Roy Warren
The youngest child of Uriah G. 'Duncan' Warren and his wife Catherine 'Kit' (Thompson) Warren, Roy was born 24 January 1895, on his fathers farm in Henderson, Rusk Co. TX. He had 7 older brothers and sisters - half born in Heard County, GA where his father was born and first lived - and half born in Texas. His parents were about 38 and 39 when he was born. While theirs was a life of hard work and farming and that's how he started out, Roy worked with one of his brothers learning the carpentry trade, then left the family farm in Henderson to join the U.S. Navy. He lied about his age to enlist, telling them that he was of legal age. It wasn't until his final (2nd) retirement from the U.S. Navy that he had them correct their records. Roy Warren Sr. enlisted in the US Navy at Galveston, Texas on Jan 13, 1914 when he was just 18. He was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Oregon. Here he first worked in the 'black' gang shoveling coal into the boilers below decks. He was promoted to Boatswain's Mate and by WWI to Chief Petty Officer.
While stationed in the U.S. Navy in 'early' San Diego as an 'Aviation' Petty Officer working with the (then) new field of naval aviation, Roy Warren met Jessie Beatrice Poor/Pore and her identical twin sister Bessie Velma Poor/Pore. (They were born surname Poor but their mother began using the Pore version in 1907). The two identical twin girls were well known in early San Diego, were inseparable, and went everywhere together. Roy and Jessie married on September 25, 1919 when she was just 19 and he was 24. Roy wrote a letter home to his parents in Henderson to let them know he had married and received a letter back from them Oct 4, 1919 in which they said:
Dear Roy,Roy and Jessie Warren had two children: Roy Warren, Jr. born 27 Oct 1920 and Virginia Elizabeth Warren born 16 Sept 1923, both born in their grandmothers house at 2651 Broadway Street, San Diego. Roy and Jessie Warren both loved to drive, and in the early years they'd pile her mother, twin sister and her child, and their own kids all into Roy and Jessie's car and spend every moment they could exploring the back country of San Diego, having picnics in the mountains and small family adventures. Coronado Beach was a favorite spot. Roy built a home just outside of San Diego in Chula Vista complete with small family farm. During his years in the service the family was able to spend about 3 yrs. in the Panama Canal Zone assigned to the Coco Solo Naval Air Base which they loved. He retired (the first time) from the U.S. Navy in 1935 after 20 years in the service. He worked as a carpenter for a while, while also farming at his home. He had a large fruit orchard with peach, apricot, plum, fig, avocado, olive, sapota and lemon. He loved to grow sweet potatoes. He grew pink amaryllis, dozens of them, in rows. He kept bee hives. He erected a windmill for irrigation. He kept chickens, horse, dogs, cats, goats. It was a good life and they had many friends and socialized a lot with neighbors, family and friends. They took trips back to Henderson to visit the Warren family back home in Texas. His wife Jessie died of cancer Dec 20, 1938 and the family was devastated. She was just 38 yrs old. He became reacquainted with the widow of a former Navy buddy (Daniel Nelson) and remarried Sept 4, 1939 the widow Inez Nelson. They had one child together: Pamela Warren. Inez (Nelson) Warren died Oct 1950 in San Diego, CA. She had two children by a previous marriage to Daniel Nelson: Nola Nelson and Danny Nelson.
I wish to express congratulations to you, and am wishing you and Jessie all kinds of best wishes in the beginning of your new lives together. We can truly say that you have always been a good son, and shall take into our family, the new daughter with much love. No news of importance. With love to you both, and hoping to hear from you, we are
Your loving mother and father,
Mr. and Mrs. U.G. Warren
With war breaking out in Europe, Roy was recalled to service in the U.S. Navy. He was eager to go. In Sept 1943 he was sent to the Pacific assigned to Carrier Aircraft Service and arrived in Tarawa right after the island was 'secured' from the fighting. His son (Roy Warren, Jr.) was also in the U.S. Navy stationed at the time as a Chief Petty Officer on an island in the Pacific (Apanama) just 90 mi south. On two occasions during the war, father and son got to visit each other flying between islands to meet. Sometime later as the war progressed, Roy Warren (Sr)'s unit was moved to the island of Tinian, in the Mariana group. It was from this island that the planes took off to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Those bombings were an Army operation and they operated from a separate airfield on the island.
Roy was born in the horse and buggy and kerosene lamp days on a cotton farm in East Texas. No radios, no electricity, no television, no telephones--and lived long enough to see the development of all these and the airplane. To work with it, fly it, repair it, from its very beginnings to the 'big bombers' of W.W.II. Roy Warren (Sr) died 27 February 1949 of a stroke and is buried in Glen Abbey Cemetery, Chula Vista, CA.