Estelle Merle O'Brien (Thompson) Oberon (1911 - 1979)

Born 19 Feb 1911 in Bombay Presidency, India

Ancestors

Wife of Robert Jacobus Godefridus Wolders — married 31 Jan 1975 in Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 23 Nov 1979 at age 68 in Malibu, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Merle (Thompson) Oberon is Notable.

Estelle was born in 1911. Estella Merle Thompson, daughter of Arthur Thompson & Constance Selby, was born on 19 February 1911 and baptised on 16 March 1911 in Bombay Presidency, India.^[1]

Miss Merle Oberon was registered to vote in 1933 at 40 York St, Marylebone, Westminster, England, W1. Registered to vote at the same address were Miss Barbara Felicite Seymour and Richard Seymour.^[2]

Estelle Merle Thompson travelled in 1935 from Southampton, England to New York, United States aboard the ship Beremgaria. She was described as an actress. She gave her mother as next of kin, Mrs. Thompson of 27 Upper Montague Street, London. Her passage was paid by a “London film company”, and she was headed for United Artists in Hollywood.^[3]

After a car accident, in 1937 she was awarded £5,000 in damages against her chauffeur Sidney James Digby.^[4]

Estelle Merle Obrien Thompson travelled from England via France to New York, United States in 1938 aboard the ship Conte Di Savoia. She was described as an actress with her last permanent residence in London at York Terrace. She was intending to stay at 1038 Ocean Front, Santa Monica, California.^[5]

”The marriage of MISS MERLE OBERON (Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson). the British screen-star, to Mr. Alexander Korda, the head of London Film Productions, took place recently at Cap d'Antibes Town Hall. The bride and bridegroom, who have been denying rumours of their approaching marriage for nearly a year, did not stay honeymooning in the South of France, but returned last week to start a new picture,

" Manon Lescaut." Mr. Korda was the man who " discovered " Merle Oberon.”^[6]

Merle Korda travelled in 1939 from Southampton to New York aboard the ship Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship’s manifest recorded her birth place as Calcutta and her age as 28.^[7] Her birth place was again given as Calcutta, India, when Estelle Merle Korda O'Brien travelled in 1945 to Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States.^[8]

Estelle Merle O Brien (age 30) married Lucien Keith Ballard on 26 June 1945 in Juárez, Chihuahua, México.^[9]

” THE OBERON REMARRIES - PROXY WEDDING WITH FILM CAMERAMAN - EL PASO (Texas). Merle Oberon, the Wednesday. film star who obtained a Mexican divorce on June 4 from Sir Alexander Korda, the British film producer., was married by proxy last night to Lucien Ballard, a Hollywood film cameraman. at the nearby town of Juarez. The actress gave her age as 30 and Ballard is 36.-A.P

”Merle Oberon is really Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson. She was Alexander Korda's second wife, and he engaged her when she was a film extra. At one time she was engaged to Mr. Joseph , the film magnate. She is the daughter of an Englishman. but was born in India.”^[10]

Estelle Merle O Brien Ballard immigrated in 1952 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.^[11]

Merle O Wolders died (age 68)^[12] on 23 Nov 1979 in Los Angeles, California.^[13]

Census

In the 1940 census Merle Korda (age 30) was the wife of Alexander Korda in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States.^[14]

Alexander Korda M 48 Married Head Hungary

Merle Korda F 30 Married Wife Tasmania

Henry Saunders M 46 Married Butler England

Francis Thurlow F 50 Single Cook England

Germaine Soyes F 48 Single Maid France

In the 1950 census Merle Oberon (age 38), Actress, was the divorced head of household in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States.^[15]

