Walter Leo Curfman was born on March 19, 1905, in Three Springs, Pennsylvania. Walter's father was Austin Andrew Curfman (see blog on Austin), and his mother was Lauretta (Chilcote) Curfman. Walter married Grace (Cutshall) Curfman and they had six children together, including a daughter that died in infancy. Walter passed away on November 20, 1988, in Todd, Pennsylvania, at the age of 83, and was buried in Saltillo, Pennsylvania.
Grace was born on August 29, 1908, in Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Lemuel Alexander Cutshall (he went by Alec) and Laura E. Everhart. Grace had two sisters, Alice and Mary, and brothers Roy, Cloyd, Ralph and Emory. Grace passed away on June 6, 1994, in Todd, Pennsylvania, at the age of 85, and was buried in Saltillo, Pennsylvania, with her husband, infant baby, and her parents.
Above is the earliest known photo of Walter Leo in 1908 at a Curfman family reunion celebrating his grandfather and Civil War veteran Daniel Curfman Jr. and Daniel's wife Emily. Walter would have been 3 years old. He is pictured on the left side of the table, the second from front. The first boy is Clarence his brother and the man sitting beside Walter is his father Austin. On the front right side of the table is Walter's mother, Lauretta. It is unknown what kind of relationship Walter had with his grandfather, Daniel, or if Daniel ever shared any of his Civil War memories with Walter.
Walter had 3 sisters, Beulah, Blanche and Maude, and one brother, Clarance. Austin also raised another girl, Grace Rupert Holland, with the family. Pictured below from left: Walter Leo, Beulah, Maude, Blanche, Clarence, with parents Lauretta and Austin in front.
Walter (on right side) and his brother Clarence (left) were well dressed young men. This photo was probably taken in the early 1920s. Walter and Clarence visited one another throughout the years.
Walter worked hard as a farmer his entire life. Below are pictures of Walter working on Austin's farm.
Walter lived the first 38 years of his life on his father's farm, working both as a farmer and as a miner. Austin retired from farming in 1927 and all of the equipment and livestock were owned by Walter after that point. Note that Walter had a large chew of tobacco in his cheek. Walter started using chewing tobacco at the age of 17 after seeking a doctor's help for stomach issues and the doctor gave him a chew of tobacco and told him to swallow the juice. Walter said it tasted like candy and chewed it for the rest of his life. On occasion, he would give a little chew to has grandchildren, who quickly spit it out.
Walter and Grace started a family while still living with Austin and Lauretta. Above is a picture of the couple with their son Charles. Three more children were born while living at Austin's home, including: Clair, Freda and Fred. Fred Curfman (who lived at Austin's until age 7) said that living with his grandmother and grandfather was a good experience and that everyone got along. Fred did note that the grandkids would tease Austin while he tried to sleep on the sofa and he would jokingly swing his cane at them. Fred also remembered Lauretta sitting on the steps of the home singing "Jesus Loves Me" on a regular basis.
Above is the first known family photo of Walter and Grace while still at Austin's home, which they would not leave until 1943 when Walter bought his own farm in Todd, Pa. Front left is Fred and behind him is Clair. Walter and Grace are in the middle and daughter Freda and son Charles are on the far right. Another son, Walter Lee would be born at the family farm in Todd in 1946.
Clair, Freda and Charles will living at Austin's farm.
Walter Leo, sitting with Clair and Charles.
Horses would have been key assets on the farm, in addition to transportation. Above picture is of Walter Leo, with sons Clair (left) and Charles (right) and Walter's Father-in-Law Alec Cutshall (see separate blog on Alec). Over the course of Walter's lifetime, he would have seen the evolution of transportation from horse and buggy to space travel.
Working on the farm was hard work, and everyone in the family pitched in. Above is Walter Leo on the left, Fred on top and Clair on right.
Above, Grace, Walter Lee and Freda, helping in the fields.
In addition to farming, Walter worked a lot of other jobs to support his family, including mining, delivering ice, and logging. Walter Leo was also dedicated to education and serving his community by serving in the roles of school board member and Todd Township supervisor.
Above, pictured under the red arrow, is Walter with other East Broad Top miners, probably in the 1930s or 1940s. Walter's mining helmet remains in the family. Walter told a story about being in the mine and a fellow miner telling Walter to 'run'. Walter did, but when he looked back, the miner who had told him that had been killed by a falling rock. Walter said the blood seemed to run on forever.
In 1943, Walter and Grace purchased a farm in Todd, PA, where they would live the rest of their lives. The farm still remains in the family--it was purchased in 1994 by their son Fred and wife Sandy (Cook).
Grace, who was a devoted wife and mother, worked on the farm and kept the family home for her entire life. Her welcoming spirit made the home a central meeting place for visits from extended family and friends on most weekends. Many pictures survive of those visits, often taken in the front yard of the home. Below is pictured from left to right: Ralph Cutshall, Clair Curfman, Charles, Ralph Runk (husband to Freda), Fred Curfman, and youngest in the family, Walter Lee Curfman.
