LOWMAN

— MCFAUL. [Group Sheet]

Rex — GRUBBS, Geraldine. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Fred was a P.O.W. in the Philipine Islands, improsoned by Japan.
He was later released.

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Record
about Fred E McFaul
Name: Fred E McFaul
Birth Year: 1923
Race: White, citizen
Nativity State or Country: California
State: California
County or City: San Luis Obispo

Enlistment Date: 25 Mar 1941
Enlistment State: California
Enlistment City: San Francisco
Branch: Coast Artillery Corps
Branch Code: Coast Artillery Corps or Army Mine Planter Service
Grade: Private
Grade Code: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the Philippine Department
Component: Regular Army (including Officers, Nurses, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted Men)
Source: Civil Life

Education: Grammar school
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Height: 68
Weight: 152



World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 Record
about Fred E McFaul
Name: Fred E McFaul
Race: White
Residence State: California

Report Date: 7 May 1942
Latest Report Date: 3 Oct 1945

Grade: Private
Service Branch: Army
Arm or Service: Coast Artillery Corps
Arm or Service Code: Coast Artillery Corps Or Amp: Army Mine Planter Service
Area Served: Southwest Pacific Theatre: Philippine Islands
Detaining Country: Japan
Camp: Osaka Main Camp Chikko Osaka 34-135
Status: Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated
Report Source: Individual has been reported through sources considered official.

Fred married KELLY, Alta Marie Abt 1949, (May Not Have Been Married). Alta (daughter of KELLY, Merl Gates and STEVENS, Alice Marguerite) was born 24 Sep 1922, Chico, Butte County, California; died 4 Apr 1991, Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Alta was born at 3:55 AM at the address of 4045 7th. St, in Chico, CA. The attending Physician was Ella P. Gatchell. At the time her parents Merl and Alice had not decided on a name, however her social security record (566-34-8580) confirms the same birthdate as the Butte Co., CA. birth record.
Alta's parents were 28, Merl and 18, Alice. at the time of her birth, and had been married nearly 10 months.
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Alta was married to John Briggs in about 1940. The couple had 2 children together and married each other twice before divorcing sometime latter.
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Following the divorce Alta was with Freddie McFall for some time, and together they had one daughter Norma Lelonie McFall (her surname may be Kelly, Briggs or McFall, as Alta and Freddie were not married).
By the mid 1970's Alta married Homer K. Bassett. Homer had been married twice before and also had at least seven children by his first wife Thelma before marrying Alta. The couple stayed together until Homer died in 1989. Alta passed away in 1991 in Oregon, and her cremains were interred in Chico, Butte Co., California, next to Homer Bassett. (Josephine Co., Oregon Death Certificate #91-06761).

Joseph — ROUSE, Melissa. Melissa was born Abt 1893, Montana; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Merl, a native Californian, lived in Chico from 1920 until his death in 1977 at age 83. Census records indicate he was born in 1894 at Oregon House, Yuba Co., CA., where his family had located from Algonquin, Mc Henry Co., Illinois around 1880. He appears in the Marysville area with his older brothers and parents in the 1900 census where his father, Joseph, was a gold miner.
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Merl, a WWI soldier, was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army when attending basic training at camp Kearny, Ca., By a written request to the President of the U.S. that Merle was needed at home. After his divorce from Alice, he stayed with his mother until she died in 1944.
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The 1920 census has Merl, his mother Alice and uncle Fernando Kelly all living together in Buckeye Township, Shasta Co., CA., (his mother had been widowed by then).
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We can follow the movements of Merl from 1921 on through Chico city directories located at the Sutro Library in San Francisco, CA.
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1921 finds Merl living with his widowed mother Alice and his uncle Fernando G. Kelly at 4045 7th street, his occupation was listed as laborer, his uncle was a public school teacher.
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At the end of 1921 Merl was married to Alice M. Stevens. The Dec. 6, 1921 issue of the Enterprise Record shows: Couple Marry - Alice M. Stevens and Merl G. Kelly, both of Chico were married last night at 8:30 by Justice of the Peace J.L. Barnes in the municipal building.
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1922 has Merl working at D. M. (Diamond Match) Co. as a Laborer.
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Merl and Alice moved to 4821 9th street in Chico in about 1928, and to 4534 9th Street in 1931. About 1930 Merl is listed as a chauffeur.
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About 1933 He and Alice had split up, and gone their separate ways.
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In 1935 Merl and a woman by the surname Methrin had a child together.
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1937 finds Merl at 244 W. 9th, and at 644 W. 2nd in 1945.
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Another career change came about for Merl in 1948 when he is listed as a reader at the Christian Science Church, his address is also different at 440 W. 4th.
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By November 24, 1950 Merl had married Suzie Newquist.
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Merl's death certificate indicated he was a self employed man and had been a widower at the time of his death.
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Merl's Obituary appears in the Chico Enterprise Record as follows;

