The Kirkman Family Over 600 Years of History ....The Facts & Legends
  • Welcome
  • Whats in a Name?
  • The 1700's - Denmark
    • 1707 - 1758 Niels Knudsen Kirkman
    • 1739-1801 Knud Nielsen Kirkman
    • 1769 - 1837 Leopold Christopher Knudsen Kirkman
    • 1795 - 1851 Niels Albrecht Kirkman
  • The 1800's - Denmark to America
    • 1828 - 1900 Christian Wilhelm Kirkemann (The Captain) >
      • The Captains Ladies >
        • The Captains 2nd & 3rd Child
    • 1853 - 1924 Nelson Kirkman (The Captains First Son) >
      • Nelsons Children
    • 1880-1937 Christian William Kirkman II (The Captains Grandson)
    • 1882 - 1950 Christian William Kirkman III (The Captains Son) >
      • Chris III's Daughter Elinor >
        • Elinor's Daughter (Terrific Toni)
  • The 1900's - United States
    • 1906 - 1946 Christian William Kirkman IV (Baseballer) >
      • 1935 - 1993 Don's Sister Edith Kirkman Bielski
    • 1914 - 1977 Ellen Bonn Burleson Guild (Gene Burleson's Mother)
    • 1927 - William "Bill" Kirkman
    • 1929 - 2001 Donald C. Kirkman >
      • 1933-2008 Natalie Ann De Blasio Kirkman >
        • 1960 - Kathryn Ann Mostrom Kirkman
    • 1931 - Gene Edward Burleson
    • 1933 Engineer & Artist George R. Kirkman
    • 1958 - Christian William Kirkman V
  • WWII Kirkmans
  • Notable Kirkmans
  • The British Kirkmans
  • Kirkman Generals
  • The Early American Kirkmans
  • Revolutionary War Kirkmans
  • Other Early Arriving Kirkmans to America
  • Migration to North Carolina
  • The Civil War Kirkmans
  • Col. H. Neil Kirkman
  • Other Tarheel Decendants
  • Kirkman Soap Company
  • Kirkman Piano's
  • Behind Every Good Man
  • Commentary by Don Kirkman
  • Chart of the Kirkman Family
  • The Detectives
THE FIFTH GENERATION

There are several dozen fifth generation descendants of Capt. Christian William Kirkman who were born between 1927 and the mid 1960s. They’re scattered from coast to coast with substantial delegations in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the West.



One of the family’s most fascinating members is Roy Christian Kirkman of Boulder, CO, a man of many talents: hard rock geologist, nuclear researcher, computer developer, entrepreneur and real estate broker and appraiser.

Roy heads eight Colorado businesses, including RCK Enterprises, and Exploration, Research, Development and Analysis Corp. of Boulder.

The son of William Christian and Emily Frazer Kirkman, Roy was born in Hackensack, NJ on March 26, 1944 . He’s the senior member of the family’s fifth American generation whose great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all first born sons. And like many of his male forebears, Roy’s middle name commemorates Capt. Christian William Kirkman.

A very bright guy with an impressive education, Roy graduated from Mountain Lakes (NJ) High School, attained a bachelors degree in Geological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, a masters in Mineral and Energy Engineering from the University of Colorado and Colorado School of Mines, and did post-graduate studies on real estate, management and computer technology.

Roy began his professional career in the early 1960s as a hard rock geologist who explored for deposits of iron, coal, uranium, gold, diamonds, copper, lead and zinc throughout the United States.

He was an Army Corps of Engineer fist lieutenant in Seoul, South Korea during the Vietnam War, then transferred to the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a member of the nuclear agency’s research team that tested the feasibility of utilizing underground A-bomb blasts to enhance oil and natural gas production (Operation Gasbuggy), a much heralded experiment in the 1970s. And he became an AEC computer expert.

From 1974 to 1980 Roy was a consultant on uranium exploration, development and economic analysis for a nationwide engineering firm, and in 1975 established the first of his eight businesses in Colorado. Roy designed many manual and automated mining systems, artificial intelligence techniques, and has been a consultant for proposed mergers of multi-million dollar natural resource corporations. He currently is a real estate broker and appraiserand marketing the innovative property of his companies.

