Ancestry of Tom Hanks

This article copyright 2011 by Will Johnson, wjhonson@aol.com, Professional Genealogist

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1 Tom Hanks

Thomas J "Tom" Hanks, the actor, was born 9 Jul 1956 in Contra Costa County, California, the son of Amos Mefford Hanks and his wife Janet Marylyn Frager. When his parents divorced, Tom went to live with his father Amos, but spent at least some Summers with his mother in Red Bluff, Tehama County. Tom lived in Oakland where he attended Skyline High School.

2 Amos M Hanks

Amos Mefford "Bud" Hanks was born 2 Mar 1924 in Glenn County, California the son of Ernest Buel Hanks and Gladys Hilda Ball. (Glenn County is the next county south of Tehama County.) Amos enlisted in the Navy on 11 Nov 1942 and was released 9 Feb 1946. He mustered on the ship U.S.S. Doyen in 1945-46, his rating was MoMM1c (Motor Machinist's Mate 1st Class). The action seen by this ship can be seen on it's Wikipedia page at this link. Amos, on the GI Bill took courses at USC and at Berkeley from where he received a B.A. His ambition was to be a writer. Instead he became a chef.

The Daily Review of Hayward reports 17 Dec 1955 that "Chef Amos Hanks" was then working at Oakland's 'Sea Wolf Restaurant' in Jack London Square. (Picture at left.) Here is a link to a menu for that restaurant dated 1954 so you can see what sort of food he was cooking up. He would continue to work as a chef for 35 years.With Janet Marylyn Frager he had a son Thomas J Hanks born 9 Jul 1956 in Contra Costa County, California, who would later become a famous actor. That same year an advertisement in the Oakland Tribune mentions "Chef Amos Hanks". The Oakland Tribune 11 Apr 1958 in an advertisement "Cooking on the Square with the Experts" at Breuner's states that they are going to bring you "... an exciting series of cooking demonstrations by the famous chefs of Jack London Square ...[including] Sea Wolf's chef Bud Hanks will show 5 delectable ways to cook Fillet of Sole...."

On 31 May 1959, the Oakland Tribune in an ad for "Kahns 3-day Sunbeam spectacular... Famous chef fixes bouillabaisse - Learn how to mix this delicious Provincial fish stew from Bud Hanks, famous chef at the Sea Wolf Restaurant in Jack London Square. Monday afternoon, June 1st from 3:15 to 4 p.m. in Kahns fourth floor housewares department."

On 21 Apr 1962 the Nevada State Journal reports the divorce decree granted between Amos Hanks and Janet Hanks, and in the same issue the marriage license granted to "Amos M Hanks age 38 and Winifred M Finely age 38, both of Reno". On 26 Jun 1962 the Oakland Tribune, under an article title "Notes From the News of Bay Area Business, Industry" is reporting "Additions to the executive staff of the Hotel Leamington, ... [include] A.M. (Bud) Hanks, formerly at the Sea Wolf Restaurant, executive chef." A picture of the Hotel Leamington from Google street view is below.

His son Tom went to live with his father for a number of years, by high school Tom was living in Oakland apparently with his father. On 19 Oct 1965 the Oakland Tribune reports the final divorce decree between Amos M Hanks and Winifred M.Amos married on 30 Jul 1966 to Frances Wong Gee who had been born about 1926. They divorced on 30 Oct 1984 in Alameda County. The next year, he is listed at 1812 San Antonio Avenue in Alameda, but in 1987 he is listed living in San Fernando. He died in Alameda County, California 31 Jan 1992, but he is buried in a tiny cemetery in the tiny town of Paskenta, Tehama County, California which is near Red Bluff.He wrote an unpublished autobiography.3 Janet Frager

Janet Marylyn Frager was born 18 Jan 1932 in Alameda County, California, the daughter of Clarence P Frager and his wife Elexio Norrine Rose. Her father died while she was yet a teenager. The Daily Review of Hayward is reporting 10 Aug 1949 that at the University of California [in Hayward?] "Freshman Fred H Duffie Jr of Niles and Janet M Frager, freshman from Pleasanton have been awarded Alumni Scholarships for entering students."

Janet's first husband Amos M "Bud" Hanks, had been discharged from the Navy in 1946, he apparently then, or a little later, went to work as a chef. He was certainly working as a chef by Dec 1955 when I first find him mentioned that way. She was apparently at this time a waitress, perhaps that is how they met. They had three sons and one daughter, including the future actor Tom Hanks. Janet and Amos divorced in 1962, their final decree being posted in a Reno newspaper, where they were probably living due to a quickie 30-day residency requirement that Nevada then boasted.

As "Janet M Frager" born about 1932, she married in Tehama County, California on 15 Aug 1962 to Richard N Cook, born about 1914. It's not yet clear why Janet would have moved to Tehama County, except that this is where Amos' family were from earlier.

Janet thirdly married George Walston (1930 Smith County, Texas - died in 2009 in Red Bluff) in 1965. He was the son of Vanal Walston and his wife Goldie. The Walston family moved to Tehama County sometime before 1970, Goldie Walston appears in the newspapers several times around that year. Janet's son Tom Hanks remembers spending some Summers living with his mother in Red Bluff (which is in Tehama County).

As "Mrs Janet Walston of the Cedars staff" mentioned Nov 1970, she had apparently become a nurse. In Jan 1971 she is called "Mrs Janet Walston, assistant administrator of Cedars Convalescent". And then a week later "Janet Walston will be guest speaker on the Medi-cal programs". A few weeks later "Mrs Janet of the Cedars Convalescent Hospital... guest speaker" As "Janet M Frager" born in 1932, she was divorced March 1975 in Tehama County from George Walston, born in 1930. His obituary was printed in the Daily News of Tehama in which they make no mention of the Hanks family at all. Utterly... bizarre.

As "Janet M Walston" she married on 25 Apr 1981 in Reno to Rudolph Turner, who had divorced his wife Adelia the year before in Tehama County. As "Janet M Turner" she is listed in the U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1 in 1992 and 1993 living in Red Bluff. As Rudolph and Janet Turner, she is listed living in Red Bluff in the telephone directory in 1995-1997, and again 1998-2002. As "...grandmother Janet Turner of Red Bluff" she is listed in the obituary of Jaren Eli Combes, age 38 in June 2009.

Rudolph Louis Turner, born 28 Mar 1930 possibly in Michigan from where he got his SSN, died 1 Nov 2010 last residing in Red Bluff.

4 Ernest Buel Hanks

5 Gladys Hilda Ball

8 Daniel Boone Hanks

9 Mary Catherine Mefford