James William Lemarr – The Lost Child

James William Lemarr was the son of Isaac Newton and France Malinda Wright Lemarr. He was the brother of my Great Grandmother Sarah Lemarr Young. He was the Uncle that my Grandmother told me travelled to Oregon and brought tales back to the family about the big trees that were out west – trees so big a car could drive through them. Recently while looking back as Isaac’s children I noticed that he was a lost child, one that I had not focused on. So the hunt to at least determine what happened to Uncle James was on again.

I knew he ended up in Oregon and from his father’s obit in the Knoxville newspaper, I knew he ended up somewhere around Portland Oregon.

Census research found a James W. Lemarr, age 32 listed in the household of William S. Wymore in Portland Oregon in 1910. He was a lodger with his occupation listed as a “motor man, streetcar”.
There was a James W. Lemarr, age 41, listed in Fairfax, Pierce, Washington with his wife Juanita, age 40, in the 1920 census.
There was a James W. Lemarr, age 51, listed in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon in the 1930 census. He was in the household of John and Minnie Batson and listed as a lodger. His birth was listed as Tennessee as was the birth of his parents.
In 1940 James W. Lemarr was still in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon with his wife Florence C. Lemarr. He was 61, his wife was 53. Archie Lemarr is also in the household and is listed as his son, but I am not sure he is James’s biological son. Archie was 30.

Polk’s Portland Oregon City Directory of 1937 and 1938 found him in Portland.

In 1937 he was listed as follows:

LeMarr, Jas W (Florence E.) millwkr I-PLbrCo h 1725 SE 33d Av.
In 1938 he was listed as follows:
LeMarr, Jas W (Florence E) millwkr, I-PLbrCo H 533 Williams Av.

This left me with the question around whether the James in Washington in 1920 was the same James who was in Portland in 1937 as the name of the wife was different.

From the death records for Oregon I found the following:

James LeMarr died Clackamas, Oregon on 14 December 1954; certificate number 13352, his spouse’s name was Florence.
Florence E. LeMarr died Lincoln, Oregon on 9 May 1957; certificate number 5509, her spouse was James.

This is obviously the husband and wife that was in the 1937 and 1938 Portland City Directory.

A search of the newspaper archives for the Oregonian found the following obit on December 15, 1954.

LeMarr – December 14 – James W., late of 2600 Lake Rd, Milwaukee. Husband of Florence LeMarr; father of Violet Cooper of Taft; Archie Vader of Walla Walla; Ruby Elser and Gertrude Calhoun, both of Milwaukee; brother of Sarah Young of MD; Vachel, Tennessee; 3 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; Friends invited to attend funeral services Thursday December 15, 11 a.m. at the Chapel of McGinnis & Wilhelm, Funeral Directors. 6637 SE. Milwaukee, Ave. Interment Lincoln Memorial Park.

Further research would reveal that James was Florence’s second husband and the children listed were the children of Herbert Vader. It is still unknown if James was married before to a Juanita, but from the inclusion of Sarah and Vachel, I do know that this is the James William Lemarr I was searching for.

1930 Multnomah Oregon Census (43-117)

John Baston age 65
Minnie Baston age 59
James W. Le Marr age 51 (Lodger)

Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Portland, Multnomah, Oregon; Roll: 1949; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0069; Image: 934.0; FHL microfilm: 2341683.

1940 Multnomah Oregon Census (5334)