Roy and his elementary school teacher wife, the former Sharon Rounds of Addison, NY, have two sons: David Christian Kirkman (born in 1973), an Air Force first lieutenant who flies KC-135 jet tankers; and John Clifton Kirkman (1975), an electrical engineer. Roy’s sister Sandra also resides in Colorado.



Another notable fifth generationer is Christian William Kirkman V.The eldest son of Donald C. and Natalie Kirkman, Chris was born June 2, 1958 in Kent, OH and raised in Ohio, California, Maryland and Annandale, VA, and is a big bear (5'10" and 220 pounds).

After graduating from Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA in 1976, he attended the University of Alabama and George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and became computer guru.

After gaining experience in several fields, Chris self taught himself the intricacies of computer electronics and in 1997 joined Virginia Systems Inc., a full service IT firm located in Manassas, VA. After six months he was promoted to Director of Technical Operation and worked there for 9 years.  In 1995 he moved to Florida and  is working as Field Engineer for Northrop Grumman Corporation & Hewlett Packard.

Chris has had two marriages: the first ended in divorce, and the second to Janis Marks-Kirkman of Miami, FL. Chris and Janis live in Jacksonville, Florida

Chris is a hard charger with a Southern accent which he turns on and off at will. He was an Eagle Scout in Annandale, VA who won bronze and silver palms and made high adventure hiking and canoeing expeditions to New Mexico, Maine, and down Virginia’s Shenandoah River. Chris is a major contributor to the Kirkman family history (the webmaster).



Kathryn Ann Kirkman Mostrom, Natalie and Don’s eldest daughter, was born April 28, 1960 in Kent, Ohio. She’s a drop dead gorgeous blonde, a short stuff (5 feet nothing and 100 pounds), feisty and tempestuous. Kathy also was raised in Ohio, California, Maryland and Virginia, graduated from Annandale, VA High School and attended Kent State University.

She has had three marriages and a daughter, KatySmith.  Kathy works for a "Belway Bandit" in Northern Virignia.  Her Southern accent is a honey dripper.



Kenneth Donald Kirkman, third child of Don and Natalie, is a good ole Southern boy with unbelievable strength.Born Dec. 11, 1961 in Kent, OH, Ken was raised in California, Maryland and Annandale, VA and now lives in Burke, VA.

He was a Life Scout in Annandale, graduated from Annandale High School, and is a master carpenter and jack-of-all-trades who provides inside and outside home construction and repairs.

Ken is married to Sheri Blevins of Annandale, a pre-school teacher who helps coordinate Ken’s business. They have two children: Timothy Donald and AmandaLeigh.



Beautiful Karen Kirkman Fitzpatrick is her mother recreated. The youngest child of Don and Natalie, she was born Dec. 31, 1966 in Silver Spring, MD and raised in Annandale. Karen was an outstanding platform diver for Annandale High School and Wakefield Chapel swimming pool, and a member of Annandale High School’s football flag corps. She also plays the piano.

Studious Karen won an education degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and currently is a second grade teacher at Glen Forest Elementary School in Bailey’s Cross Roads, VA.

She’s a very pretty brunette, 5' and 110 pounds, and a Southern belle whose speech is sprinkled with "y'alls" and Southern sibilants. On Dec. 7, 1997, Karen became engaged to Kevin Fitzpatrick of McLean, VA after a classy proposal. Kevin, a resident archeologist and supervisor of Pioneer Farm at Mount Vernon, the historic home of father-of-our-country George Washington, persuaded Karen to climb into Mount Vernon’s cupola, the observation tower where George watched ships plying the Potomac. Then, on bended knee, Kevin popped the question and slipped the ring on her finger.

Karen and Kevin were married May 30, 1998 in Chantilly, VA and have three children. Paul, Lauren, and Emily.



David Christian Kirkman, the eldest son of Sgt. Charles "Bill" Kirkman, was born Aug. 22, 1950 while his father was stationed at Fort Lewis, WA.

After graduating from a seminary in Billings, MT, David became a minister and currently shepherds the congregation of Faith Bible Church in West Swanzey, NH. With his wife Patricia, he has two children: Christian William Kirkman VI, born Nov. 22, 1974 at Fort Lewis, and Emily, born March 23, 1976 in Federal Way, WA.

