John J Hersman Family

Photo taken in Red Oak Iowa

Mary Hersman

The Whole Family

On the back of this photo is says "The whole family". Photo taken 1921.

Left to right, Edith (pregant with Vernon), Harvey, Jud, Mary Wemer, Fern, Dorothy, Grandma Hersman, Harold, Al Wemer, Goldie, Bud Wemer is in the car.

Mary Hersman Wemer

Mary Hersman Wemer Hulett

(Grandpa Jud's Sister)
June 7, 1888 - December 9 1967

Viola- Mrs. Mary Hulett, 79, of Viola, died Saturday night in the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Spencer of Viola, with whom she made her home.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon at the Crummy Funeral Home in Viola. The Rev. J.C. House of Rock Island will officiate and burial will be in the Viola Cemetery.
The former Mary Hersman was born June 7, 1888 at Red Oak, Iowa, a daughter of John J. and Helen Mersericau (Typo- Mercereau) Hersman. She received her education in Red Oak and was a member of the Christian Church there.
She was married to Albert Wemer in Peoria, December 1, 1906. He died Jan. 30, 1935. She was married to Marcus Hulett in Mount Sterling, Illinois, August 25, 1948. He died in 1954.
Mrs. Hulett resided in Albia, Davenport and Pekin before moving to Viola about 15 years ago.
Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Spencer of Viola, and Mrs. Ralph Burgett of Des Moines; a step-daughter, Mrs. Charles Roberts of Rock Island; a step-son, Malcom Hulett of Springfield; Seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a brother, Judson Hersman of Albia, and a sister, Mrs. Helen Charlton of Pekin, Ill.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands, a son, and a grandson.

Scenes from the Depot Cafe

Grandma Morgan and Orpha



Grandma Morgan and Edith Morgan Hersman

Owned by the Morgan family in the early 1900’s. Grandma Morgan cooked her delicious pies and all of the girls worked there at one time serving food to the hungry trainmen. The café had stools that were constantly full. There was always a line at the depot for Carrie Morgan’s food. The picture above is of Grandma Carrie Morgan and Edith Ellen Morgan and the M & St. L Train Crew. This was one of the trains that passed through Albia on a regular basis. Grandma Edith said she knew all of the crew by name.

Edith Ellen Morgan Hersman

Edith Ellen Morgan Hersman

July 26, 1900 - May 4, 1974

Hersman Rites are Tuesday

Mrs. Jud (Edith E.) Hersman, 74, of 304 Second Avenue East in Albia, died Sunday, May 4, at Monroe County Hospital.
The Funeral will be held Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Albia, with Rev. Donald Plum officiating. Burial will be in Oak View Cemetery in Albia.
Mrs. Hersman was born on July 26, 1900, in Monroe County, the daughter of John E. and Carrie Mae Pilkington Morgan. She married Jud Hersman in Des Moines. He survives.
Mrs. Hersman had spent most of her life in Albia and Monroe County. She worked with her husband for some 12 years at Duncan Book Store in Albia.
She was a member of the First Christian Church of Albia and a member of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Survivors beside her husband include two sons, Vernon C. Hersman of Iowa City and John R. Hersman of Lakeland, FL; Three sisters, Mrs. Orpha Harper of Phoenix, Arizona, Mrs. Luella Nesvold of Dalton, Minn., and Mrs. Glendene Nelson of Kansas City, Kansas; Five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by two brothers and one sister.
Geyer-Lewis Funeral Home in Albia is in charge of the arrangements. A memorial has been established in Mrs. Hersman’s name, payable to the Cancer Fund.

Homecoming King & Queen

Albia High School
Bah - Zola Kirkham 1939 Homecoming Queen

Poppy - John Hersman 1940 Homecoming King

Notice the dates, they weren't King & Queen together, they are a year apart. Bah graduated in 1940 and Poppy graduated High School in 1941.

I like these photos. The one of Poppy is a newspaper clipping from a scrapbook he kept.

Albia, Iowa - Oak View Cemetery

Photo taken in 1991 by Larry McElroy.

This trip to Iowa was made after G'Pa Jud passed away. They went up to Iowa to get G'Pa Jud and G'Ma Edith's bedroom furniture. It is an antique set that consists of a dresser, a headboard, and a dressing table. It is still in the family, as Jay and Kim Foster now have it in their guest room, in Pelham, Alabama.

The photo is of G'Pa Jud and G'Ma Edith's headstone. This is an amazingly clear photo to me considering we did not have digital cameras yet. A true testament to what a great photographer Larry McElroy is!

Bah and Rosella are in the background. There are many people buried here, including Amy Clarke, G'Pa Jud's second wife.

