I am intending to update the
imdb entry for Blanche White but
need to provide evidence for any changes. As far as I know, nothing has been
published elsewhere that states categorically that Ethel McCann is the same
person as Blanche White. In this rather lengthy post, I strive to establish the
connection by drawing together primary source data from births, marriages,
deaths, census and migration records of Ethel McCann and her immediate family.
There is quite a bit of repetition from previous posts.
I have not traced any formal documentation in the name of
Blanche White. This is unsurprising as it is a stage name and has no legal
standing. But I believe I can demonstrate that Ethel McCann was the first wife
of the actor Leo White and must therefore be the same person as Blanche White.
Ethel Caroline McCann was born in Woolwich on 21 August 1892
Familysearch
shows born in Woolwich 3Q 1892
Her father was James William McCann, born in Mauritius in
1851
His army service record, downloadable from
www.findmypast.co.uk
(payment required) confirms that he was a Roman Catholic and records his
marriage to Mary Dunne (Dublin, 9 February 1879) and the birth dates of his
children Elizabeth, Annie and James. He was discharged on 25 March 1890.
Ethel had five siblings:
Elizabeth, born Poona, India, 15 February 1880.
Annie, born Lucknow, India, 3 September
1882.
James Frederick, born Bareilly, India, 20 October 1888. Baptised in the R.C.
Chapel at Bareilly.
Baptismal records for Elizabeth, Annie and James Frederick are here
Baptismal
Records McCanns.
Ada Mary, born West Ham, London 14 October 1890.
Familysearch
shows born in West Ham 4Q 1980
Linda Lilian, born Woolwich, London, 18 November 1895.
Familysearch
shows born in Woolwich 4Q 1895
In the 1891 UK census, James W, Mary, Elizabeth, Annie James
F and Ada were living at 39 Marmadon Road, Plumstead, London
James W. Mary & Elizabeth
Familysearch.
Annie, James F & Ada.
Familysearch.
In the 1901 UK census, James W, Mary, Annie (now Mrs
Precious), Ada, Ethel and Linda were at 43 Marmadon Road.
Familysearch.
In the 1911 UK census, James W, Mary, Ada and Lilian were at 24 Brewery Road,
Plumstead
Familysearch.
Nothing further has been found about Ethel in the UK between
1901 and 1909, either in online records or family archives.
Ethel travelled from the UK to the USA via Liverpool, Quebec
and Niagara Falls in 1909-1910. Details
are given here
Ethel
Crossing Border from Canada to USA. These records are somewhat problematic;
they are a ‘best fit’ with other known information about her, but she appears
to be creative about her age (21 instead of 17) and relatives.
Familysearch
records the marriage of ‘Reo. H. Weiss’ age 29, born in Berlin, Germany
(parents Julius, Ada Heyman) to ‘Ethel E. Mc Cann’ age 23, born in London,
England (parents James, Mary Dunn) on 3 May 1911 in Manhattan, New York. ‘Reo’
is most likely a transcription error of ‘Leo’. The birth date of actor Leo
White is usually cited as November 10, 1882 e.g.
Wikipedia,
IMDb. If that is the case, he
would have been only 28 at the time of his marriage. But some sources such as
his
WWI Draft
Registration give the year of birth as 1881. Since he was born in Germany,
it is likely that his surname at birth was ‘Weiss’ and this was later
anglicised to ‘White’. So far, I have not found anything elsewhere about Leo to
confirm the names of his parents. Give or take a final ‘e’, the parents’ names
and birthplace are a good fit with Ethel from Woolwich. The middle initial ‘E’
instead of ‘C’ may be a transcription error. The same marriage record in
www.findmypast.co.uk gives her first
name as ‘Ethel E?’ indicating uncertainty. Here age is given as 23 and
therefore an estimated birth year of 1888. At the time of this marriage, Ethel
Caroline McCann would have been only 18 years old. This is not the first or
last time that she has given an age inconsistent with her actual birth date. A
record search finds no good match for an Ethel McCann, daughter of James McCann
and Mary Dunn, born in 1888 +/- 1 year.
The 1920 census finds Leo Weiss, 38, Ethel C. Weiss, 27, Leo
Weiss Jr, 8 and John Weiss, 5 at 5553-64 Hollywood Boulevard.
Familysearch.
The return shows Leo was born in Germany and both parents in
East Prussia; he arrived in the US in 1903 and his occupation is ‘actor, motion
pictures’. Ethel was born in England, her father in Scotland and her mother in
Ireland; she arrived in the US in 1910 and her occupation is ‘actress, motion
pictures. This looks a good match (allowing for the difference in Ethel’s stated
age) with the couple married in 1911. Leo’s details match other published
information about actor Leo White. Ethel’s details are a good match with Ethel
from Woolwich. The only discrepancy is in her father’s birthplace. She may
simply have been unsure about this; both her father and his father were
military men who travelled extensively with their duties and it may have been
difficult to keep track of who was born where. Her paternal grandfather was
born in Ireland but married in Scotland and one of his daughters was born
there. In other documents at various times, she gives her father’s birthplace
as England or Scotland.
