Pannells and Langleys in Santa Ana, Part 2

Greetings!

At the end of Part 1, Stephen Lemont Pannell had died 24 Oct 1931, leaving his widow Eula to raise her two sons on her own, Bob, 13, and Ben, 8. Social Security hadn't been invented yet, so there were no survivor benefits in those days. I am not aware of any pensions Stephen may have earned through his government service with the Department of Justice. 

The family had arrived in Santa Ana by 1929. [I am still looking for more records to establish better when they actually arrived.] Stephen passed the notoriously difficult California bar exam, and was admitted to the California Bar in December 1929 (license #11533), just two months after the stock market crash. It must have been hard for a new attorney to find work at this time. He is listed in city directories alternately as “attorney” and “salesman,” the latter for his brother-in-law’s Langley Oil.

A bit more about Stephen before returning to Santa Ana. He graduated from the University of Kentucky (in Lexington—then called the State University of Kentucky) with an undergraduate Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B.) in 1912, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Latin in 1914. (The Law School was established in 1908, so he was one of the first graduates.) The only example of his own writing that I have is the somewhat obscure text he chose to memorialize himself with in his 1912 Kentuckian yearbook:

“Talk not of love, it gives me pain.”

I hail from the good county of Muhlenberg, and even in my balmiest Freshman days I saw that Arts and Science was not sufficient for a fellow of manly qualities, and matriculated in Law. I continued for two years ranking among the first in my studies and then decided to take a holiday. Since my return my chief occupations have been playing “500,” smoking strong tobacco, and writing to my girl. Lately, I have been busily engaged reading her old letters as a substitute. My college career may be summed up in the words, “Veni, vidi, vinci” all but one woman!

 

“500” is a bridge-like card game. I am not certain, but I presume the “girl” and “woman” above to be his future wife, Eula. They would not marry until 29 Mar 1917 in Greenville KY.

Despite his stated concern that Arts and Science was insufficiently “manly,” he completed a second bachelor degree in Latin in 1914. In this instance, he chose not to provide a picture or a commentary for his 1914 Kentuckian yearbook. Instead someone else, possibly on the yearbook staff, wrote:

In the order in which he acquires his degrees, as in all things, Steve is original. He first builds for himself a great legal edifice, lives in it a year and then decides to put an academic foundation under it, so here he is, seeking the A. B. foundation. His training in the law stands him in good stead, however, and Steve is one of the most consistent bluffers in school, even making “A” under “Monk.” His usual question at the beginning of each class is, “What is the lesson today?” Steve is one of the most modest men in school and refuses to have his picture made.

This appears under a blank picture frame to bring the point home.

In his World War I draft registration of 24 May 1917, Stephen lists his employment as Special Agent of the Department of Justice, in addition to the dependency of his new wife, as reasons for exemption from military service.

Although Stephen’s life in Santa Ana was short lived, he did register to vote in 1930. The California Registrar of Voters lists him at his 1109 S Flower St residence in Santa Ana as a Democrat (not surprising: his father, Thomas Benjamin Pannell I had been a long-time Democratic bigwig in Muhlenberg County, KY). Oddly, Eula does not appear on the voter rolls at this time. (We will find her in 1942 registered as a Republican.)

Stephen would be the only Pannell never to leave Santa Ana: He is buried in Fairhaven Memorial Cemetery (Lawn V-74-1). It is a pleasant location. His wife, Eula, would be buried by his side 44 years later.

In Part 3 we will find out more about the childhood and early manhood of Bob and Ben, and more as well about Eula, Roy, and Guy....