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Birth Certificate of William James "Bill" DeCoursey (1919 - 1988) Bill was the fourth born of Edwin J. and Mary Josephine (Pfaff) DeCoursey's six children. He was their first child to reach adulthood, he had three older brothers who died in infancy. Bill was born in Casa Grande, Arizona where his family lived for about 15 years. There his father among other things owned a pool hall, was in the poultry and real estate business and ran a John Deere agency. Like his father, who before getting married acted in plays and is rumoured to have toured with Buffalo Bill, Bill had a knack for acting. The family moved to Los Angeles, California in about 1931, running a grocery store in Alhambra. His father Edwin tried to help Bill make it in Hollywood, but they weren't successful. Edwin died in 1936 when Bill was 17 years old. Bill married Margaret Linehan in 1946, they had six children. He lived the rest of his life in California, dying there in 1988. Related Items Death records for his older brothers Edward R., Baby Boy and Charles. Birth records for his younger siblings Robert O. and Mary Ann. Accounts of family life in The DeCoursey Family written by his sister Mary Ann and his cousin Frank. ARIZONA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH Bureau of Vital Statistics ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF BIRTH     PLACE OF BIRTH County of   Pinal   District of _______ Town of ________     or State Index No.  493   Co. Register No.  688   Local Registrar's No._____ City of  Casa Grande       (No.________________St;_________Ward) FULL NAME OF CHILD  William De Coursey   Sex of Child   Male   Twin, Triplet or other   other   Number in order of birth   4   Legitimate?   yes   Date of Birth (Month, Day, Yr.)   Sept 4   191  9 FATHER    Full Name   E. J. DeCoursey      Residence   Casa Grande      Color or Race   W      Age at last Birthday   32   (Years)    Birthplace   Colorado      Occupation   Merchant   MOTHER    Full Name   Mary Poff      Residence   Casa Grande      Color or Race   White      Age at last Birthday   34   (Years)    Birthplace   Kas      Occupation   Hw   Number of child of this mother   4   Number of Children, of this mother, now living   1   Were precautions taken against Ophthalmia neonatorum?   yes   1 CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDING PHYSICIAN OR MIDWIFE I hereby certify that I attended the birth of the above child; and that it occurred on   Sept 4   191  9 , at   5 P. M. (Signature)   E.J. Gungle (?)     Address   Casa Grande              (Attending physician, midwife, householder.) Filed _______, 191___   ____________  Local Registrar Filed   Oct 14 , 191  9     W. G. Randall    County Registrar 1 Ophthalmia neonatorum is conjunctivitis of the newborn. Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the membrane that covers the eyeball and lines the eyelid. It is usually caused by a bacillus or virus, and is in the case of newborn infants most often contracted during delivery. Ophthalmia neonatorum was a problem at one time; however, routine instillation of silver nitrate solution into the eyes of newborn infants has materially reduced the incidence of blindness.

Transcribed by Erica DeCoursey © 2002