James Francis Huston
1909 - 1937 (27 years)
-
Name James Francis Huston [1] Born 16 Nov 1909 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA 
[2, 3, 4] Gender Male Find A Grave Memorial Number 21809236 Race White [5, 6] Name Francis James Huston [3, 7] Name Jimmy Residence 1910 Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles County, California, USA [8] 1502 W 11th St; Age: 1; Age: 1 5/12; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Son Residence Aug 1915 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA [9] 610 N Berendo St Residence 1920 Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles County, California, USA [10] 601 N New Hampshire; Age: 11; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Son Occupation Mar 1937 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA [3] musician in an orchestra Residence Mar 1937 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA [3] 1327 N Kingsley Died 16 Mar 1937 Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, USA [3] Cause: suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning; "Tubed exhaust to his closed Ford car." - His car was parked "100 feet off Roosevelt Highway, Malibu Pr, " and "1/2 mile west of Topanga Canyon Blvd; Malibu Pr."(Pr must mean pier.) Roosevelt Highway is now Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway)
_FUN 20 Mar 1937 Los Angeles County, California, USA [3] chapel of the WA Brown Funeral Home, 1815 S Flower St. Buried 10 Aug 1937 Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA [3, 11] - Forest Lawn Memorial Park; Niche11040, Columbarium of the Graces, in the Dahlia Terrace in the Great Mausoleum.
Person ID I1117 obenlandGenealogy Last Modified 9 Aug 2018
Father James Lee Huston, b. 6 Feb 1866, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA , d. 19 Sep 1935, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA (Age 69 years) Relationship natural Mother Emma Cecilia Bachmann, b. 18 Mar 1881, Oldenburg, Franklin County, Indiana, USA , d. 27 Sep 1963, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA (Age 82 years) Relationship natural Marriage License 20 Jan 1908 Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA License #39900, $2 fee Married 21 Jan 1908 Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA Divorced Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Family ID F1373 Group Sheet | Family Chart
-
-
Notes - James Francis Huston was born on Nov. 16, 1909 in Los Angeles, CA. However, the State of California searched from 1905 thru 1914 and couldn't find a copy of his birth certificate.
His parents were James Lee Huston and Emma Cecilia Bachmann Howe. (The Bachmann was her birth name, Howe was her adopted name.) James had one sister, Geraldine Cecilia, born in 1915.
James was named for his father. I always thought his middle name, Francis, honored his mother's adopted mother, Frances Rose Howe.
However, after finding earlier members of the family I found a great uncle named Francis Lee Huston. Maybe James' middle name came from this great uncle.
James was a trumpet player in Los Agneles. He played in a band with his good friend, Phil Harris. Mr. Harris became a Hollywood legend. You might remember his voice from the Disney cartoon, "The Jungle Book." He was the voice of the bear who sang, "The Bear Necessities."
James committed suicide on March 16, 1937. His death certificate indicates his car was found in Malibu, 100 ft. off of Roosevelt Highway. It states, "Tubed exhaust to his closed Ford car." The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 27 years old.
The article in the Los Angeles Times regarding his suicide says he left a note saying, "I will take to the grave the reasons for my actions." His occupation is listed as a musician in an orchestra. At the time of his death he lived at 1327 N. Kingsley, Los Angeles, CA.
His sister, Geraldine had two children. They were always told that their Uncle Jimmy died in a car accident. In 1978, James niece, Cecilia, went to the Los Angeles City Library and found the article about his death on microfilm. Imagine her shock when she learned that James had not died in a car accident, but comitted suicide.
The family story goes that James's mother gave his trumpets and music to his good friend, Phil Harris.
James death certificate shows his name as Francis James Huston, although he was always talked about as Jimmy. And, I believe Forest Lawn where his ashes are, has him listed also as James Francis Huston. Maybe he was given the name Francis James Huston and that is why CA shows no record of his birth under the first name James.
James died on March 16, 1937. He was cremated on Saturday, March 20, 1937 in Los Angeles. His funeral was held the same day. However, his cremated remains were not interred at Forest Lawn until Aug. 10, 1937. I suspect that his mother was trying to get the money together to pay the bill.
Unfortunately, I have not found any pictures of James. I'm looking into getting pictures from a number of sources: LA Unified School District, Coroner's office and Phil Harris's daughters.
- James Francis Huston was born on Nov. 16, 1909 in Los Angeles, CA. However, the State of California searched from 1905 thru 1914 and couldn't find a copy of his birth certificate.
-
Sources - [S721] 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1910; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_83; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0192; FHL microfilm: 1374096.
Record for James L Houston
1910 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S724] 1920 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1920; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T625_107; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 173; Image: 40.
Record for James L Huston1920 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S1495] James Francis Huston Death Record, California Bureau of Vital Statistics, (Name: California Department of Public Health; Location: Sacramento, CA; Date: 18 Mar 1937;), Standard Certificate of Death number 3411; certified copy received by Cecilia Joder on 13 April 1978; Huston #2.
- [S721] 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1910; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_83; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0192; FHL microfilm: 1374096.
Record for James L Houston1910 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S724] 1920 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1920; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T625_107; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 173; Image: 40.
Record for James L Huston1920 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S721] 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1910; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_83; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0192; FHL microfilm: 1374096.
Record for James L Houston1910 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S724] 1920 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1920; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T625_107; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 173; Image: 40.
Record for James L Huston1920 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S721] 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1910; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_83; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0192; FHL microfilm: 1374096.
Record for James L Houston1910 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S240] Geraldine Cecilia Huston California Birth Certificate, California Bureau of Vital Statistics, (Name: California Department of Public Health; Location: Sacramento, CA;), Local Registered #5268, 2 pages; page 2 is an Affidavit of Correction signed by mother on 27, April 1942 and applied 23 Jun 1942; certified copy received by Cecilia Obenland Backhaus Joder on 1 Jun 1977.
- [S724] 1920 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1920; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T625_107; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 173; Image: 40.
Record for James L Huston1920 United States Federal Census - James Lee Huston - [S1496] James Frances Huston: Letter re: Burial Record, Lissette Lozano, (Name: Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuaries; Location: Glendale, CA;), letter from Forest Lawn, responding to inquiry by Cecilia Joder regarding James Francis Huston's burial location.
- [S721] 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1910; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_83; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0192; FHL microfilm: 1374096.