Biographical Sketch

James Verner as a young man.

James Verner Marvin Claybourn ("Vern") was born January 1, 1882, at Woodlawn, Illinois (Jefferson County). He graduated from Kinmundy (Illinois) High School in 1900 and served as president of his class. He won a scholarship by "county central examination" and passed for a teacher's certificate. Later Vern finished a correspondence course in mechanical engineering, became a licensed engineer and later a master of dredges. Three years graduating from high school, Verner married Permelia Catherine Reisner (Pearl) on March 24, 1903. She was born July 6, 1885, at Falmouth, Illinois.

In 1900, after graduating from high school, he was employed by the Mississippi River Commission at Memphis, Tennessee. His uncle, Ephraim Smith Claybourn, was chief engineer, captain of a dredge, and later master mechanic of the machine shops. In 1905 when the best sub-aqueous excavation men were called ot build the Panama Canal, Uncle Dock's superior, F.B. Maltby, was called to Panama, and among the first men he sent for was Uncle Dock. Maltby's successor as superintendent at Memphis, William Gerig, put Verner in his office after Verner took a competitive examination. When Gerig later went to Panama, he cabled for Verner in 1907. After several years of office work, Vern asked for mechanical work and worked on cranes, cableway machines, and on lock construction. Later he worked on dredges until he resigned in 1922.

He was Secretary of the Gatun Cableway Club and for five years Secretary of the International Brotherhood of Steam Shovel and Dredge Men. He was Keeper of Records and Seal, Master of Finance, and Chancellor Commander of the Knights of Pythias. He was active in the Y.M.C.A., Red Cross, the Liberty Loan committees, and the Canal Baseball League. He was also a member of the "Society of the Charges," receiving a Roosevelt medal with two bars.

The U.S.S. Ancon passing through the canal on August 15, 1914, just as the First World War was erupting in Europe.

Verner received a card signed by Gov. George W. Goethals (first Civil Governor of the canal zone) permitting him to ride on the first commercial ship that went through the canal, the U.S.S. Ancon, on August 15, 1941.

During the years on the Canal Zone, Verner and his family returned to the States for vacation six times, but he and Pearl feared that their children were losing something by not having a United States environment. Therefore, in 1916, Verner bought the house at North 4th Street in Mt. Vernon, thinking he might return there to live. However, he decided on California as more agreeable after living in the tropics.

Settling in Montebello, California, he was active in civic affairs, engaged in building construction and had other business interests. During World War II, his experience on the Canal was called into use. He served as Mechanical Superintendent of the U.S. Engineers Machine Shops in Honolulu, and as inspector on the cantonment constructionin Santa Maria, which is now the Vandenburg Base.

Verner later constructed his own home in Whittier, California, where he and Pearl lived near some of their children and grandchildren, at 8521 South California Street. They were members of the First Methodist Church in Whittier, and Verner was a member of the Panama Canal Club in Los Angeles.

Verner became interested in the family history and at least as early as 1906 he began collecting data and corresponded with James Harrison Claybourn, forming the foundation for all of the information making up the Claybourn Genealogical Society. Without Verner this website would never have been made.

Pedigree Chart

						Ephraim Claybourn 1788 - 1850
				William Divine Claybourn 1819 - 1876
						Mary "Polly" Browning 1792 - 1874
		Reuben Cicero Claybourn 1854 - 1921
						Reuben Hawker b. 1794
				Frances Alla Hawker 1820 - 1863
						Nancy Hawker b. 1796
James Verner Marvin Claybourn b. 1882
				Rev. James Jackson Williams
		Mary Ann Eldorado Williams 1857 - 1914
				Sophronia Jane Bryant

Descendants

1. Mary Adelais Claybourn was born December 28, 1905, in Memphis, Tennessee. She graduated from Montebello High School and was nicknamed "A". She married on October 27, 1923 to Herbert Edward Allred (born October 21, 1904). Herbert worked for General Petroleum Co. in Los Angeles and Sacony-Vacuum Co. in Egypt and Venezuela. (Both Standard Oil.) He retired in 1958 after 37 years with them. Mary and Herbert had one child:
   1. Shirley Patricia Allred was born July 17, 1929 in Whittier, California. She graduated from Whittier High School and spent two years at Fullerton Junior College. She married on October 4, 1949 to Donald Chase (born September 9, 1926) at Tigrita, Venezuela. Donald was from San Antonio, Texas. The couple had three children and made their primary residence in Corpus Christi, Texas.
      1. Richard Edward Chase was born August 17, 1951 in Venezuala but died just a day later.
      2. Michael Edward Chase
      3. Darrell Lee Chase

2. Ethel Catherine Claybourn was born March 17, 1907 in Memphis, Tennessee. She graduated from Montebello High School and was nicknamed "Pink" because of her red hair. She primarily worked as a telephone operator. Ethel married on September 1, 1925 to Paul Victor Ritter (born August 26, 1905 in Kansas City, Missouri). Paul was a butcher and had done cross country trucking. The pair lived in East Los Angeles and had at least one child:
   1. Paul Victor Ritter, Jr. was born September 28, 1930 in Los Angeles. He graduated from El Monte High School and spent one year at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California in 1945. He was in the Army during the Korean conflict from 1950-1952. Eventually he married on June 9, 1956 to Esther Saenz (born July 30, 1932 in Los Angeles). They couple had at least one child:
      1. Stephanie Anne Ritter, born November 12, 1957

3. John Gilbert Claybourn was born on January 8, 1909 in the of Cristobal, which is in the Panama Canal Zone. John graduated from Montebellow High School but died at the age of 21 on March 16, 1930, in Montebello, California. He is buried at the Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier, California.