M.G. Kelly
A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday at the Brusie Funeral Home for Merl G. Kelly, 83, of 1147 Neal Dow Ave.
Kelly died Friday at a local hospital.
Born Aug. 1, 1894 in Marysville to Joseph and Alice Kelly, he lived in Yuba County until the age of six, when the family moved to Redding. He lived there until joining the Army in 1918, and moved to Chico after his military service.
Survivors include three daughters, Alta M. Bassett of Chico; Betty Comasky of Stockton, and Elsie E. Perry of Eagle, Colo.
Bishop Robert Standing will officiate at the services, and Mrs. Joyce Bae will sing "Beyond the Sunset", and "Going Home." Interment will be in the veterans section of the Chico Cemetery with Jimmy McMahon, Everett Cudd, Frank Zucca, Albert Coleman, Tony Squillace and Ernie Cook as casket bearers.
The flag will be presented by members of the Chico Post 17 of the American Legion.

Merl married STEVENS, Alice Marguerite 5 Dec 1921, Chico, Butte County, California. Alice (daughter of STEVENS, Henry Mains and DURETTE, Gertrude Estella) was born 2 Apr 1904, California; died 25 Nov 1971, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California; was buried 30 Nov 1971, Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery, Charmicheal, Sacramento County, California. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

SOURCE:
Most of the following infromation was compiled by Joan R. Fitch

Alice was born just before her mother married Harvey T. Holsey in Red Bluff, Tehama Co., California. Her father is noted as Henry Stevens on her death certificate.
As a child, Alice was raised in the Halsey home and appears there with her mother on the 1910 census. Sometime between 1910 and 1921 Alice and most of her siblings were taken into the care of the county and set for adoption, as their father had abandoned the family, and Gertrude found herself unable to care for so many children.
Alice soon ran away from the orphanage, and back to her mother, who by then, had taken back the youngest of the children, Harry.
Alice married Merl Kelly at a young age, and had 2 daughters and a son with him.
Before 1933 the marriage disolved, and she moved out with her children. Finding herself alone with 3 children was difficult and she had to make the painfull decision to have her second daughter adopted, after consulting her mother Gertrude.
Merl wasn't aware at first about the decision, but found out later.
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That daughter "Betty" grew up with adoptive parents and she only found out about Alice when she became an adult.
Alice soon met and married a man by the name of Sam "Stacey" Bailey, and they appear together in the 1933 Chico city directory at 4027 4th Ave. Sam Bailey is supposed to have owned a plumbing business.
By 1934 they had moved to 3925 5th Ave. In 1941 they are shown at Oaklawn Ave. and in 1960-1961 they are listed at 1314 Mulberry.
Alice and Sam split sometime before she moved to Sacramento. Sam stayed in Chico. Alice found work in Sacramento with the Goodwill organization.
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Alice passed away in Sacramento and the "Sacramento Bee" published the following death notice;
BAILEY - In Sacramento November 25, 1971. Mother of Alta Bassett, Harold C. Bailey and Betty Comaskey. Ten Grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Services, Tuesday November 30th at 1 p.m. In MOUNT VERNON'S CHURCH OF THE VALLEY 8201 - Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks. Interment Mount Vernon Memorial Park. A MOUNT VERNON SERVICE.
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Mortuary papers give name as "Alice POWERS" and brother, Harry DURETTE's obituary lists her as "Alice POWERS".
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S.S.N. 559-30-5449