I wanted to post this because most of the Judson Hersman descendants will not get up to Iowa to see this in person. And if it isn't important to you now, it will be one day!!!

Michael Moreland Hersman

Michael Moreland Hersman

John J Hersman's Father

G'Pa Jud's Grandfather

Michael Moreland Hersman was born in 1813 in Harrison, Kentucky, he died in Brookfield Missouri 11 Feb 1896. He married Mary Hulett 17 Oct 1839 in Brown, Illinois. She was born 1823 in Morris, Grundy, Illinois and died 10 Jun 1907 in Brookfield, Missouri. They had 12 children together.
Michael and his family arrived in Versailles, Illinois, in 1856. He was a carpenter by trade and tinker (repairer of metal utensils) . He was a cabinet maker in 1862. He then established an undertaking business on Main Street in Mt. Sterling, Illinois where he made coffins (also known as a cooper).

A distant cousin that Betty and Vernon Hersman communicated/researched with wrote the following, his name was Frank Hersman:

In 1834 Jacob Hersman and his wife Sarah Ann Craig, George Hersman, and his wife Rebecca Knox, Abraham Phillip and his wife Martha Ellen Knox, Susan Hersman and Henry Hersman came to the place later named Hersman. Benjamin Taylor had arrived in Brown County, Illinois, in 1830 and married Susan Hersman in 1836.
In 1856 Michael Moreland Hersman and his wife Mary Hulett and part of their family arrived in Versailles, Illinois.
Michael Moreland was my fathers Uncle and I have called him Uncle Mike all my life.
Uncle Mike was a carpenter. One memory of him was that he was a tinkeror.
He was the first Wabash Agent in Versailles. The first train came through Christmas Day 1858.
He moved to Mt. Sterling where he had an undertaking establishment on Main Street and made coffins.
Michael Moreland Hersman had 11 children (that have been accounted for). His daughter Bertha G. died in a fire on February 3rd, 1856 at the age of 16 months. She was buried in the Versailles South Cemetery.
Uncle Mikes son John was a colorful person, much like his father. John was born in Kentucky in 1848 and came to Versailles with his family when he was eight years old.
He en-listed in the Union Army in 1864 and served two years till discharged because of a disability. He re enlisted in the Illinois Infantry to serve about a year or more. (Info not entirely accurate)
John Hersman was married to Helen Mercerau (misspelled) of Delavan, Illinois in 1878.
They lived in Pekin, Illinois a short time but lived most of their lives in Red Oak, Iowa, where John died in 1909.
John Hersman was a carpenter by trade and an excellent workman. He was a contractor and builder in Red Oak and was a pattern maker for the Kerrihard Foundry. When they lived in Pekin he had been a foreman for a contractor who employed a number of men.

Vernon Carl Hersman

Vernon Carl Hersman

Poppy's Brother, G'Pa Jud's Son
August 4, 1921 - March 31, 1997
Vernon Hersman, 75, of West Branch, died Monday, March 31, 1997, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, following a lengthy illness from heart disease and diabetes.
Mr. Hersman has requested no services. His body was cremated. A memorial fund has been established for Mercy Home Health Care. George L. Gay Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.
Mr. Hersman was born August 4, 1921, at Albia, son of Jud and Edith Morgan Hersman.
He Graduated from Albia High School in 1939 and attended the Kansas City Art Institute for three years. He was a student in Advertising design and commercial drafting.
Mr. Hersman married Betty Ellen Stevenson at Unionville, Mo. On October 5, 1942.
In 1942 he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps as a high speed radio operator aboard the Algonquin, the Army Hospital Ship. He made numerous crossings of the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean area, docking in Tehran, North Africa, Italy, and France. He was made staff sergeant at the Brooklyn Naval Yards upon his final trip in 1945.
After the war he returned to Albia and reopened a music and record department in
the Duncan Book Store. In 1956 he and his family moved to Iowa City, where he worked as manager of the Cook paint and varnish store. In 1962 he joined Wayne Sullivan as a partner in a paint contracting business. He retired in 1983.
He was a member of the Howard Cessna American Legion in Albia and a member of the First Christian Church in Iowa City. He served as a volunteer firefighter in Albia. He belonged to the Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania Genealogy Society. He was a volunteer at the West Branch Heritage Museum for a short time.
Mr. Hersman is survived by his wife of West Branch; a daughter, Gretchen Hersman of West Branch; and two step sisters, Grace Billings, and Kathleen Mitchell both of Albia.
His parents; an infant son, Jeffery Hersman; a brother, John R. Hersman; and his step-mother, Amy Hersman died earlier.