Walter Lee made the family complete and below is one of the best family pictures of all seven. Note Clair in the far back right in his military uniform. He was drafted in the 1950s as part of the Korean War. The war ended before he would need to be deployed, but he often spoke positively about his time in the service.
Even Walter Leo got a turn at wearing Clair's uniform for a photo. The family would visit Clair when he was Stationed in Maryland.
Hunting was both a fun pastime and way to feed the growing family. Pictured is Clair with a deer and Walter Leo coming to help clean it.
Clair always loved to talk about his hunting stories and everyone seemed to agree that he was a great marksman. One story goes that he shot five deer in a single outing (before there were limits).
Walter and Grace's five children, in addition to their spouses, were very close and stayed that way their entire lives. Below pictured from left to right: Charles, Freda, Ralph Runk, and Fred Curfman.
Dorthy, Helen, Clair and Charles on Clair and Helen's wedding day.
50th Wedding anniversary for Walter and Grace, attended by all of their children, spouses and grandchildren. From left: Charles and Dorthy, Walter and Grace, Clair and Helen, Freda and Ralph Runk, Sandy and Fred, and Florence Carol (Ammon) with Walter Lee.
From left, Clair and Helen Curfman with Dorthy and Charles Curfman at a Father's day reunion.
Last photo of the five siblings all together: standing in order of birth, Charles, Clair, Freda, Fred and Walter Lee.
The family loved dogs. Below is Walter Lee with one of the cherished dogs (Shep) that was thought to be stolen and never returned.
Walter Lee told a story of another dog (named Jack) (Carlo on right) that killed some of the family chickens. When father Walter Leo found out he got the gun and went up into the woods to find Jack. Jack was smart to hide in the woods over night and returned the next day when tempers had calmed.
Grace, standing in front of the home with dog Stinky.
Walter Lee, Carlo and Charles
The four brothers shared a special bond and always remained close. Charles, Clair, Walter Lee and Fred.
As black and white photography evolved to color, the Curfman boys took the opportunity to show off their fancy hair and clothing, with the family farm in the background. From left: Fred, Charles, Clair and Walter Lee. Charles, Clair and Fred stayed connected with farming throughout their lives. Fred, stayed on Walter Leo's farm, working with Walter and eventually purchasing the farm from him. In addition to farming, Charles became a fire inspector for the Pennsylvania DCNR and Clair was an inspector at a fiberglass company in Huntingdon.
Walter Lee is pictured below with is parents after graduating from Shippensburg University. Walter ached a doctorate degree from Penn State University in school administration and went on teach math, become a principal and ultimately Superintendent at Forbes Road and Tussey Mtn School districts.
Walter Leo and Grace were excellent parents and grandparents and often showed open affection towards one another. Walter would routinely put his arm around Grace and hold her close for a picture, although it is debatable whether she liked this embrace.
Walter Lee remembered a phase where Walter Leo started to style his hair straight back. Below is evidence of that trend.
Walter and Grace always took pride in their appearance.
As time passed and the children went on to have families of their own, reunions, family dinners and Christmas became regular opportunities to come together at the family farm. Since most of the family lived in either Huntingdon or Fulton Counties, the close proximity engendered a close bond among the grandchildren and great grandchildren that still exists today.
Fred, Walter Lee, Charles, Freda, Clair, Grace and Walter Leo
Clair, Grace, Walter Leo, Freda, Charles, and Ralph Runk
Family reunion in the early 1980s.
Family meal in the 1970s, with Walter Leo at the head of the table.
The years of mining took their tool on Walter Leo, and he contracted Black Lung. Below is the picture that he had to submit as part of his application for a pension.
Walter and Grace in 1978. This photo was framed in most of their children's homes.
Last known photo of Walter Leo with his two surviving siblings in the late 1970's, Clarence (far right) and Blanche (orange dress).
Both Walter Leo and Grace were devoted grandparents. Walter liked to entertain his grandchildren with his accordion, giving rides on the tractor, and showing them Isaac Chilcote's musket from the early 1800s (see blog for more details). He also liked to rub his whiskers on the side of their faces.
Walter and Grace in mid 1980s with all but one (Stanley) of their 13 grandchildren. From back left: Wayne, Etta, Duane, Dennis, Wanda, Merri Ann, Steve. Front left: Suzie, Megan, Grace, Keith, Walter Leo, and Leroy.
Walter Leo playing accordion with grandson Keith Curfman
Grace holding baby Megan, son Walter Lee, grandson Keith being held by Walter Leo
The legacy of Walter and Grace continues to live on though their children's families and their families, a true testament of the closeness of this family. Below is the 2014 and 2016 Curfman family reunions in Huntingdon Co., PA, which has remained a central location for the Curfman family since the late 1700s.
2014
2016
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