NameJessie Madge Gardner
Birth9 Aug 1910, Brawley, Imperial Co, CA
Census2 Jan 1920, Brawley, Imperial Co, CA
Memoroll#99, pg 1
Census4 Apr 1930, Monrovia, Los Angeles Co, CA
Memoroll#167, pg 5
Census8 Apr 1940, Long Beach, Los Angeles Co, CA
Memoroll#371, pg 5
Death27 Aug 1991, Saratoga, Santa Clara Co, CA
OccupationWaitress
Misc. Notes
Daughter of Willard O. Rupert Gardner (1 May 1888 CA - 21 Aug 1945 San Diego, CA) and Helen Heckler (Sep 1892, IA). Listed with her parents, grandfather Fred Heckler (1854, IL) and uncle George Heckler (1899, CA) in Brawley, CA in 1920.
Married at age 17 to Andy Pollock with whom she had son Willard Lynn on 6 Jun 1928 in Los Angeles, although in 1930 she is listed with her grandmother Nellie (Ward) Heckler (1868, IA) as Jessie Pollock (19, CA) with son Williard Pollock (1 5/12, CA).
She was remarried to Jose Latorre (1901, AZ) a seaman on an Oil Tanker in 1937, and living with him and her son Willard in Long Beach, CA at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent in 1940.
Married to (3rd) Ray Wells in 1945, after WWII. They were divorced in 1948/49. She later married (4th) William H. “Bill” Staley on 6 Dec 1949 in San Francisco, and they lived in Calistoga for quite some time. After their divorce in Dec 1969 in Alameda, she lived in San Jose and Oakland.
Spouses
Birth7 Aug 1907, Colorado
Death23 Jul 1934, Cerro de Pasco, Pasco, Peru
BurialHannan Cem, Ohio Twp, Gallia Co, OH
Misc. Notes
Son of George Campbell Pollock and Catherine Arbuckle
He was born in Colorado, living in Texas in 1920, and then in Ohio in 1920.
He married Jessie Gardner in 1927, but was listed as a single boarder in Tucson in the 1930 census.
He then married Mariam O'Harra (1908–1973) on 5 Sep 1931 in Pennington, SD.
He died in a mining accident in the Lourdes shaft in Cerro de Pasco, Peru. He was embalmed and returned to the US for burial.
Marriage16 Dec 1927, Tucson, Pima Co, AZ
Divorce
Birth7 Sep 1901, Bisbee, Cochise Co, AZ
Death22 Jun 1986, Seattle, King Co, WA
Misc. Notes
He a seaman on an Oil Tanker in 1937, and working for Union Oil in Wilmington, CA in 1942.
Marriage4 Sep 1937, Los Angeles Co, CA
Divorce
Birth24 Apr 1915, Bellville, Richland Co, OH
Death24 Aug 1984, Mt Vernon, Knox Co, OH
MemoKnox Community Hosp
OccupationFarmer
Misc. Notes
Born at home in the Covers House. Various records list it as 1913, 1914 or 1915. Year is 1915 from a family bible, military records and his death certificate (although the death cert also says he was 70 in Aug 1984); but his brother agreed with Soc. Sec. that it was 1913 (based on their age difference). However, this would make it a year before his parents marriage, where his mother was listed as pregnant. He is listed as age 5 in the Jan 1920 census, indicating that he was born in 1914, which matches school records, although the year 1915 is used here.
In the 1930 census, he was listed as 14 years old. At the time of his birth they had to give at least an initial for the middle name so that is the reason for the J., but for military and his first marriage, he is listed as Raymond Jay Wells.
Listed with his parents in 1940 at age 24, having completed only a year of high school. He was working on a Roofing crew.
Served as a Navy gunner, in combat in WWII from 26 Jun 1941 until his release date on 7 Nov 1945. He met Jessie Gardner in San Diego, and they were married in Cleveland after his separation from the Navy. They initially lived in Mansfield, and his brother Jay and wife Jeanne lived with them from June to September 1946.
They later moved to California as well, and lived in the California central valley, where they finally got water to farm with. Had no children with his first wife Jessie, and they divorced in 1948/49, with Ray returning to Ohio.
In 1950 Raymond J. Wells (35, OH) is listed as a farmer with his parents and new wife Anna M. (25, OH) as well as step-daughter Myrna A. Clark (6, OH) from her prior marriage.
Ray had 7 children with his second wife, Margaret. He was injured at work (PPG) about 1966, never returned to work, and was retired from PPG. Also moved from the farm to the house on Devilbiss Rd as a result.
He died Aug 1984 in Knox Community Hospital from hepatic failure resulting from cirrhosis of the liver and a hemorrhage.
He was cremated.
Marriage13 Nov 1945, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co, OH
Marr MemoOld Stone church by Rev. Herman A. Klahr
Divorce
Birth15 May 1923, Kansas City, Wyandotte Co, KS
Death15 Oct 2002, Calistoga, Napa Co, CA
Misc. Notes
Son of Henry Staley and Gladys Ciutcher
Marriage6 Dec 1949, San Francisco, CA
DivorceDec 1969, Alameda, Alameda Co, CA