James Family Archives

 

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Historical Records of Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969)

 

Below follows the historic records of Marvin “Bert” Leftrich James  (1895-1969) of Trent, Taylor County, Texas held by the James Family Archives. Marvin or “Bert,” as he was often referred to, was born on October 29, 1895 in Commerce, Hunt County, Texas to Braxton Leftrich James (1864-1923) of Fannin County, Texas and Flora Alice Johnson (1874-1960). Marvin is also the 5x 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.

 

On December 8, 1916, Marvin married  Eula Georgia Maynard (1898-1959) daughter of Nicolas Joel Maynard (1864-1948) and Fannie Shehane Green (1870-1947) in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas. See, Document No. 1 below, Marriage License of Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) and Eula Georgia Maynard (1898-1959) from the State of Texas dated December 10, 1916. Marvin's marriage to Eula Georgia Maynard brought some friction to his relationship with the rest of his family as his bride Eula was a "half-breed," that is to say, 50% native American composed of both Cherokee and Choctaw heritage. To this union were born the following children: Tura Clyde James (1917-1996), Charlene James (1924-2001), Virgil Darwin James (1929-1931), Carlton Dwayne James (1936-2011) and Eldon Larry James (1940-2014).

 

In 1900, when Marvin was about five years old, his father Braxton moved his family, along with his grandfather William George James, from the town of Commerce in Hunt County, Texas to the small town of Trent, just west of the city of Abilene, in Taylor County, Texas. There, Marvin's father purchased a sturdy, two-story, rock constructed structure that was once believed to be a weigh station for the local stage coach that past through that part of Texas in the late 19th Century, built with fortified windows once used to fend off savage Comanche Indian raiding parties. There, Marvin's father continued with his black-smith trade until the technology became obsolete. The family also farmed the land surrounding the "Old Rock House."

 

On June 5, 1917, at the age of 21, Marvin registered for the Draft in the event he were to be called to fight in World War I. See, Document No. 2 below, World War I Draft Registration Card for Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) issued by the Local Board, Precinct No. 26 of Anson, Jones County, Texas dated June 5, 1917. Marvin was never called to serve in the U.S. Military during World War I.

 

On August 8, 1923, when Marvin was 27 years old, his father Braxton died of acute appendicitis. By this time Marvin had been working in the oil industry as a “roughneck” for several years. He had also earned a reputation for himself "breaking" horses on the side. Marvin was so gifted at training horses he acquired the nick-name "Bert" after a famous rodeo star at the time.

 

On April 1, 1942, Marvin was once again called to register for the Draft following the outbreak of World War II. He did so faithfully even though he was never called to serve in the U.S. Military during times of war. See, Document No. 3 below, World War II Draft Registration Card (D.S.S. Form 1) for Marvin Leftrich James issued by the Local Board of Jones County, Texas dated April 1, 1942.

 

On December 20, 1959, Marvin’s wife Eula past away at the age of 61 in the town of Sweetwater in Nolan County, Texas. Marvin himself was 64 years of age at the time of his wife’s passing. At the time of his passing, his youngest son, Eldon was 19 years of age. His elder three children were already adults, well advanced in years.

 

By August 27, 1966, at the age of 70, Marvin had been retired from the oil industry for many years but was still in the business of training horses. His own horse, “Shorty” was a majestic stud standing over 17 hands tall. At this time, Marvin was residing in 616 Manchester Street in the town of Merkel, Taylor County Texas. See, Document No. 4 below, Texas Operator License of Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, Texas with an expiration date of August 27, 1969.

 

On June 30, 1969, Marvin died of prostate cancer at the age of 73 in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas. See, Document No. 5 below, Certificate of Death for Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) issued by the State of Texas dated June 30, 1969 He was buried beside Eula at Garden of Memories Cemetery, IH20 in Sweetwater, Nolan County, Texas. Marvin was remembered as being a devout family man, beloved by his wife and children to the day he died. He remained a simple man, humble in his demeanor, by all accounts, a "cowboy" in every aspect of his life.

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DOCUMENTS

 

1.    Marriage License of Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) and Eula Georgia Maynard (1898-1959) from the State of Texas dated December 10, 1916.

2.    World War I Draft Registration Card for Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) issued by the Local Board, Precinct No. 26 of Anson, Jones County, Texas dated June 5, 1917.

3.    World War II Draft Registration Card (D.S.S. Form 1) for Marvin Leftrich James  (1895-1969) issued by the Local Board of Jones County, Texas dated April 1, 1942.

4.    Texas Operator License of Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, Texas with an expiration date of August 27, 1969.

5.    Certificate of Death for Marvin Leftrich James (1895-1969) issued by the State of Texas dated June 30, 1969.

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Updated: February 4, 2026