John J. Hersman

John J. Hersman

Great Grandpa Jud's Father
April 15, 1848 - July 23, 1909
Death Notice of John J. Hersman
John J. Hersman died at his home in Red Oak, Iowa, Friday July 23rd, 1909. After an illness of some weeks. John, a respected resident of Red Oak for a number of years and a soldier for the Union, had been in failing health for several years.
The funeral services were held in the Christian Church on Sunday P.M. and were conducted by Rev. George Nichol, Pastor of that church. Pallbearers were M.E. Latimer, Isaah Miller, L.D. Powell, John Rush, Milton Stewert, and Jacob Wolfe. Burial was in Evergreen Cemetery. There was a large attendance of friends at the funeral.
Mr. Hersman was in his 62nd year, born near Lexington, Kentucky April 15, 1848, and when about 8 years of age, went from Kentucky to Illinois with his parents and grew to manhood in Versailles, Illinois. Enlisted in the Union Army on May 10th, 1864 , was discharged in December 1864, because of a disability. Re-Enlisted February 7th, 1865 in Illinois Infantry and served until January 7th, 1866.
Married January 9th, 1878 to Miss Helen Harriett Merceau in Delevan, Illinois. Mr. Hersman and family came to Red Oak, Iowa some 20 years ago. Lived in Red Oak until 1904 and then moved to Pekin, Illinois. Lived there 2 years returning to Red Oak in May 1908. Failing health the cause of the return. For some years, Mr. Hersman was a carpenter by trade and an excellent workman. Was a contractor and builder here. At Pekin, Illinois he was a foreman for a building contractor, employing a number of men. Since returning to Red Oak, when health permitted, he was a pattern maker at Kerrihard Foundry.
Survivors include, Mrs. Hersman and 7 children, Loren of Oskaloosa, Iowa, Arthur of Red Oak, Goldie Kempton of Red Oak, Mrs. Helen Newkirk and Mrs. Mary Wemer of Pekin Illinois. Judson and Ernest of Red Oak. Six Sisters, Mrs. Ella Baxter of Mt. Sterling, Mrs. Elizabeth Young, Mrs. J.T. (Kitty) Edwards and Miss Belle Hersman of Brookfield, Mo., Mrs. Laura Sibert of Kansas City, and Mrs. J.D. Shottenwell of Lakin, Kansas. Brothers, Joseph of Randolph, Iowa and Strother of Red Oak

Judson Martin Hersman

Judson Martin Hersman

Poppy's Dad - Great Grandpa Jud

August 23rd, 1898-March 19th, 1990

Judson M. Hersman, 91, of Albia died March 19, 1990, at the Monroe Care Center. Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at First Christian Church, the Rev. David Stout officiating. Burial will be in Oak View Cemetery, with military rites.
He was born August 23, 1898, in Red Oak to John and Helen Harriett Mercer (Typo - Mercereau) Hersman. He was the Albia Postmaster from 1956-1968 and had been employed by and was part owner of Duncan Book Store. He was a member of First Christian Church and Howard Cessna Post of American Legion. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a 50-year member. He was also a member of the 1st Calvery Division, Troop A, World War I, where he served along the Mexican border. He married Edith Morgan February 2nd, 1920 in Des Moines. She died in 1975. He later married Amy M. Clarke August 22nd, 1978 in Unionville, Mo.
He is survived by his wife; a son, Vernon of West Branch; three step-daughters, Kathleen Mitchell, Jean Stevenson and Grace Billings, all of Albia. Six grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; 10 great - grandchildren; and 19 step-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, John and an infant grandson.
Masonic Services will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Geyer-Nordstrom Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to First Christian Church.

John Richard Hersman

My Grandfather "Poppy"

John Richard Hersman

March 10th, 1923, Albia, Iowa-

December 25th, 1989, Snellville, Georgia

Hersman family history blog

I started this blog in order to keep track of and share the research that I have done on the Hersman family.
When I started getting interested in family history in 2006, I had no idea of the wealth of information that would be found on this line of the family.
My Hersman link is through my Grandfather John Hersman who married my Grandmother Zola Kirkham.
I was able to link my Hersman ancestors to a line that goes back to 1675. The name Hersman, originally Hirschmann, is German.

Our Hersman line goes back to Mattheus Ulrich Hirschmann who came to America, from Germany, on the Duke of Wirtemberg on October 16th, 1751. He arrived in Pennsylvania.
Mattheus had 11 children and was married at least 3 times. They were German Baptists aka Dunkards. He died in Virginia in 1801.
All of his sons eventually changed their name to either Hershman or Harshman.
Since this line can be traced back so far, there is a lot of information to share. Out of the 11 lines that I am researching I have the most documentation on the Hersman line.

Anyone who notices any errors or omissions please let me know.