Was born at the old Cannon homestead on Big Creek. Was a member of the Methodist church. Was confined to her room the last two years of her life.
Taught school in Truxton as a young man and later owned and operated an grocery store in Moberly, Missouri. Later moved, with his wife, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was employed as manager of the Santa Fe Railway's tie treatment plant until his retirement.
Started in the banking business with his father as a young man. Was honored, June 12, 1973, as the President of the Wentzville State Bank, with a reception for his 55 years of service. He was presented by the Board of Directors, stockholders, and employees of the bank, with a gold engraved wrist watch and a 55-year pin. Present for the event was my grandfather, Elmer V. Cannon, and my grand uncle, Jesse A. Cannon. Curtis was the only banker in the state of Missouri with 55 years of service under his belt. On June 12, 1978, Curtis had put in 60 years in the banking industry and was Chairman of the Board and President of Wentzville State Bank.
Born at the new Cannon home, built in 1865. Moved with her husband to Galveston, Texas. She supported her family, after her husband's death, until the children were all grown. Later in life, she moved in with her son, Earl Cannon Wheeless, with whom she lived until she died.
Died before the age of 40 from complications caused by asthma. Her son and daughter were living in Menard, Texas in 1978, and her husband, Paul Burden, had remarried and was living in San Angelo, Texas.
When his brother Elmer and sister Ethel were sent to live with their paternal grandmother, following their mother's death, Jesse was sent to live with his aunt Sarah Ellen Cannon Beck in Wentzville, Missouri. Jesse became a Master Mechanic on the Northern Pacific Railway. Jesse moved to Jamestown, North Dakota at some point, and appears to have been living there when he wrote his "Cannon Book."
Like his father, Jesse became a locomtive engineer. His first job was on the Wabash Railway during summer vacation, working from 6:00am to 6pm, 7 days per week for 14 cents per hour, supplying locomotives and filling lubricators. After graduating from the Moberly Public Schools, he worked as an engine watchman, keeping the fire in proper condition and the water in the boiler on the outgoing track at the roundhouse until outgoing engine crews reported for duty. For this, he was paid at the same rate as before, and worked the same hours. In June 1916, he made arequest for a pass from Moberly to Seattle and return via Minneapolis on the Wabash, M&St. L, Great Northern, and Northern Pacific Railways. He left Moberly, Missourion July 3, 1916, believing greater opportunities existed in the west than in Missouri. On July 4, 1916, he left Minneapolis on the Great Northern Railway and stopped over in Belton, Montana, at the western entrance to Glacier National Park. From there, he took a motor boat out onto Lake McDonald to the camp in the park, to spend a few days. The nexzt stop overs were in Spokane and Seattle on the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern. Heither were in need of an engine service man at the time, so he left Seattle on the Northern Pacific, headed for Missoula, Montana. He found no job there, either, so he went to Billings where the Inland Empire Fair was in progress. He was with friendly people of Montana, so he went to the Fair and saw his first western parade and rodeo. Jesse's next stop was Glendive, Montana. He walked into the depot lunch room and took the only seat available, beside an Englishman named Harry Stubbs, who said he was the night roundhouse foreman. Stubbs advised him to come around in the morning and see Mr. Warren D. Gochenour, the Master Mechanic, about employment as a fireman. Jesse mentioned his previous experience on the Wabash and the man asked no further questions, sending Jesse to the Superintendent's Office for the train rules examination, then to the hospital for physical exam. Due to his previous experience, Jesse was hired right away. His first assignment was on the train he had come into Glendive on three nights before. He was fireman on a run to Dickinson, North Dakota, through the Badlands. On July 19, 1916, he arrived in Dickinson at 5:40am and was paid $3.23. After the return trip, Jesse was paid again, for a total of $10.23 for his first day of work.
