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UPDATE: KKK TOKENS AUTHOR DALE BIRDSELL

Mistakes can happen while doing biographical research and I made a big one. As I correct thatmistake, I hope to avoid compounding that with new mistakes

Raymond was born in Frankfort, Kansas, on August 7, 1893. His parents were Frank DavidBirdsell (1859-1915) and Carrie E. Ellis Birdsell (1864-1912).

For the 1910 Census, Raymond E., age 16, is living in Oakland, California. with Frank D. andTerry Birdsell. Also in 1910, Raymond F., age 9, is living in Nowata Township, Oklahoma, withFrank A. and Theresa B. Birdsell. The distinction is important as both appear in newspaperarticles of the period.

In 1913 Raymond was on probation for cruelty to animals when he was charged with passing badchecks totaling $700 in Oakland, He was sentenced to a year in prison for forgery andincarcerated at Folsom Prison beginning October 17, 1913, and released on August 17, 1914.

Ray's father, Frank, died on August 31, 1915, putting the family in financial trouble. Ray wascharged with forgery again and was sentenced to six years in San Quentin Prison on December16, 1915. He was discharged on October 29, 1919.

There were some interesting statements on his 1917 draft registration card. He listed hisprofession as blacksmith. He stated that he had five months previous service in the United StatesMarine Corps in California. For his employment, he stated, State Prison working in State PrisonRoad Camp. Prison records indicate he was at the road camp from May 21, 1917, throughDecember 26. 1917.

In the 1920 Census, Raymond E, age 26, was a truck driver living in Alameda, California.Raymond F., age 19, was living in Nowata County, Oklahoma.

Raymond from Oklahoma played high school football, served in France during The Great War,got married and had a daughter. None of that is important to our story.

Raymond from Oakland worked variously as a blacksmith, horseshoer and truck driver. Alongthe way, he developed a business model that worked for him. He drove around the country with aload of furniture. When he stopped at a business, he would show a check that he said was from aclient who was paying for the move. He asked the business to cash the check for him.

Raymond hid behind several aliases. He was taken into custody in January 1932 and identifiedthrough fingerprints. He was wanted for passing bad checks in twenty communities. Authoritiesclaimed he was one of California's most prolific passers of fictitious checks. He was returnedto Folsom Prison on January 28, 1932, with the notation A.H.C. which indicated AdjudgedHabitual Criminal. He was sentenced to life in prison.

He returned to court in 1937 to contend that he pleaded guilty in 1932 with the agreement that hewould not be charged as a habitual criminal. His appeal was refused.

He died in Folsom Prison on August 1, 1938, and is buried in the Folsom Prison Cemetery.

The FamilySearch website has a marriage record for Raymond E. Birdsell and Ona Robinson,married on December 20, 1920 in Jefferson, Texas. This record does not mention their parents,ages or place of birth. There was no link to a family.

There is also a record for Dale Estine Birdsell, born on November 7, 1921, the son of RaymondE. Birdsell and Ona Robinson. However, this record is not a birth certificate and was not fileduntil after the death of Dale in 1993. Can we be sure this is the branch from which the apple fell?

I added to the listing for Dale Birdsell in American Numismatic Biographies in 2017. I addeddate of birth, place of birth, date of death and place of death. I don't remember but I probably gotthis from the FindaGrave site.

 

I wrote a long article on Dale Birdsell for The E-Sylum issue of May 14, 2023. I mentioned thatthere were confusing records for Dale Birdsell, born in Oregon in 1920, and Dale Birdsell, bornin Texas in 1921. Since I already had the 1920 date in ANB, I suffered from confirmation biasand attributed the KKK book and other mischief to the Oregon Birdsell.

Bob Leonard suggested to me that I got it wrong shortly after the article was published. When Irepublished the story recently in Numismatic Rogues Gallery, he challenged me again andprovided a timeline. I came to realize that the KKK author was probably born in Texas in 1921.

At the time of the 1930 Census, Raymond was living in Alameda, California, and Dale wasliving in Daisetta, Texas. Dale was ten years old when his father went to prison for what wouldbe the rest of his life. How much of an influence did Raymond have in Dale's development?

Any father could be proud if his son followed in his profession. Raymond received a lifesentence after multiple convictions for forgery. I believe Dale was more likely to write checks onaccounts with insufficient funds. He got a two-year prison term for five counts of passing badchecks. He diversified into other crimes and was referred to a mental hospital.

I looked through seven generations of the family and could find no common ancestry for OregonBirdsell and Texas Birdsell. I did not find Estin or Estine as a family name.

In the 1930 Census, the Oregon Dale was indexed under the spelling Biedsell. In the 1940Census, the Texas Dale was listed as Birdcell. A superficial scan of the records would only turnup one of them in each Census.

With biographical research, there are often questions that are tough to answer. There are ofteninconsistencies that need to be resolved. Unfortunately, mistakes can be made.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
DALE ESTIN BIRDSELL (1920-1998)(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n20a12.html)
NNP ADDS SMITH'S NUMISMATIC ROGUES GALLERY(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n53a05.html)