Notes for: William D. McClain

Although William McClain's middle name had been widely reported as Dallas, and it is given as such in his daughter Hazel's obituary, there are many variations in the records. It is given as "Dow" in his Social Security application, as "Dowl" in in WW One draft registration, as "Dowel" in his death record, and curiously as "Daniel" in his WW 2 draft registration. In most records, only the middle initial "D" is found. Clarification is provided in his obituary, which spells out his middle name as "McDowell," leading to the conclusion that the other names were simply variations of the formal one.