John Hershal DeFoe (1921 - 1993)

Born 18 Mar 1921 in Newport, Jackson, Arkansas, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Brown) DeFoe — married 6 Apr 1946 in Miami, Dade County, Florida

Husband of Marilyn Morgan (Lindsley) Fuller — married about 1950 (to about 1960) in Memphis, Tennessee [uncertain]

Husband of Josephine L (Thomas) DeFoe — married Jun 1963 in Netcong, Morris, New Jersey, United States

Descendants

Died 22 Apr 1993 at age 72 in Atlanta, DeKalb, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Susan DeFoe [send private message]

Genealogically Defined

Biography

John was the youngest of five children born to Minnie (Reagan) Garrison and Daniel DeFoe, and was born in Newport, Arkansas. His parents divorced when John was 4 and John and his sister, Irene, moved with their mother to Dade County, Florida. John's mother remarried, marrying Gilbert Garrison, a blacksmith. John and his sister lived with his mother and stepfather, residing in Hernando County, Florida.^[1] His mother later divorced Gilbert Garrison and in 1935, John lived with his brother, Bill, residing in Palmetto, Florida.^[2] In 1940, John lived with his mother Miami, Florida.^[3][4]

Warrant Officer John DeFoe served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started: 4 Mar 1943
Unit(s): 82nd Airborne Division
Service ended: 23 Jan 1946

John registered for the draft when he was 20, registering in Miami, Florida on February 16, 1942. He stated that he lived at 412½ N.W. 22nd Street in Miami and that he worked for Knight Brothers Paper Company in Miami. John was described as 5'11½ " tall and 168 pounds with light brown hair and grey eyes.

John enlisted in the United States Army, enlisting at Camp Blanding, Florida on March 3, 1943.^[5] His next of kin was his mother, Minnie Garrison. He enlisted on February 25, 1943.^[6] He noted on his enlistment papers that he had completed three years of high school, and his civil occupation was that of a driver, working for Knight Brothers Paper Company in Miami. He listed his marital state as "Single with dependents," which included his younger brother, Bill, and Bill's two young children. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a Warrant Officer. He later told his family that he served as an Army Air Force paratrooper during World War II. and was discharged after the war's end on January 23, 1946.^[7]

John married Jane Newbern, receiving the marriage license in Dade County on April 5, 1946 in Dade County, Florida with the marriage solemnized in Miami, Florida on April 6, 1945. The ceremony was officiated by C. Roy Cargell of Central Baptist Church; witnessing the marriage were Betty Morgan and A. E. Ferguson, Jr.^[8] The marriage did not last, ending in divorce.

John later Mickey (Lindsley) Fuller, with whom he had two daughters, marrying in Memphis, Tennessee around 1950 and soon moving to Nashville, Tennessee. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. He married a third time, marrying Josephine (Thomas) DeFoe at the Presbyterian Church in Parsippany, New Jersey^[9] in June of 1963, with the marriage being recorded in Netcong, New Jersey.^[10]

John took a position with Heidelberg Company USA in Orange County, California and remained there until his retirement, moving to Stone Mountain, Georgia. He suffered from COPD and eventually succumbed to emphysema in 1993. He was cremated, with no memorial service and no headstone.^[11][12][13]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SRBS-66Z : accessed 27 June 2020), John Defoe in household of Gilbert S Garrison, Precinct 4, Hernando, Florida, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 7, sheet 1A, line 29, family 8, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 317; FHL microfilm 2,340,052.
2. ↑ "Florida State Census, 1935", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNVV-NSC : Mon Nov 13 23:41:32 UTC 2023), John H DeFoe in Entry for William M De Foe and Beatrice K De Foe, 1935.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZ6-S4H : 29 February 2020), John H Defoe in household of Minnie D Garrison, Area A, Miami, Election Precinct 54, Dade, Florida, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-42, sheet 12A, line 24, family 234, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 629.
4. ↑ "Florida State Census, 1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNFD-MWS : 9 August 2017), John H Defoe, Dade, Florida; citing line 22, State Archives, Tallahassee; FHL microfilm 2,425,181.
5. ↑ Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.Original data - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database] Ancestry Record 2238 #12382446 with attached Image
6. ↑ U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, National Archives and Records Administration. Publisher: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.Original data - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administrati Ancestry Record 17480814 #515974812
7. ↑ U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.Ancestry Record 17480814 #515974812
8. ↑ "Florida Marriages, 1830-1993", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:23HQ-DGK : Tue Oct 24 04:32:16 UTC 2023), Entry for John H Defoe and Jane B Newbern, 1946.
9. ↑ Presbyterian Historical Society; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1907; Book Title: 1958 - 1966. Ancestry.com. U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Church Registers. Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Ancestry Record 61048 #68431 with attached Image
10. ↑ New Jersey State Archives; Trenton, New Jersey; Marriage Indexes; Index Type: Bride; Year Range: 1963; Surname Range: A - L. Ancestry.com. New Jersey, Marriage Index, 1901-2016 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Marriage Indexes. New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.Ancestry Record 61253 #991958752 with attached Image
11. ↑ "Georgia Death Index, 1933-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V43P-V3X : 24 December 2014), John H Defoe, 22 Apr 1993; from "Georgia Deaths, 1919-98," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2001); citing DeKalb, Georgia, certificate number 016680, Georgia Health Department, Office of Vital Records, Atlanta.
12. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VS16-XPX : 20 May 2014), John H Defoe, 22 Apr 1993; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209793679/john-hershal-defoe: accessed 27 December 2023), memorial page for John Hershal DeFoe (18 Mar 1921–20 Apr 1993). Find A Grave: Memorial #209793679 Cremated, Cremated; disposition of ashes not known.; Maintained by Susan DeFoe (contributor 50308322).