Franklin Claude went by the name "Claude." He was born the third child in a family of eleven children. His parents were adventurous and musical and during his childhood, the family moved between Saline County Kansas and Mountain View Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains, having many lively experiences.
Like many of the Coberly men, Claude was a big man 6,2 with blue eyes. He left home in his early teens. He enlisted in the Army during WW I at Camp Funston, Kansas.
He met Frances Adella Dorothy Hepner while working shocking wheat on her Gregorious grandparents' farm in Saline County Kansas. One day in the fields he was struck by ball lightning and was unconscious for two weeks. It was Frances who nursed him back to health, and they married in Salina, Kansas on 12 June, 1921 at her family home.
During their earlier years together they moved around quite a lot. At one point, they lived in Cedar Rapids Iowa where Claude worked in a meat packing plant during layoffs from his job as a Coal Shoveler on the Rock Island Railroad. During one of those stints, he was run over by a truck on a siding and suffered crushed hips and surgical fractures. During the following five years of his physical recovery, he ran a wood cutting operation (with his wife, Grandpa Hepner, and all the kids). After that the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a few years before making their home in Los Angeles California.
In California, Claude got a job on the Southern Pacific Railroad where he worked until his retirement. He started on a Bridge Gang, then worked as a Fireman, then became an Engineer on the old steam engines.
His family said the three great loves of Claude's life were railroading, his family and Pinochle.
Claude and Frances' hobby had always been collecting geodes and gems. They had a large collection of unique rocks and gems that they had accumulated from trips into the desert and surrounding areas. After his retirement from the Railroad, they opened a shop in Pomona selling rocks, gifts and souvenirs.
In 1928 Claude played a bit part in a Hollywood movie about John Henry the legendary Railroad Engineer. it is Claude in the shots of the Engineer driving the train although you can't recognize him from the distance. He enjoyed his role and the experience of being in a Hollywood movie and was very proud of it!
Claude belonged to the Masons and was a Shriner.
Claude and Frances had a long life together, raised six children and have many grand and great grandchildren.:
1) Franklin Claude Jr (b. 24 Feb 1922 Salina, Kansas - )
2) George Edward (b. 20 July 1923 Salina, Kansas - )
3) Howard Elmer (b. 16 Sept 1924 Huntington Park, CA - d. 31 Jan 2017 Oregon)
4) Elroy Clark (b. 5 Jan 1926 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - 28 March 2004, Utah)
5) Beulah Waneta Pearl (b. 7 April 1931 Montebello, CA - 24 Nov 1970 LA, CA)
6) Donald Merlin (b. 26 July 1932 Arkansas City, Kansas - )
Like many of the Coberly men, Claude was a big man 6,2 with blue eyes. He left home in his early teens. He enlisted in the Army during WW I at Camp Funston, Kansas.
He met Frances Adella Dorothy Hepner while working shocking wheat on her Gregorious grandparents' farm in Saline County Kansas. One day in the fields he was struck by ball lightning and was unconscious for two weeks. It was Frances who nursed him back to health, and they married in Salina, Kansas on 12 June, 1921 at her family home.
During their earlier years together they moved around quite a lot. At one point, they lived in Cedar Rapids Iowa where Claude worked in a meat packing plant during layoffs from his job as a Coal Shoveler on the Rock Island Railroad. During one of those stints, he was run over by a truck on a siding and suffered crushed hips and surgical fractures. During the following five years of his physical recovery, he ran a wood cutting operation (with his wife, Grandpa Hepner, and all the kids). After that the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a few years before making their home in Los Angeles California.
In California, Claude got a job on the Southern Pacific Railroad where he worked until his retirement. He started on a Bridge Gang, then worked as a Fireman, then became an Engineer on the old steam engines.
His family said the three great loves of Claude's life were railroading, his family and Pinochle.
Claude and Frances' hobby had always been collecting geodes and gems. They had a large collection of unique rocks and gems that they had accumulated from trips into the desert and surrounding areas. After his retirement from the Railroad, they opened a shop in Pomona selling rocks, gifts and souvenirs.
In 1928 Claude played a bit part in a Hollywood movie about John Henry the legendary Railroad Engineer. it is Claude in the shots of the Engineer driving the train although you can't recognize him from the distance. He enjoyed his role and the experience of being in a Hollywood movie and was very proud of it!
Claude belonged to the Masons and was a Shriner.
Claude and Frances had a long life together, raised six children and have many grand and great grandchildren.:
1) Franklin Claude Jr (b. 24 Feb 1922 Salina, Kansas - )
2) George Edward (b. 20 July 1923 Salina, Kansas - )
3) Howard Elmer (b. 16 Sept 1924 Huntington Park, CA - d. 31 Jan 2017 Oregon)
4) Elroy Clark (b. 5 Jan 1926 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - 28 March 2004, Utah)
5) Beulah Waneta Pearl (b. 7 April 1931 Montebello, CA - 24 Nov 1970 LA, CA)
6) Donald Merlin (b. 26 July 1932 Arkansas City, Kansas - )
Franklin Claude went by the name "Claude." He was born the third child in a family of eleven children. His parents were adventurous and musical and during his childhood, the family moved between Saline County Kansas and Mountain View Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains, having many lively experiences.
