Gerald Clifford Bartlett

Date of Birth*: There is a photo of his Military ID that seemingly states his DOB was January 10, 1902. Other sources put it at August 17, 1903 but it is unclear where that date came from. Still other sources say he was born in 1904. His age in the various census were inconsistent with any particular date of birth. The best estimate is sometime between 1902 – 1903.
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Age at the Time: Most sources say 21, but he was listed as 22 when he was registered in the 1925 census.
Age Group: 20s
Biological Sex: Male
Hair: Strawberry Blonde
Eyes: Blue
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Ethnicity: Caucasian or White
Nationality: United States
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*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

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Date of the Disappearance*: July 1, 1925

Description: Gerald Clifford Bartlett was last known to be in Devils Lake, North Dakota as of spring 1925. According to historical records, he had served as a private in Troop H, 7th U.S. Cavalry and was considered a deserter from Fort Bliss, Texas at some point; this was reported to the adjutant general’s office before his disappearance. He was in Devils Lake when they took information for the 1925 census. Where he went after that remains a mystery.

*Okay, so I ended up on a bit of a dive into the family genealogy records here.

• They allege that he is the son of Howard Lee Bartlett and Ethel Leona Bowers, originally married in Woodbury, Iowa. They had 10 children, including Clifford.
• This family appears in the Minnesota 1905 census as living in Otter Tail, Minnesota. Gerald appears as “Gerald C” , age 2, male, Caucasian.
• The family reappears in a North Dakota 1910 census as living in Steele County. Gerald is listed as a Male, Caucasian, age 7.
• The family reappears in the North Dakota 1915 census, still in Devils Lake. Gerald is with them but no other information is given.
• The family reappears in the North Dakota 1920 census, still in Devils Lake. Gerald is now 16 years old.
• The family reappears in the North Dakota 1925 census, sill in Devils Lake. Gerald is now 22 and going by ‘Clifford’ instead of his first name.

Long story short, the family moved from Iowa to Minnesota and then on to North Dakota where they remained for many years. Gerald’s age and date of birth seemingly change.

Multiple Victims?: No

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*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

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Description: Unknown

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Suspected Homicide?: No

Multiple Victims?: No

DNA Tested (No Match):

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

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