A few days before Christmas I was piddling around online and somehow ended up browsing database titles at FamilySearch.org. I wasn't expecting to really accomplish anything but that little exercise paid off very well. This California marriage record for James Bailey Hankins and Rachel Lesh is just one of the interesting records I found that day.
I knew Uncle Jimmy (my paternal grandmother's brother, so technically great-uncle) married Rachel but I didn't know when or exactly where. I didn't even know her maiden name. Those questions are answered and then some.
This marriage license was issued to James Bailey Hankins and Rachel Lesh on 26 March 1927 in Los Angeles County and they were married the same day in Glendale by W. R. Thornton. Mrs. W. R. Thornton and John W. Thornton were witnesses.
Rachel's age of 23 matches her birth date from her death record but Jimmy's age of 27 is off. He was born 27 March 1901 so he wasn't 27 but instead turned 26 the day after their wedding.
Jimmy lived at 112 S. Olive Street in Los Angeles and worked as a studio electrician. [He was an electrician for Warner Brothers for many years so that is probably where he worked at this time.] The record shows he was born in Kentucky to parents Lee Hankins and Manthas [Samantha] Petty [not new information but confirms this is the right James Bailey Hankins].
Rachel lived at 515 S. Middleton in Huntington Park and worked as a bookkeeper for an elec. contractor. She was born in Washington. Her parents were James R. Lesh (born in Pennsylvania) and Gay Reagan (born in Oklahoma).
Rev. Thornton recorded their marriage on 29 March 1927.
Don't you wish all marriage records contained this much information?
