Dewey M. Bagley, Jr. – War Ration Book No. 3 (1943)

Dewey Bagley was just 11 years old when the ration book pictured below was  issued to him almost 70 years ago.

The ration book ended up in an antique mall in Carson, California. I purchased it a few weeks ago and have done some research to try to find out something about Dewey and see if I can reunite this memento with him or a member of his family.

The ration book has two addresses written on it. The first address on it was 8921 Hubbard in Culver City, California. That address was crossed out and another written on the book: 1711 No. Maple St. in Burbank.

I searched on Ancestry.com for Dewey Bagley born in California. The following records seem relevant:

• California Birth Index – Dewey M. Bagley born in Los Angeles County on 15 September 1932; mother’s maiden name Wall
• Burbank City Directory (1939) – Listing for Dewey Bagley (wife Jean); a sta attdt [station attendant?]; living at 1111 Clark Ave.
• Burbank City Directory (1946) – Listing for Dewey M. Bagley (wife Jeanne E.); mech[anic?]; living at 731 Evergreen
• Social Security Death Index – Dewey M. Bagley, born 15 December 1912, died 9 October 1998, in Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County, California (perhaps father?)
• California Marriage Index – Marriage of Dewey M. Bagley and Julia L. McPherson/Scherer, 1 February 1969, in Orange County

The index for the 1940 census in California was recently made available on FamilySearch. A search for Dewey Bagley at the address on the ration book was successful. Dewey, age 7, with his parents and a younger brother, were living with his grandmother at 8921 Hubbard in Culver City. Here is a snip of that census record:

I would like to return this book to its rightful owners. If you are a member of this family, or know the family, please leave a comment or email me at dspurlock (dot) ancestraltrees (at) gmail (dot) com.

© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research