CWK VI and his wife had a baby girl, Chastity Rose, in 1998.



Paul William Kirkman calls himself the family’s black sheep. He’s also the family’s scientist, hippie, tree hugger and loquacious, fun-loving Southern Californian.Born Jan. 9, 1952 in Yuma, AZ, Paul is the second Army brat son of Sgt. Charles "Bill" Kirkman and Carol Vander Bourgh Kirkman. Like his siblings, Paul was raised at Fort Bragg, NC; Fort Huachuca, AZ; Germany; and Fort Lewis, WA. He vividly remembers "bombed out" Germany and visiting the Brussels World’s Fair when his father was stationed in Europe during the late 1950s.

Paul is a lifelong scientist with an astonishing education. He scored extremely high on the American College Test (ACT) in his junior year at West Covina (CA) high school and was

allowed to matriculate at Cal Poly-Pomona before attaining a high school diploma. He was a zoology major at Cal Poly, then studied physics, radiation medicine, X-ray technology and anesthesia at the University of Southern California, Orange Coast College and Southland College while, as he puts it, being a Los Angeles hippie. In all, he studied for eight years at four colleges.

Paul currently is a supervisor of research surgery specializing in animal anesthesia and X-ray technology at USC who helps train surgeons, and he designs and builds anesthesia equipment. He sometimes provides anesthesia on animals when his wife, Erlinda Liwanag Kirkman, a veterinarian-surgeon, performs operations, including liver and heart transplants. Paul has authored more than a dozen papers for scientific journals.

A tree-hugger, Paul has 350 cycads and palm trees from Asia, Africa and South America surrounding his home in Pomona (in the San Gabriel Valley 35 miles east of Los Angeles), and is Pomona’s Johnny Palmseed, that is, distributor of palm seedlings to his neighbors. He’s a brainy, scientific-minded guy who also is a stargazer, camper and fisherman.

Though married three times, Paul has no children. He married Erlinda in 1985.



The third of Bill’s children is laid back Southern Californian Karl Arthur Kirkman, born Aug. 27, 1954 at Fort Bragg, NC.



Charming and extremely able, Karl handles insurance claims and law suits for the city of Beverly Hills. He’s also a horticulturist and weekend sailor.

Another of Bill’s Army brats, Karl was raised in Germany, Arizona, Washington state and Southern California. After graduating from Covina (CA) High School in ‘72, Karl did three-and-a-half years (‘73-76) in the Air Force as a radio and radar repairman at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, MS, and Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, CA.

With a bit of juggling, Karl fulfilled his military responsibilities at Norton AFB at night and attended San Bernardino Junior College for two years by day. Sgt. Karl left the Air Force in ‘76 and used his Viet Nam G.I. Bill benefits to complete a chemistry degree at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Karl has been an insurance representative, a math and science teacher in the Watts section of Los Angeles, safety administrator for a water utility company and finally claims guru for Beverly Hills.

Now residing in Claremont, CA (in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles), Karl is a three-time loser in the marriage game, but has a son William Michael Kirkman who is attending Claremont High School.



Karl has surrounded his home with roses and spends his weekends sailing to Catalina and whale watching on his 27-foot sailboat "Out of Pocket."

Ruth Ann Kirkman Smith, the fourth child and only daughter of Charles William "Bill" Kirkman and Carol Vander Bourgh Kirkman, is a soft-spoken, religious lady.

Born Feb. 27, 1956 when her father was a member of the 4th "Ivy" Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, WA, Ruth has lived in the Seattle area since age five and now resides in Auburn, 18 miles south of the city.

Three weeks after graduating from Enumclaw (WA) High School in 1974, Ruth married member Gorden Smith of Auburn, now Manager of Quality Control for Industrial Automation Co. of Seattle. They have three children: Gorden Smith Jr., Carol, and Kathleen..

A singer, Ruth was a member of her high school choir and sings with her church choir. Occasionally, Ruth and Gordon perform duets. Ruth is a bookkeeper for an obstetrician-gynecologist in Federal Way, WA. She and Gorden have two grandchildren.

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