Home > Canada > Alberta > Red Deer Census Division > Bentley > Bentley Cemetery > Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron

Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron

Birth	:	9 Jan 1878 Basco, Hancock County, Illinois, USA
Death	:	10 May 1964 Alberta, Canada
Burial	:	Bentley Cemetery, Bentley, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate	:	52.4627700, -114.0388600
Inscription	:	1902 PIONEER[] HOMESTEAD S.E. 36-40-R2-W5
Description	:	From the book: "Bentley and District Early History" which was published in February 1982 by the Adviser Graphics, Red Deer, Alberta - ISBN 0-9691066-0-2. Gertrude (Erickson) Damron was Clarence's 2nd wife. But I don't know how Barbara Damron and Martha Connelly connect to this family. "DAMRON, CLARENCE FRANKLIN, (C.F.) By Mrs. Gertrude Damron, Barbara Damron, Martha Connelly On January 9, 1878, Clarence Franklin Damron was born in West Virginia, U.S.A. One of the three sons born to Joseph Siron Damron. Clarence, at the age of eight, moved on with his family to a... Read More	From the book: "Bentley and District Early History" which was published in February 1982 by the Adviser Graphics, Red Deer, Alberta - ISBN 0-9691066-0-2. Gertrude (Erickson) Damron was Clarence's 2nd wife. But I don't know how Barbara Damron and Martha Connelly connect to this family. "DAMRON, CLARENCE FRANKLIN, (C.F.) By Mrs. Gertrude Damron, Barbara Damron, Martha Connelly On January 9, 1878, Clarence Franklin Damron was born in West Virginia, U.S.A. One of the three sons born to Joseph Siron Damron. Clarence, at the age of eight, moved on with his family to a place in Nebraska called South Omaha. It was here he became involved in the business of selling. After school and all day Saturday he busied himself with selling Mom's ham sandwiches and popcorn balls to the crowd at the stockyards. By the time he was fourteen he was buying crippled hogs from the commission firms in Omaha and selling them to the packers. He was also preparing for his future career, and spent some of his time emulating his hero, who just happened to be a noted livestock auctioneer in the town. "I suppose I sold my dad's team of mules a thousand times", he would reminisce; "I'd cultivate corn until I came to the end of the row. While the team rested I'd auction them to my brother. " There were no schools for auctioneers in those days. You had to be born that way. While still in Nebraska he met and married his first wife, Martha Imogene Trobough. in 1902 they took their young son Joseph along with three registered shorthorn calves, and moved to a homestead in Bentley, Alberta. Settling on a place three miles west and one mile north of Bentley, they completed their family with two more sons: Arthur Edward (Bud), and Ned Trobough (N.T. or Dick). It was around 1907 when the Damron brothers, C.F. and John, opened up Bentley's first butcher shop. His recollections of this venture were selling prime steak at three pounds for 25 cents, and of a real grand sale of 20 quarters of beef to one man at the whopping price of three cents a pound front, and fours cents a pound hind. Not one to be idle, he also operated himself a real estate office, and eventually constructed his own building for it, right beside his butcher shop. Clarence Franklin Damron was perhaps more widely known as "C.F." What may not be as widely known is the fact that it was he who brought the first "cash auction" to Western Canada. C.F. assisted Art Garries with Mr. Oscar Lillevik's sale in March, 1908, and on September 17, 1909, he conducted his first sale. 7 horses, 28 cattle, and a full line of farm implements comprised the first sale bill and brought in a total take of sixteen hundred dollars. Damron grossed sixteen dollars and netted thirteen. Three dollars went to the clerk. The terms of those first sales were generous. All items for $10.00 or less went for cash. Purchases exceeding the $10.00 mark were extended credit for nine months at an interest rate of 8%. "If you wanna buy, ya gotta bid, boys!" was C.F.'s opening cry. It was once stated, that at his opening sale, another auctioneer was overheard to remark that Damron was a small wind that would soon blow over. Well, that "small wind" continued and became more like a hurricane in the way that he dispensed a sale. Everything from oxen to frying pans was included in the more that four thousand sales he conducted. He was the chief auctioneer at the first Lacombe Horse Sale in 1925, and the chief auctioneer at the last one in 1951, and chief auctioneer at all the sales in between. The Lacombe Bull Sale was another of his projects, and he sold here from 1923 until 1964. The Calgary Bull Sale? He sold all of them, from 1927 through until 1955. Did he ever book off sick? Not once. He knew what an item was worth and he knew how to coax the bidders to buy. He acquired two assistants in the auctioneering department, Murry MacKenzie and his son N.T. (Dick) Damron. C.F. kept a diary, and during the depression years he tells of farmers forfeiting their farms for grocery bills. He suffered through the bad years and rejoiced in the good, with the people in agriculture. A successful man, and one who loved the earth and soil as much as he did his auctioneering. He acquired much land over the years and at one time owned around forty quarter sections. Registered Hereford cattle were another of his major projects. in his spare time he built a few houses in the Bentley area. These were some of the finest homes in the district, even today. There is one just north of the arena where Dr. McKendrick lived, another on the farmstead where Harvey Haarstad resides; and yet another at 4834 - 51st Avenue, Bentley, where Roy and Mabel Hunter live. (NOTE: Mabel was the first wife of C.T.'s son N.T. "Dick" Damron). Special interests? How about the time he was made honorary chief of the Hobbema tribe! "Big Chief Sundown" they called him. C.F. was also a avid sportsman and went big game hunting with the likes of Ed and Gerald Olson, Douglass Erickson, and Clarence Anderson. A winterized cabin at Buck Lake made fishing ideal. in May of 1964 he received a fishing boat from the Central Alberta Agricultural Society. He liked to make his own flies and took part in the annual Buck Lake "Whitefish Net Pull." His oldest son, Joseph , died as a result of a car accident at the age of twenty. in 1956 C.F. mourned the passing of his wife Martha. His membership in organizations included the Masonic Lodge in Lacombe, the Keystone Chapter No. 2 R.A.M. in Red Deer; the Al Azar Temple in Calgary; the Auctioneers Association, and the Central Alberta Hereford Club. He was also the honorable president of the Central Alberta Agricultural Society, and a Trustee of the Oxford School District. In 1957 he married Gertrude Erickson. Together they enjoyed the remaining eight years of his life. Gertrude Damron still resides in Bentley. C.F. was a man with a heart of gold. He led a full and active life and still had time for his family, who remember his as "Big Grandad". It was Monday, May 10, 1965, when this veteran auctioneer passed on, but his memory is still alive today."