It has not been possible to track down a birth record for
Leo Jr.; records may not be publicly available.
https://www.reclaimtherecords.org/
. But a birth record exists for son John Frederick Weiss
Familysearch.
This shows the mother as Ethel Caroline McCann, aged 22.
By 1930, Leo and Ethel had separated. Most likely entry for
Leo is
here.
He is rooming at 5724 Sunset Boulevard, but now under the name Leo White. He is
47, he and both parents are from Germany and he is a stage actor. This time, he
states that he entered the US in 1899. The entry for Ethel and her two sons is
here. They are
at Hedvig apartments, 1819 North Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles. They are using
the surname White. Details given are consistent with previous census data, except
her father’s birthplace is given as England. Her mother’s birthplace is now
given as Northern Ireland; the partition of Ireland took place on 3 May 1921
and Mary Dunne was born in Belfast.
Taking all these records together is, I believe, good
evidence that Ethel McCann from Woolwich is the first wife of actor Leo White.
Ethel remarried in 1934. This is discussed here
George
Lewis Cooke White aka Bob or Bobo. The middle initial and parents’
names – even father’s middle name -confirm that this is the same Ethel that was
previously married to Leo White, although she was again apparently being
creative about her age, stating 34 rather than 42. In summary:
Ethel married George L Cooke-White, son of Edgar Mills White
and Marietta Cooke, in Beverly Hills on 2 September 1934.
Familysearch.
George’s occupation at the time was ‘insurance underwriter’.
George was born in Manhattan on 28 February 1899.
Familysearch.
His name is given as George Curtis Cooke White; ‘Cooke’ here is a middle name
rather than part of a hyphenated surname and ‘Curtis’ may be a mistranscription
of ‘Lewis’. Parents’ names are same as in the marriage record.
The 1940 census finds George and Ethel at ‘Tract 383,
Beverly Hills’; examination of the form indicates their address is 8950 Clifton
Way, between North La Peer Drive and North Wetherly Drive. Ages and birthplaces
are consistent with other records.
George is an ‘actor, motion pictures’ who earned $964 in 1939. (According
to
www.dollartimes.com that equates to
$16,624.32 today.)
Ethel’s sons John (styling himself ‘Fred’) and Leo White are
at 202 North La Peer Drive.
Familysearch.
‘Fred’ is an ‘actor, motion pictures’ while Leo is a ‘shop foreman, venetian
blinds’
Leo senior is at 822 North San Jose Street.
Familysearch. Not
only is he still using the surname White rather than Weiss, he also gives his
birthplace as England. In view of events in Europe, he may have considered it
politic to distance himself from any connection with Germany. His wife’s name
‘Maxine’ corresponds with information recorded elsewhere about his second
marriage to Maxine Louise Furman. His age is shown as 51, when actually he
would have been 57 or 58, depending on whether you take his birth year as 1881
or 1882. He is a ‘feature & character actor, motion picture studio stock'.
He earned $2,500 in 1939, equivalent to $43,112.86 today.
Leo junior’s marriage record confirms his parents were Leo
Herbert White, born in Germany and Ethel Caroline McCann, born in England.
Familysearch.
His occupation is given as ‘singer, show business’.
George died on 17 April 1962 in Los Angeles.
Familysearch.
Ethel died on 5 October 1963 in Los Angeles. The record also includes her date
of birth.
Familysearch.
They are buried together in Fort Rosecrans National
Cemetery San Diego, San Diego County,
California, USA.
Billiongraves.com
has pictures of both headstones.
A number of family photographs survive with text on the back
in Ethel’s own hand. These provide further confirmatory details. She
consistently refers to her son’s as ‘Peter’ or some diminutive and John or
Jack. ‘Peter’ may well be a family nickname adopted to avoid confusion since
father and son were both called Leo. She refers to the older man in the photos
as ‘Bob’ or ‘Bobo’ but this also appears to be a nickname and the
details she gives are consistent with the biography of George Lewis Cooke
White. There are references to Ada, Fred, Donald and Jack - her sister, brother and nephews in England. Some were taken in Beverly Hills and include specific street names.
Ethel
Bob and Peter – Easter Sunday.
Ethel
and Bob, Clark Drive, after 4 p.m. Sunday
Ethel
having a bad hair day
Ethel
and Jack – some years later
Ethel’s
postcards of Mexican bandits
A
few more cards from Ethel to Ada
A
postcard of a church in Hollywood from Ethel to Ada
Peter
at military school in Santa Monica
Peter
and a friend
Peter
in Alamagordo, New Mexico
Ethel’s
“baby” – John Frederick
Ethel’s
boy Jack in the army
A
couple of Ethel’s boy Jack in uniform (photos only, no text)