Merle Oberon F 38 years Divorced Head Actress Austria

Frances Thurlow F 65 years Never married Housekeeper Housekeeper England

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947"
   citing FHL microfilm: 523895; Record number: 79;
   FamilySearch Record: HGNR-YCN2 (accessed 6 July 2023)
   Estella Merle Thompson baptism on 16 Mar 1911 (born 19 Feb 1911), daughter of Arthur Thompson & Constance, in Bombay Presidency, India.
2. ↑ 1933 Electoral Register: "London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965"
   London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Electoral Registers
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 1795 #79329925 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   Ward or Division/Constituency: St Marylebone; Name: MS Merle Oberon; Street Address: 40 Richard; Electoral Date: 1933; County or Borough: Westminster, England.
3. ↑ Immigration: "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957"
   citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   FamilySearch Record: 24VG-ZMN (accessed 8 July 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-95FR-9CZB Image number 00549
   Ship Name: Beremgaria; Immigration Date: 1935; Birth Date: 1911; Birth Place: India; Immigration Place: New York, New York, United States; Name: Estelle Merle Thompson; Age: 24.
4. ↑ https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=BL/0000687/19380505/192&stringtohighlight=estelle%20merle%20thompson “Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer” 05 May 1938 page 6
5. ↑ Immigration: "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957"
   citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   FamilySearch Record: 242Q-8X4 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-95NS-97S1 Image number 00402
   Ship Name: Conte Di Savoia; Immigration Date: 1938; Birth Date: 1911; Birth Place: England; Immigration Place: New York, New York, United States; Name: Estelle Merle Obrien Thompson; Age: 27.
6. ↑ https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=BL/0001860/19390614/010&stringtohighlight=merle%20thompson “The Sketch” 14 June 1939 page 5 (England)
7. ↑ Immigration: "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957"
   citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   FamilySearch Record: 24LF-BMZ (accessed 8 July 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-95JH-9H3C Image number 00099
   Ship Name: Nieuw Amsterdam; Immigration Date: 1939; Birth Date: 1911; Birth Place: India; Immigration Place: New York, New York, United States; Name: Merle Korda; Age: 28.
8. ↑ Immigration: "United States, Texas, Laredo, Index to Manifests of Permanent and Statistical Alien Arrivals, Dec 1929-Apr 1955"
   citing Affiliate Publication Title: Index to Manifests of Permanent and Statistical Alien Arrivals at Laredo, Texas, 2/1956 - 2/1956; Affiliate Publication Number: A3393; Affiliate Film Number: 6; Record number: 2;
   FamilySearch Record: WBM2-1NN2 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CSF8-GGMR Image number 04744
   Name: Estelle Merle Korda O'Brien; Birth Date: 1914; Immigration Place: Laredo, Webb, Texas, United States; Immigration Date: 1945; Age: 31.
9. ↑ Marriage Registration: "Mexico, Chihuahua, Civil Registration, 1861-1997"
   citing Page: 373;
   FamilySearch Record: QGZM-XZV9 (accessed 6 July 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-G54P-34 Image number 00920
   Estelle Merle O Brien (30) marriage to Lucien Keith Ballard on 26 Jun 1945 in Juárez, Chihuahua, México.
10. ↑ https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=BL/0000271/19450627/112&stringtohighlight=merle%20obrien 27 June 1945 “Liverpool Echo” (Liverpool, Lancashire, England)
11. ↑ Immigration: "Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965"
    citing 1952, Arquivo Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (National Archives, Rio de Janeiro).
    FamilySearch Record: KXQN-RMQ (accessed 6 July 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: 33S7-95Y6-YMQ Image number 00200
    Immigration Date: 1952; Marital Status: Divorced; Misc Flag Travel Children Orig: N; Birth Date: 19 Feb 1914; Birth Place: Calcuta India; Immigration Place: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil; Nationality: Britain; Name: Estelle Merle O Brien Ballard; Travel Children Flag: No.
12. ↑ Death: "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007"
    FamilySearch Record: 6K49-V5BV (accessed 8 July 2023)
    Merle O Wolders death Nov 1979 (born 19 Feb 1911).
13. ↑ Death: "California Death Index, 1940-1997"
    FamilySearch Record: VPJN-C59 (accessed 8 July 2023)
    Merle Oberon Wolders death 23 Nov 1979 (born 19 Feb 1917) in Los Angeles, California, United States.
14. ↑ 1940 Census: "United States Census, 1940"
    citing Affiliate Publication Number: T627; Line: 65;
    FamilySearch Record: K9CP-3D7 (accessed 8 July 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-89MT-KBS
    Merle Korda (30), wife, in household of Alexander Korda (48) in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. Born in Tasmania.
15. ↑ 1950 Census: "United States 1950 Census"
    citing Page: 83; Line: 17;
    FamilySearch Record: 6XGF-YXS5 (accessed 8 July 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: 3QHN-LQH7-1S38-9
    Merle Oberon (38), divorced, Actress, head of household in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. Born in Austria.

• Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

• "California Marriage Index, 1960-1985," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6PS-8C9 : 27 November 2014), Robert G Wolders and Merle Oberon, 31 Jan 1975; from "California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2007); citing Los Angeles, California, Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.

• "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPJN-C59 : 26 November 2014), Merle Oberon Wolders, 23 Nov 1979; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V3LN-8J7 : 11 January 2021), Merle Wolders, Nov 1979; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 31 January 2021), memorial page for Merle Oberon (19 Feb 1911–23 Nov 1979), Find A Grave: Memorial #1574, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Merle Oberon
• Wikidata: Item Q230958, en:Wikipedia