My Family Tree: Ethel White/Blanche White

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.