| Jessie
Leona Wannall, or "Leona", was one of the unfortunate Wannalls who suffered
from diabetes. It is reported she lost her left leg to the disease, which
contributed to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries.) Our best
information lists her husband Claude's birth year as 1887. He died
in 1959. It is believed she and Claude were married in Upper Marlboro,
MD, but the records supposedly were lost in a church fire. Jessie
and Claude Nielsen lived in Washington, DC, where Claude, and only child,
worked as a candy distributor, providing stock for local drug stores and
servicing vending machines. He was employed by a maternal uncle,
Bernard Harding. Several of his nieces and nephews report Claude
was always very popular among the local children, because he always seemed
to have a stash of free samples. At his death in 1959, his daughter
Shirley Nielson Jones learned Claude had been previously married and had
a child by that marriage. We do not have the names, but it is reported
that both his previous wife and first child drowned in the Potomac River
before he married Leona.
Note:
We have additional genealogical information on Claude Nielsen. Anyone
interested may contact us at mail@wannall.com
for details.
Last
updated: May 12, 2002 |
