Claude Williamson Degler

1920 - 2000  (79 years)

• Name	Claude Williamson Degler  [1, 2, 3]
  Birth	19 May 1920	Poplar Bluff, Butler, Missouri   [4, 5, 6]
  Gender	Male
  Death	20 Apr 2000	Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana   [6]
  Person ID	I38550	Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2023

  
  

  Father	Howard Lynville Degler,   b. 12 Jun 1895
  Mother	Virgie Viola Allen,   b. 17 Dec 1893   d. 20 Oct 1950, Henry County, Indiana (Age 56 years)
  Marriage	18 Feb 1918	Indiana   [7]
  Family ID	F22637	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Alta Doris Smith,   b. 9 Jun 1929, Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana d. 31 Mar 1995, Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana (Age 65 years)
  Marriage	31 Jul 1944	Corning, Clay, Arkansas   [8, 9]
  Family ID	F22636	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Oct 2022

  
  

• Notes

  His World War II-era draft card, dated 1 Jul 1941, places him in New Castle, Indiana. His Fancyclopedia 3 entry is here. From Pong 19/20, 10 Aug 1981, ed. Dan Steffan and Ted White: Bob Tucker writes: "Claude Degler is alive and well (?) and living in or near Indianapolis. "I was attending InConjunction there a couple of weeks ago, when a tall and very thin half-stranger stopped me in the hotel lobby and called me by name. He asked me if I rec­ognized him. I recognized his voice immediately, and it was Claude. He had seen my name on the convention advertising and came down to meet me. "We talked for perhaps ten minutes and then parted, not to see each other again. I carefully did not give him my address, nor did he mention his but his remarks led me to believe he was living and working nearby in some Indianapolis suburb. He sounded sane and rational, his brown eyes sparkled with an inner fire, and it was Claude all right. The Cosmic Circle was never mentioned. "This news will plunge all fandom into war." From Fancyclopedia 3: Claude Degler died on April 20, 2000, one month short of his 80th birthday, and was likely homeless at the time of his death. He had been using the name John Paul Christman. In 2023, FamilySearch made the US Social Security NUMIDENT files available, which led to the discovery of a record matching Degler in nearly all details, including his known alias of “John Paul Chris(t)man”: Name: John Paul Christman Name note: Name and form dates: Application: JOHN PAUL CHRISTMAN (Nov 1956), Application: JOHN PAUL HARVEY CHRISTMAN (18 Apr 1988), Death: JOHN CHRISTMAN (20 Apr 2000) Alias: John Paul Harvey Christman Second Alias: John Christman Sex: Male Previous Residence: Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States Previous Residence Postal Code: 46201-3203 Death Date: 20 Apr 2000 Birth Date: 19 May 1920 Birthplace: Waterbury, Connecticut, United States Race: White Father's Name: Howard L Christman Mother's Name: Vergie V Allen The differences from corroborated facts, other than Degler's new name, are marked in bold: he gave his birthplace as Waterbury, Connecticut and he gave his father's surname as Christman, to match his own. The ZIP+4 of his last known mailing address, 46201-3203, corresponds to the east side of a half-block of Eastern Avenue in Indianapolis, which notably includes the Good News Ministries homeless men's shelter.

  
  

• Sources

  [S6677] Find a Grave page for Virgie Allen Degler. [S6678] "Worker Ends Own Life, Bares Mother's Killing." Indianapolis Star, 1 Nov 1950, p. 22. [S6679] "Leads to Finding of Body of Mother, Virgie Degler." New Castle, Indiana Courier Times, 31 Oct 1950. [S1336] U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, on ancestry.com. [S6729] Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969, on ancestry.com., date and state only. [S3561] Fancyclopedia 3, eds. Jim Caughran, Mark Olson, et al. [S3642] Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001, on ancestry.com. [S3561] Fancyclopedia 3, eds. Jim Caughran, Mark Olson, et al., year and state only. [S6729] Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969, on ancestry.com.