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Historical Records of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014)

Below follows the historic records of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) of Trent, Taylor County, Texas held by the James Family Archives. Eldon was born February 2, 1940 to Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) of Hunt County, Texas and Eula Georgia Maynard (1898-1959) of Forrester, Terry County, Texas. See, Document No. 1 below, Birth Certificate of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014), dated February 2, 1940. Eldon is also the 6x patrilineal great grandson of David James (c.1660-1739) of Glascwm and Llandegley parishes in Radnorshire, Wales who migrated to Pennsylvania with William Penn in 1682.

In 1957, Eldon, at the age of 17, married Juanita Estelle Grice (born 1939) in Taylor County, Texas. At the time, Eldon had not yet completed high school. With his new bride soon to give birth to their first child, Debra Renee James (1958-1959), Eldon dropped out of high school and went to work in the oil fields of Texas with his father to support his new family. In 1959, Eldon enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was soon assigned as a cook to the remote radar installation site at Neah Bay in Washington State. Following the death of his first child and mother, both in 1959, Eldon had his marriage to Juanita annulled.

On November 18, 1961, Eldon married for a second time to Carol Ina Gilbertson (1943-2009) of Port Angeles, Washington, daughter of Ernest Jerome Gilbertson (1913-1999) and Esther Irene Husemoen (1915-1975) in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. See, Document No. 2 below, Marriage License to Carol Ina Gilbertson from the State of Idaho dated November 18, 1961. Eldon remained married to Carol for 19 years during which time his second child was born, Larry James at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento County, California in 1966. Eldon’s third and final marriage occurred in Folsom, California to Leona Franke in 1884. His marriage to Leona ended in divorce in 2012.

While serving in the U.S. Air Force between 1959 and 1967, Eldon received training as an in-flight radar technician for an EC-121 Morning Star Radar aircraft and was deployed to the Vietnam War in 1963. He was then stationed at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California but spent the majority of his time at the U.S. airbase in Saigon, Vietnam. His aircraft flew up and down the coast of North Vietnam vectoring American aircraft during their aerial campaigns against the North Vietnamese. During his combat missions, Eldon was awarded the Air Force Medal for bravery in combat, the highest commendation available to a non-commissioned officer at that time. On June 9, 1965, while serving in the U.S. Air Force, Eldon completed his secondary education at Grant Adult School in Sacramento County, California. See, Document No. 3 below, Secondary Education Diploma from Grant Adult School in Sacramento County, California dated June 9, 1965. On July 20, 1967, following eight years of service, Eldon was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force as a non-commissioned officer, the rank of Staff Sergeant, and a veteran of a foreign war. See, Document No. 4 below, Certificate of Honorable Discharge issued by the United States Air Force, dated July 20, 1967.

In 1969, Eldon relocated his family to the town of Folsom, California on the East side of Sacramento County. There Eldon took a job working for Aerojet Liquid Rocket Company as a purchaser of parts for the construction of rocket engines for Polaris and Titan nuclear missiles. He also volunteered for the Folsom Reserve Police Force. On December 19, 1973, Eldon graduated from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Academy being one of the first two police officers from the City of Folsom to do so. See, Document No. 5 below, Certificate of Training from the Sheriffs Department of Sacramento County dated December 19, 1973.

In 1976, following seven years of service in the Folsom Reserve Police Force, Eldon resigned his position as a respected police officer and ran for election to the Folsom City Counsel. See, Document No. 6 below, Folsom City Counsel Election Campaign Card dated March 2, 1976. Eldon was not elected to the City Counsel, but immediately following the election, Eldon was appointed by the City Counsel to a position on the Folsom City Planning Commission where he served with distinction as Chairman of the commission through 1981. See, Document No. 7 below, Resolution of Commendation No. 81-4, dated September 28, 1981.

Following his service to the City of Folsom, Eldon divorced his second wife, Carol James, and went into business with Benito “Benny” Estasio and formed a company known as Electronic Harness Specialists (“EHS”) where he manufactured electronic harness components for industrial computers. Eldon continued in this venture until 1983 when he married Leona Frank and relocated south to Madera, California where he took up a position as Director of Purchasing with the Madera Unified School District. Here, Eldon serviced with distinction for over ten years until he resigned his position and once again went into business for himself by forming JAX Leather Company.

On November 19, 2014, Eldon died at the age of 74 in Madera, Madera County, California. He was cremated at Jay Chapel in Madera and his ashes were scatted in the community where he had called home since 1984. Eldon’s only child through Juanita Estelle Grice was Debra Renee James (1958-1959). His only child through Carol Ina Gilbertson was Larry Paul James (born 1966) - (Family Tree Y-DNA Kit No. 74812).

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DOCUMENTS

No. 1. Birth Certificate of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014), Trent, Jones County, Texas dated February 5, 1940.

2.  Marriage License of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) and Carol Ina Gilbertson, issued at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho dated November 18, 1961.

3.  Secondary Education Diploma of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) from Grant Adult School in Sacramento County, California dated June 9, 1965.

4.  Certificate of Honorable Discharge issued to Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) from the United States Air Force dated July 20, 1967.

5.  Certificate of Training issued to Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) from the Sheriff’s Department of Sacramento County, California dated December 19, 1973.

6.    Folsom City Counsel Election Campaign Card for Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) for city wide election of March 2, 1976.

7.  Resolution of Commendation No. 81-4 issued to Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) by the Folsom City Planning Commission date September 28, 1981.

8.  Death Certificate of Eldon Larry James (1940-2014) from the town of Madera, Madera County, California dated November 19, 2014.

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Updated: January 27, 2026