They were originally from Pennsylvania before moving to Illinois, then to Nebraska, where Jacob changed the surname to Goldman, and finally California.
In fact, they stayed for four years, beginning an acquaintance with Mexico that would take them to almost every corner of the country and result in the collection of over 20,000 mammal specimens.
[4] While in the United States, Goldman performed many other functions, and during World War I he was a major in the U.S. Armed Forces in France working on rodent control.
More than fifty animals were named after him,[7] including various mammals, some birds, a lizard (Sceloporus goldmani),[8] a snake, a turtle, a frog, and a mollusk.
[3] Goldman was a proponent of exterminating large predators such as wolves and coyotes and was instrumental in promoting programs to that end via the Bureau of Biological Survey.