4. William Harrah Claybourn was born on March 27, 1910 in the city of Gatun, which is in the Panama Canal Zone. However, William died one day later and is buried at the Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier, California.

5. Jimmy Vern Claybourn (a girl) was born on May 30, 1912 in Gatun, a city in the Panama Canal Zone. She graduated from Montebello High School and would go on to work as a secretary to a law firm. She married on January 24, 1932 to Leonard Martz Stanfield (born February 11, 1911 in Rivera, California). Leonard was in the business of raising citrus fruit with his father but would go on to work as district manager of the Southern Counties Gas Company. The couple lived for a time at 8525 South California Avenue in Whittier, California. They had three children:
   1. David Leonard Stanfield was born on March 7, 1933 in Whittier, California. He graduated from Whittier High School and attended Whittier College. David married on January 3, 1951 to Shirley Ann Anderson of Iowa (born July 24, 1934). The two divorced on September 19, 1958, but they had three children:
      1. David Leonard Stanfield, born October 17, 1951. David L. Stanfield had one child:
         1. Christina Lea, born September 19, 1979
            1. Shayna Skye Tafoya-Stanfield, born September 16, 2005
      2. Deborah Lee Stanfield, born August 28, 1953. Deborah married James Charles Boeckx (born March 2, 1948) on January 10, 1973. Deborah and James had three children:
         1. Kim Boeckx Roelfson was born March 1, 1974. Kim married Christopher Douglas Roelfson (born June 14, 1974) on December 21, 1991. They had three children:
            1. Alex Michael, born February 4, 1991
            2. Abigail Lee, born February 8, 1994
            3. Aaron Ezekiel, born January 19, 1998
         2. Keri Ann Karl was born September 2, 1976. She married Robert Scott Karl (born April 2, 1967) on May 10, 1997. They had four children:
            1. Samuel Nathan, born March 21, 1998
            2. Chloe Ann, June 18, 1999
            3. Nicholas James, born August 1, 2002
            4. Benjamin Timothy, born August 4, 2004
         3. James "Christopher" Boeckx was born May 19, 1985
      3. Stephen Eric Stanfield, born March 22, 1955. He had one child:
         1. Savanna Lace, born July 11, 1988
      David married (2nd) Lu Hatton (born April 5, 1933) on June 23, 1994.
   2. Gerald Marvin Stanfield was born on December 16, 1935 in Whittier, California. He graduated with a B.A. from Whittier College and went on to study law at the University of Southern California. He married on August 19, 1955 to Ann Louise Miller (born September 8, 1934). She graduated from Whittier College with a B.A. and taught Domestic Science at Whittier High School. They had three children:
      1. Gregory Miller Stanfield was born October 31, 1957. Greg received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Redlands and his law degree from Western State College of Law in Fullerton, California. He is currently a partner with the law firm of Hanna, Brophy, MacLean, McAleer, & Jensen, LLP. Gregory married Terri Lynn Davis Stanfield (born February 16, 1958) on January 13, 1990. They had two children:
         1. Kyle Davis, born August 30, 1990
         2. Lauren Rose, born December 1, 1993
      2. Douglas Allen Stanfield was born on April 18, 1962 and had one child:
         1. Lucas Claybourn, born August 25, 2000
      Gerald married (2nd) Janet Louise Sletvold Stanfield (born January 1, 1954) on October 27, 1991. They had one child:
      1. Eric Gerald Stanfield, born May 20, 1992
   3. Pamela Louise Stanfield was born February 20, 1938 and graduated from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. She received a B.A. in music. Just before turning 21 she married (on February 1, 1959) to Robert Rolstin Link of Visalia, California (born July 3, 1936). He obtained his B.A. from the University of Redlands in 1959 in business administration. Together they had three children:
      1. Jeffery Norman Link was born May 30, 1960. He married Valerie Kay Link (born January 6, 1965) on August 8, 1992. They had two children:
         1. Emily Michelle, born June 26, 1997
         2. Kaitlyn Elizabeth, born March 23, 2001
      2. Terryn Marie Geiger was born December 27, 1961. She married Paul Michael Geiger (born February 3, 1960) on January 28, 1988. They had two children:
         1. Michael Robert, born September 9, 1989
         2. Alex Paul, born July 31, 1991
      3. Leslie Marie Cantrell was born February 4, 1966. She married Darrin Lee Cantrell (born June 29, 1969) on June 3, 1994. They had two children:
         1. Parker Leonard, born October 30, 1998
         2. Abigail Louise, born January 17, 2001

6. Robert Maury Claybourn was born on February 11, 1918 in Ancon, a city in the Panama Canal Zone. He married (1st) on June 21, 1940 to Elta Bettie Jamieson (born August 28, 1918). They divorced, but had one child:
   1. Sharon Diane Claybourn, born May 4, 1941. She attended college in Santa Barbara, California
   Robert married (2nd) on November 12, 1948 to Mrs. Lola Aileen (Richey) Rhoads (born January 25, 1911 in Grandview, Illinois). Bob's occupation for much of his life was in the printing business.