On June 27, 1918, Jesse enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He left the Navy in September 1919 with an Honorable Discharge, and the following month returned to work with the Northern Pacific Railway. September 1928, Jesse was promoted to Locomotive Engineer. In September of 1933 he was assigned to Locomotive No. 5008, the largest steam locomotive in the world (125 ft. in length, 16 ft. 4 in. in height, 1,118,000 lbs. in weight), on a trip to the Chicago World's Fair to display the locomotive for three weeks at the Century of Progress show. In September 1934, Jesse was assigned to take a new roller bearing passenger locomotive to the World's Fair fro display for two weeks, and then deliver it to St. Paul, Minnesota under it's own power, via the Burlington Railway. September 1, 1937, Jesse was promoted to Road Foreman of Engines on the Fargo, North Dakota Division. May 1, 1940 he was appointed Road Foreman of Egines on the St. Paul Division at Minneapolis.March 1, 1941, Jesse was appointed Master Mechanic on the Fargo Division at Jamestown, North Dakota. September 1, 1944, we was appointed Master Mechanic on the Idaho Division at Spokane, Washington. March 1, 1946, he was appointed Assistant to the General Mechanical Superintendent on the System at St. Paul, Minnesota. March 1, 1950, Jesse was appointed General Superintendent of Motive Power on the SP&S Railway at Portland, Oregon. September 1, 1953, he was appointed Superintendent of Motive Power on the Western District of the Northern Pacific Railway at Seattle, Washington. April 1, 1956 he was appointed General Mechanical Superintendent on the Northern Pacific System at St. Paul, Minnesota. March 1, 1965 Jesse was appointed Chief Mechanical Officer on the System at St. Paul. March 31, 1967, after more than fifty years of service, Jesse retired from the Nothern Pacific Railway as Chief Mechanical Officer at St. Paul, Minnesota.
Was still living in 1978. Attended school in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Attended school in Dickinson and Fargo, North Dakota, graduating from high school in Jamestown, North Dakota June 3, 1943. On August 10, 1943, he enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Force. He went through six weeks of basic training, five months of training at Marshall College in Huntington, West Virginia, two months of armorer training at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver Colorado, three months of aerial gunnery school at Fort Myers, Florida, and four months of overseas flights at Columbia, South Carolina. He was then assigned to the 42nd Bomb Group, 75th Bomb Squadron in the Far East Air Force. The Group consisted of 54 B-25 Bombers at Nazgad, New Guinea, which were moved to Biak, in the Dutch Indies, and then to Palowon in the Philipines, flying 33 missions. George was an armorer gunner on one of the B-25s. On June 16, 1945, his plane was shot down. The crew had to quickly strip the plane and throw out all moveable equipoment in order to make an emergency landing on a small island in the Philipines. This was the last of four invasions of the Philipines this crew was in. They were included in the operation in support of the Australian attack and invasion on Balik, Papan, Borneo, destroying the Japanese refinery in the Dutch East Indies. This earned a Presidential citation for the 42nd Bombardment Group for destroying Japanese gun positions, fuel and ammunition dumps, a radar station, 73 buildings, and huge stores of gasoline. George was given an Honorable Discharge from the 75th Bomb Squadron as a Staff Sergeant at Ft. Lewis, Washington January 10, 1946, at age 21, having served in New Guinea, the Philipines, Luzon, and air combat in Borneo. He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, the Philipines Liberation Medal, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and a Victory Medal. On February 24, 1947, George re-enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Force, 347th Communications Squadron for a 30 month tour of duty in Japan as Communications Chief. He was given an honorable discharge at Camp Stoneman, California on December 10, 1949.
Attended school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jamestown, North Dakota, and Spokane, Washington, graduating from high school in Vancouver, Washington, and from the University of Seattle with a B.S. in General Science in June 1959. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on August 4, 1959 as an Officer Candidate and attended the Officer Cadidate School at Newport, Rhode Island from September 28, 1959 to February 4, 1960, receiving his commission as an ensign February 4, 1960. He was then assigned to the destroyer U.S.S. Isherwood and reported for duty February 20, 1960 as a Communications Officer. He served on a cruise to the Western Pacific from October 1960 to March 196, on patrol of the China Sea between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The U.S.S. Isherwood was decomissioned upon her return in 1961 and was given to Peru by the U.S. Government. Jesse was promoted to Lieutenant on August 4, 1961. He was then assigned to the U.S. Naval Station at Kodiak, Alaska as a communications Officer from september 1961 to September 1963, when he received an honorable discharge from the Navy. While in the Navy, he married Joan Lorali Carr, daughter of Eugene Carr and Laura Margaret Bean.
Jesse was employed as a locomotive fireman, like his father, on the Northern Pacific Railway August 4, 1954 at Seattle. He was transferred to the St. Paul Division on June 4, 1956. He was employed by the Burlington Railway as Assistant Mechanical Inspector on June 15, 1964 at Chicago, Illinois. Jesse was promoted to Mechanical Inspector on December 16, 1964. He was appointed as Road Foreman of Engines at Centralia July 1, 1966.