Another Fortean who seems to have disappeared as the 1940s turned to the 1950s.
George Charles Bowring was born 1 Feb 1912 in England to George Henry Stockes-Bowring and the former Ada Hubbard. I know nothing about the senior George; Ada had left school in second grade and would do some work as a seamstress. Sometime before 1923, George Henry died. The widowed Ada left behind a married daughter and took her ten year old son to be with her parents in Los Angeles. They traveled first to Toronto, then passed into the U.S. via Detroit on 24 October 1922. By 1930, Ada had remarried—Tom Irons, who had come over from England himself, in 1909. Tom had quit school in fifth grade and worked as a machinist.
George Charles also left school early, only completing his second year of high school. In 1930, he worked as a linotype operator for a newspaper. Three years later, when he was naturalized, he worked as a chauffeur. Given his later employment history, the job indicates that the Depression may have forced him into work he really didn’t want. Three years after that, he married the former Virginia Teagarden. Virginia was four years his junior—20 to his 24—from Texas, and a college graduate. By 1940, he was back to his chosen profession, linotype operator, and living with Virginia. The family had also taken on a boarder. Ada and Tom were still in the LA-area, too, Tom a machinist and Ada a homemaker. She had still not been naturalized, although Tom had been.
Naturalized and of age, Bowring would have been available for the draft, but I can find no military or draft records for him—which doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Wendy Elizabeth Bowring was born 17 November 1942. Edwin Wallace Bowring was born 10 June 1945. Bowring seems to have joined to Fortean Society between the north of his two children—at least that’s when he gets a mention. There were also changes in his job life around that time.
George Charles Bowring was born 1 Feb 1912 in England to George Henry Stockes-Bowring and the former Ada Hubbard. I know nothing about the senior George; Ada had left school in second grade and would do some work as a seamstress. Sometime before 1923, George Henry died. The widowed Ada left behind a married daughter and took her ten year old son to be with her parents in Los Angeles. They traveled first to Toronto, then passed into the U.S. via Detroit on 24 October 1922. By 1930, Ada had remarried—Tom Irons, who had come over from England himself, in 1909. Tom had quit school in fifth grade and worked as a machinist.
George Charles also left school early, only completing his second year of high school. In 1930, he worked as a linotype operator for a newspaper. Three years later, when he was naturalized, he worked as a chauffeur. Given his later employment history, the job indicates that the Depression may have forced him into work he really didn’t want. Three years after that, he married the former Virginia Teagarden. Virginia was four years his junior—20 to his 24—from Texas, and a college graduate. By 1940, he was back to his chosen profession, linotype operator, and living with Virginia. The family had also taken on a boarder. Ada and Tom were still in the LA-area, too, Tom a machinist and Ada a homemaker. She had still not been naturalized, although Tom had been.
Naturalized and of age, Bowring would have been available for the draft, but I can find no military or draft records for him—which doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Wendy Elizabeth Bowring was born 17 November 1942. Edwin Wallace Bowring was born 10 June 1945. Bowring seems to have joined to Fortean Society between the north of his two children—at least that’s when he gets a mention. There were also changes in his job life around that time.