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron's memorial?
Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron's memorial is located at: Bentley Cemetery, Bentley, Red Deer Census Division, Canada.
When did Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron death?
Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron death on 10 May 1964 in Alberta, Canada
Where are the coordinates of the Clarence Franklin “C.F.” Damron's memorial?
Latitude: 52.4627700
Longitude: -114.0388600

Family Members:

Parent

Joseph Siron Damron

(1843 - 1906)

Martha Ann Caldwell Damron

(1850 - 1926)

Spouse

Martha Imogene Trobough Damron

(1880 - 1956)

Siblings

John Henry Damron

(1873 - 1955)

Children

Joseph P. “Joe” Damron

(1900 - 1920)

Ned Trobough “Dick” Damron

(1906 - 1970)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Bentley Cemetery
Bentley, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4627700, -114.0388600

2. Bentley Seventh Day Adventist Cemetery
Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4346420, -114.0266220

3. Bentley Hutterite Cemetery
Bentley, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4078896, -113.9981401

4. Vig Lutheran Church Cemetery
Bentley, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4438100, -114.1855600

5. Aspelund Cemetery
Blackfalds, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3630400, -113.9627400

6. Gull Lake Cemetery
Gull Lake, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.5750980, -113.9392090

7. Blackfalds Cemetery
Blackfalds, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3897500, -113.7941400

8. Lakeview Cemetery
Sylvan Lake, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2980100, -114.0982500

9. Kuusamo Cemetery
Sylvan Lake, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3189170, -114.2112180

10. West Meadows Cemetery
Sylvan Lake, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2909200, -114.1207700

11. Fairview Cemetery
Lacombe, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4753000, -113.7214800

12. Mount Auburn Cemetery
Rimbey, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.6399700, -114.2356900

13. Benalto Cemetery
Benalto, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2977900, -114.2639100

14. Burnt Lake Cemetery
Sylvan Lake, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2476600, -114.0497800

15. Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery
Red Deer, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2888200, -113.8205600

16. Eckville Cemetery
Eckville, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3487200, -114.3528700

17. Gilby Kalmu Cemetery
Eckville, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4643900, -114.4091100

18. West Haven Cemetery
Rimbey, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.6389000, -114.3149800

19. Red Deer Cemetery
Red Deer, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2743200, -113.7859000

20. Bradshaw Cemetery
Leedale, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.5445990, -114.4390650

21. Bismark Lutheran Cemetery
Crestomere, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.7102900, -113.9198100

22. Alto Reste Cemetery
Red Deer, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2735700, -113.7168900

23. Leedale Hutterite Cemetery
Leedale, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.5519084, -114.4643573

24. Diamond Valley Cemetery
Red Deer, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2608600, -114.3595700