Born 18 Aug 1905 in Missouri

Ancestors

Wife of Virgil Scott Miller — married 28 Jan 1924 (to about 1933) in Santa Ana, Orange, California, United States

Descendants

Died 14 Sep 1973 at age 68 in Grants Pass, Josephine, Oregon, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Scott Lee [send private message]

Biography

Jessie Heath was born on August 18th in 1904, ^[1] in place called Chalk Level, Saint Clair County, Missouri, to John James Heath and Ella Maude Hopkins.

When Jessie was seven years old the family moved from Missouri to Stafford, Kansas. So, Jessie grew up in Stafford and attended middle school and high school there. ^[2]

After graduating from high school, Jessie moved to Hutchinson, not far away, and got a job at a soda fountain. One day while Jessie was working the soda fountain, Virgil Miller, the manager of the Model Laundry and Steam Cleaning business in town, dropped by for a soda. Virgil and Jessie quickly struck up a friendly relationship. One day while visiting the soda fountain, Virgil told Jessie that he was headed west, to Long Beach, California. He asked Jessie if she wanted to join him, once he found a place to live. Jessie said, "yes", and soon received a train ticket to Los Angeles from Virgil. This was in the year 1923.

Not long after arriving in Long Beach, Jesse married Virgil on January 28, 1924, in Santa Ana, Orange County. ^[3] Within the year on December 1, 1924, they had their first child, giving her the name of Marilyn Maxine. Five years later, they had another daughter, naming her Phyllis Joan. ^[4]

In 1932, Virgil and Jessie bought a poultry ranch, with a retail store, in Compton, California. They raised chickens, geese, ducks and ostriches. The chickens were slaughtered and sold in the store, or wholesale. However, in 1933, the Long Beach earthquake struck ruining their farm and store. Virgil and Jessie decided to move to the Nampa/Caldwell area of Idaho and work on a farm with Jessie's brother, Rexie, and his wife, Charlotte. Jessie's mother, Ella Maude, was the farm cook.

Becoming homesick for California, during the night, when everyone was sleeping, Jessie put her two daughters in the car and drove back to Long Beach. Soon after, Virgil and Jessie got a divorce.

On August 10, 1938, Jessie (age 32) married Archie Stewart Hastings (age 36) in Los Angeles, California. ^[5]

During the 1933 earthquake, Jessie was at work at Buffum's Department Store in Long Beach, California. According to her, "when the bricks started falling around her, she dedicated her life to Christ." So, after her marriage ended with Archie Hastings, Jessie enrolled herself in a Theology course at the Foursquare Tabernacle in Los Angeles and subsequently became an ordained minister. She then met the man that she would spend the rest of her life with, Clarence Allen Davis, who was a devoted Christian man, and they were married. Clarence was a mechanic for Texaco and he worked on the oil rigs off the Santa Barbara coast for many years. In 1942 Jesse and Clarence, who was called 'Tiff', had a son who they named Frederick Allen Davis.

Jessie started a church in Wheeler Canyon just west of Santa Paula, California. The church was in the old grange hall that is no longer there today. Here, Jessie brought many souls to Christ. Not long afterwards, Jessie became the pastor of the Montalvo Four Square church near Ventura, California.

Jessie also had a radio program broadcasting every Saturday from the Santa Paula radio station. She spent her time visiting the prisoners in jail and the sick in the hospitals. She definitely had dedicated her life to Christ.

When Tiff retired from Texaco Jesse moved to Grants Pass, Oregon with him. While living in Grants Pass Jesse attended the Foursquare Church and sometimes gave a sermon or two.

Jessie Davis died in Grants Pass on September 14, 1973 and was laid to rest at the Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Next to her grave rests her oldest daughter, Marilyn with her husband, John Rolf Boe, M.D.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Social Security Death Index; "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J1YB-3JX : 11 January 2021), Jessie Davis, Sep 1973; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing). (accessed 8 Jan 2022)
2. ↑ 1915 Kansas State Census for Jessie Heath; (accessed 8 Jan 2022) "Kansas State Census, 1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLBR-L246 : 13 October 2019), Jessie Heath in household of J J Heath, Stafford, Stafford, Kansas, United States; citing Stafford, Stafford, Kansas, United States, 10, 23, Kansas Historical Society, Topeka.
3. ↑ California, County Marriages for Jessie Jewell Heath; (accessed 8 Jan 2022) "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8FM-DZ2 : 9 March 2021), Virgil S Miller and Jessie Jewell Heath, 28 Jan 1924; citing Orange, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,050,937.
4. ↑ 1930 U.S. Census for Jessie J. Miller; (accessed 8 Jan 2022) "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCJG-TTS : accessed 9 January 2022), Jessie J Miller in household of Virgil S Miller, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1141, sheet 11B, line 92, family 327, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 130; FHL microfilm 2,339,865.
5. ↑ Marriage Record for Jessie J. Miller and Archie Hastings; (accessed 8 Jan 2022) "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8VW-3QW : 9 March 2021), Archie Stewart Hastings and Jessie J Miller, 10 Aug 1938; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,114,224.
6. ↑ FindAGrave Memorial for Jessie Jewel Heath Davis; Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146390721/jessie-jewel-davis : accessed 08 January 2022), memorial page for Jessie Jewel Heath Davis (18 Aug 1905–14 Sep 1973), Find a Grave Memorial ID 146390721, citing Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon, USA ; Maintained by Mark Johnson (contributor 47221397) .

• This bio was written by grandson, Scott Lee, with the help of Jessie's daughter, Phyllis Joan Miller Payne.