, a handsome country church in Mamaroneck on a hill overlooking the sound. For the next year and a-half until his confirmation, Rockwell attended services every Sunday and once again sang in the choir. It was “less arduous” than the choir at his previous church, which was a relief. Yet he did not seem to care for the rector “Rev. Frank F. German”, and was bothered by his method of polishing the cross on the altar. “He’d spit on it and rub it with a soiled cloth,” Rockwell recalled and you suspect the gesture was less an affront to his spirituality than to his sense of cleanliness, which was already becoming obsessive.”

One of my favorites ‘Will’ was married to my 1st cousin twice removed Nina Bell Tallman.

William “Will” E. Dulmage 1883-1953

A Composer, Songwriter and Publisher of popular and semi-classical music. At 25 “Will” was a staff member of the Grinnell Bros., at 1515 Woodward Ave., Detroit ca. 1908. Possibly starting as a “song plugger” playing sheet music at the request of customers; by the 1920’s he was Manager ⁽¹⁾ of their Band and Orchestral department. He remained with Grinnell for 22 ⁽²⁾ years before joining the Wurlitzer Company at 1509 Broadway Ave. He was hired as the executive, heading their sheet music department, his wife Nina worked in accounting for the company. Will remained at Wurlitzer for 12 years. In his early years he was also a member of Geo. & Wm. Finzel’s Band and Orchestra. He composed or collaborated on dozens ⁽³⁾ of songs; in 1927 he both wrote and composed “Dreaming the Hours Away” still played today and can be heard and seen on “YouTube.com”. In 1934 he composed “Tigers on Parade” dedicated to Mickey Cochrane and the Detroit Tigers; Cochrane was player manager from 1934 to 1938.  In 1993 Tigers long time ‘play-by-play’ announcer Ernie Harwell narrated a cassette of “Old Time Baseball Songs” included on it was “Tigers on Parade” published by the Dodworth Saxhorn Band of Ann Arbor.  “Composers Fred Lawton and Will Dulmage are dusting off a ditty they composed in 1934. Introduced by Harry McDonald, it’s called “Tigers on Parade.” The tune was composed AFTER the Tigers won the pennant that year. Now, of course, there are still a few games to be played before the pennant is in the satchel. For the words “Mickey’s aces have sure gone places” the authors substitute in the current version “Red Rolfe’s aces are going places” ⁽⁶⁾.”  It remained a popular baseball tune for a number of years, a copy of the sheet music can be found in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Will appears to have worked predominately with lyrist Richard W. Pascoe who wrote the words on many of those songs. Two of his most well-known were “When It’s Night Time in Nevada” with Hugh O’Reilly Clint and Pascoe. The other “Tenderly Think of Me” with Richard A. Whiting and lyrist Pascoe. Whiting had also worked at a publishing company in Detroit before moving to Hollywood in 1929. There he composed two well-known hits “Hooray for Hollywood” and “On the Good Ship Lollipop”. Will was admitted to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) in January 1947 ⁽⁴⁾. It appears that in the 1940’s Will was proprietor of a music store, Nina the treasurer and their son William the salesman. Seen in an ad in Presto-Times and another for Kimball Piano’s it may be assumed it was a partnership with Stanton Ferguson. The two had 14 and 20 years’ experience in the sheet music business on Woodward Avenue.

⁽¹⁾ Billboard magazine August 18, 1921 page 33.

⁽²⁾ Obituary 13 February 1953 Detroit News.

⁽³⁾ Reference OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) Worldcat.

⁽⁴⁾ Billboard magazine February 1, 1947 page 15.

⁽⁵⁾ Photo’s are taken from 2 different undated photographs of the Finzel’s Band and Orchestra Detroit.

⁽⁶⁾ The Detroit Free Press, Tuesday August 8, 1950, page 24 Update Added 29 March 2016.

I recently was able to locate a cousin I knew was out there but, has taken persistence and a little patience to track down.  Carol (Tallman) Bivens, her father was retired Naval Capt. Donald Rex Tallman a 1921 graduate of the Naval Academy.  Don was Captain of the “Flagship Teton” during the invasion of Okinawa.  Don’s father William Henry had served as Captain in the 2nd Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War.  Carol and her husband Pat live in northern California.

Since June 2nd officially marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War I’ve included a link to my Tallman’s fourteen of whom served.

Link to: Tallman’s in the War