Franklin Willis James (1929 - 2020)

Born 1 Feb 1929 in Princeton, Washington, Maine, United States

Ancestors

Son of Neal Cash James and Marguerite Izetta (Jamison) James

Died 22 Jul 2020 at age 91 in San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David James [send private message]

Biography

Senior Airman Franklin James served in the United States Air Force in the Korean War
Service started: 23 Jan 1948
Unit(s): 27th Fighter-Escort Wing
Service ended: 20 Oct 1953

Franklin Willis James was born at Princeton, Maine, 1 Feb 1929, the son of Cash Neal James and Marguerite Izetta "Minnie" Jamison; ^{[1] [2] [3]} died at San Antonio, Texas, 22 Jul 2022. ^[3] Burial will be in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 4 Aug 2022. ^[3]

He married at San Antonio, Texas, 25 Aug 1951, Grace Laverne Prater, born at Henderson, Texas, 12 Oct 1932, the daughter of Harry E. Prater and Irene Cates.

They had three children:

1. Steven Brian James, born 14 May 1954.^[4]
2. Kathryn Lynn "Kathy" James, born 28 Nov 1957; married Donald Klaus.^[5]
3. Kimberly Ann James, born 29 Nov 1968; married Jorge Vega.^[6]

For his obituary, see Mission Park Funeral Chapel.

Research Notes

Notes of Franklin Willis James, 31 Jan 2006: ^[7]

Hi, David

You have done such an amazing job putting this together. I am fascinated by what I am reading, the names of my father and mother and all the people that I knew and heard about while I was growing up in Princeton, Maine. All of us had a tough time but better for it.

I will just give you some information and you can use what you need. I joined the Air Force Jan. 23,1948 and married Grace Laverne Prater Aug. 25, 1951. After only three months of marriage and living in Calif. I was shipped to Misawa Air Force Base in Japan. The war was on in Korea and to this day I do not know why I signed that she could come to Japan a year later. When President TRUMAN fired Gen. MacARTHUR my name went on the list to go fight the Chinese Army that joined the North Korean Army in Korea. Two days before we were to be shipped out, I was told that my wife was on the way to Japan. You can see what a miracle this was, being married for only those three months before I was shipped to Japan probably saved my life. I was taken off that list and I firmly believe that I would have been killed in North Korea. I was discharged Oct. 20,1953. This was only one miracle. I have come close to death eight times. The good LORD must be looking after me.

I have three children, Steven Brian born May 14,1954, Kathy Lynn born Nov. 28, 1957 and Kimberly Ann born Nov.29, 1968. My wife was born Oct.12, 1932.

Let me know if you need more and have you been in touch with Don in West Palm Beach, Fla.? If you need the phone numbers of anybody, tell me.

Best regards,
Franklin

Notes of Franklin Willis James, 16 Feb 2006: ^[8]

My daddy was always killing pigs or chickens.We had an old wood stove and while he was at work in the lumber mill we would heat water all day long. One of us would grind pitch with a wooden stick until it was very fine. He used a large wooden barrel and a chain hoist to do the job. He would dip that pig in the hot water for a couple of minutes and then pull it out. We would sprinkle that pitch all over that pig, dip it again in that hot water, pull it out and peel that hide like a banana. He did not want to see one red spot on that pig. He was very picky because sometimes he was doing that job for someone else.

Another time we had thirty chickens flopping in the garden and we did those in buckets of hot water to pull off all the feathers. He would light a match and singe all the pin feathers because that job was for someone else. He was a hard working man with a big family to support. He gave us a choice of which service to join because there were not any jobs around there. He made us tough and I thank him for it. I wish I had done more for him while he was alive. I often wonder why we wait to help someone until it is too late. I tell a lot of young people to do it now, not later. If a little voice inside you is telling your heart to do it, do it and you will always feel real good about doing it.

Franklin

DNA

Paternal relationship is affirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing at Family Tree DNA. David James, FTDNA kit #24887, and his second cousin, once removed, Franklin Willis James, FTDNA kit #50505, match at a Genetic Distance of 3 on 67 markers, thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Josiah Eaton James. FTDNA indicates that the probability the two share a common ancestor within the last 5 generations is 60.31% and within the last 10 generations is 93.6%.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMD6-8BX : accessed 31 July 2022), Franklin James in household of Cash James, Princeton, Washington, Maine, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 55, sheet 1A, line 34, family 9, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 841; FHL microfilm 2,340,576.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89M1-R61R?cc=2000219&wc=QZFM-43Z%3A790102801%2C791016301%2C795318101%2C795318102 : accessed 31 July 2022), Maine > Washington > Princeton Town, Princeton > 15-69 Princeton Town, Princeton > image 6 of 31; citing Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Mission Park Funeral Chapel, Franklin Willis James.
4. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V86W-1RP : 1 January 2015), Steven Brian James, 14 May 1954; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
5. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDHZ-SMH : 1 January 2015), Kathryn Lynn James, 28 Nov 1956; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
6. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDC1-BTQ : 1 January 2015), Kimberly Ann James, 29 Nov 1968; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
7. ↑ E-mail to David James from Franklin James (fjames7 "at" peoplepc.com) 31 Jan 2006
8. ↑ E-mail to David James from Franklin James (fjames7 "at" peoplepc.com) 16 Feb 2006