Like many of the Coberly men, Claude was a big man 6,2 with blue eyes. He left home in his early teens. He enlisted in the Army during WW I at Camp Funston, Kansas.
He met Frances Adella Dorothy Hepner while working shocking wheat on her Gregorious grandparents' farm in Saline County Kansas. One day in the fields he was struck by ball lightning and was unconscious for two weeks. It was Frances who nursed him back to health, and they married in Salina, Kansas on 12 June, 1921 at her family home.
During their earlier years together they moved around quite a lot. At one point, they lived in Cedar Rapids Iowa where Claude worked in a meat packing plant during layoffs from his job as a Coal Shoveler on the Rock Island Railroad. During one of those stints, he was run over by a truck on a siding and suffered crushed hips and surgical fractures. During the following five years of his physical recovery, he ran a wood cutting operation (with his wife, Grandpa Hepner, and all the kids). After that the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a few years before making their home in Los Angeles California.
In California, Claude got a job on the Southern Pacific Railroad where he worked until his retirement. He started on a Bridge Gang, then worked as a Fireman, then became an Engineer on the old steam engines.
His family said the three great loves of Claude's life were railroading, his family and Pinochle.
Claude and Frances' hobby had always been collecting geodes and gems. They had a large collection of unique rocks and gems that they had accumulated from trips into the desert and surrounding areas. After his retirement from the Railroad, they opened a shop in Pomona selling rocks, gifts and souvenirs.
In 1928 Claude played a bit part in a Hollywood movie about John Henry the legendary Railroad Engineer. it is Claude in the shots of the Engineer driving the train although you can't recognize him from the distance. He enjoyed his role and the experience of being in a Hollywood movie and was very proud of it!
Claude belonged to the Masons and was a Shriner.
Claude and Frances had a long life together, raised six children and have many grand and great grandchildren.:
1) Franklin Claude Jr (b. 24 Feb 1922 Salina, Kansas - )
2) George Edward (b. 20 July 1923 Salina, Kansas - )
3) Howard Elmer (b. 16 Sept 1924 Huntington Park, CA - d. 31 Jan 2017 Oregon)
4) Elroy Clark (b. 5 Jan 1926 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - 28 March 2004, Utah)
5) Beulah Waneta Pearl (b. 7 April 1931 Montebello, CA - 24 Nov 1970 LA, CA)
6) Donald Merlin (b. 26 July 1932 Arkansas City, Kansas - )
Like many of the Coberly men, Claude was a big man 6,2 with blue eyes. He left home in his early teens. He enlisted in the Army during WW I at Camp Funston, Kansas.
He met Frances Adella Dorothy Hepner while working shocking wheat on her Gregorious grandparents' farm in Saline County Kansas. One day in the fields he was struck by ball lightning and was unconscious for two weeks. It was Frances who nursed him back to health, and they married in Salina, Kansas on 12 June, 1921 at her family home.
During their earlier years together they moved around quite a lot. At one point, they lived in Cedar Rapids Iowa where Claude worked in a meat packing plant during layoffs from his job as a Coal Shoveler on the Rock Island Railroad. During one of those stints, he was run over by a truck on a siding and suffered crushed hips and surgical fractures. During the following five years of his physical recovery, he ran a wood cutting operation (with his wife, Grandpa Hepner, and all the kids). After that the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a few years before making their home in Los Angeles California.
In California, Claude got a job on the Southern Pacific Railroad where he worked until his retirement. He started on a Bridge Gang, then worked as a Fireman, then became an Engineer on the old steam engines.
His family said the three great loves of Claude's life were railroading, his family and Pinochle.
Claude and Frances' hobby had always been collecting geodes and gems. They had a large collection of unique rocks and gems that they had accumulated from trips into the desert and surrounding areas. After his retirement from the Railroad, they opened a shop in Pomona selling rocks, gifts and souvenirs.
In 1928 Claude played a bit part in a Hollywood movie about John Henry the legendary Railroad Engineer. it is Claude in the shots of the Engineer driving the train although you can't recognize him from the distance. He enjoyed his role and the experience of being in a Hollywood movie and was very proud of it!
Claude belonged to the Masons and was a Shriner.
Claude and Frances had a long life together, raised six children and have many grand and great grandchildren.:
1) Franklin Claude Jr (b. 24 Feb 1922 Salina, Kansas - )
2) George Edward (b. 20 July 1923 Salina, Kansas - )
3) Howard Elmer (b. 16 Sept 1924 Huntington Park, CA - d. 31 Jan 2017 Oregon)
4) Elroy Clark (b. 5 Jan 1926 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - 28 March 2004, Utah)
5) Beulah Waneta Pearl (b. 7 April 1931 Montebello, CA - 24 Nov 1970 LA, CA)
6) Donald Merlin (b. 26 July 1932 Arkansas City, Kansas - )
Family Members
Siblings
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Luella Isabella Coberly Vredenburg
1898–1967
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George William Coberly
1899–1978
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Louis Allen "Lou" Coberly
1902–1961
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Viola Elizabeth Coberly Cram
1904–1993
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Beulah May Coberly West
1906–1997
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Clark Wilson Coberly
1912–1985
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Laurine Coberly Drymon
1913–1971
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June Ione Coberly Drymon
1915–1995
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Martha Eudora "Mart" Coberly Yanda
1917–1970
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Paul James "Jim" Coberly
1922–1997
