View source for Henry Jaynes Fonda

'''Henry Jaynes Fonda''' (1905-82), American Actor

==Henry Jaynes Fonda==
===Early life===
Henry Fonda was born 16 May 1905 in Grand Island, Hall County, [[Nebraska]] to William Brace Fonda and his wife Herberta Jaynes.

Henry Fonda was working for $30 per week as a clerk at the Retail Credit Company in Omaha, Nebraska but [[Marlon Brando]]'s mother who was a friend of Henry's mother, got him involved in the Omaha Community Playhouse.  His first role was as Merton in the play ''Merton of the Movies''.

The first newspaper mention of him I find is at "The Strand" when he played Major John Hay secretary to Abraham Lincoln.  In his early twenties, "...he hitched a ride to Cape Cod with a family friend and soon hooked up with the University Players, a summer stock repertory company in Falmouth, Massachusetts."  The following year he met and fell in love with fellow-actress [[Margaret Sullavan]].  After a year and a half he proposed and they married. They lived in Greenwich Village, New York City, but the marriage only lasted about four months.  Henry, lived many aspiring actors and singers, worked part-time, during this time, as a male model for artists.  A newspaper article dated 13 Jul 1930 puts a maximal date on when Henry married Margaret as it states : "Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan, married and divorced, are going together again...."

Meanwhile, his future wife, Frances (Seymour) Brokaw was "...living in splendor as Mrs Brokaw, in a mansion with a moat on Fifth Avenue..." (''My Life'', p 36)

===Early Career===
He played the Prince in Cinderella in Nov 1930 opposite Suzanne Pollard (stage name "Shirley Horton"), daughter of the Governor of Virginia (see [http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=50005553&currentResult=3&src=search&firstvisit=true here]).  In Sep 1932 he played the part of Inspector Enderby in ''Michael and Mary'' (see [http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=55696065&currentResult=5&src=search&firstvisit=true here]).

Henry Fonda co-starred with [[Imogene Coca]] in ''New Faces of 1934''.  At this time "Leland Hayward, who was on the brink of becoming the top talent agent in the country, signed him up and convinced a reluctant Fonda to go to Hollywood for $1,000 a week." (''My Life'', p 37)

Henry met his next wife Frances Seymour in London in 1936 where she was vacationing from New York, and while she was visiting the set of ''Wings of the Morning'', in which he was starring.  Soon after their return to New York, they were married.  Frances was a wealthy widow with a daughter Frances "Pan" Brokaw from her prior marriage to George Brokaw who had died about 1933.

Henry Fonda was the father of actors [[Jane Fonda]] (b. 1937) and [[Peter Fonda]].  Jane was born while Henry was filming ''Jezebel'' with [[Bette Davis]].  Henry was in the 1938 release ''Spawn of the North'' starring George Raft and Dorothy Lamour.

Jane states that Henry was a man of dark moods and that they "...lived in constant awareness of the minefield we had to tread so as not to trigger his rage." (''My Life'', p 35).  In about 1947 his then-wife Frances Seymour killed herself by slitting her throat while in a mental hospital.

Henry Fonda died 12 Aug 1982 in [[Los Angeles County, California]].

===Primary documents for 1===
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f7=&f9=&f10=&f18__n=&f20=nebraska&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&f23=&f17=&f16=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&_8000C002=&f21=&_80008002=&f22=&_80018002=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1910uscenindex&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=11&recid=44813824&recoff=3+18+19 1910 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f20=Nebraska&rg_fa5__date=&rs_fa5__date=0&f16__n=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&f18=&fa20=&f21=&fa18=&f22=&fa14=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1920usfedcen&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=17&recid=51390463&recoff=3+18+19 1920 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=93266224&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=9 ''Waterloo Evening Courier'', 24 Feb 1926], page 13, "Lincoln of Stage Sinks All of Self in Soul He Plays"
*[http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=44759880&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=6 ''Fresno Bee'' (Fresno, California), 25 Apr 1930, pg 36]
*''Jane Fonda : My Life So Far'', by Jane Fonda.  Random House, New York. 2006. ISBN 0812975766

===See Also===
*[[Connections:Alice Ghostley to Montgomery Clift|"Alice Ghostley to Montgomery Clift"]]

==William Brace Fonda==
William Brace Fonda was born abt 1879 in Nebraska to Ten Eyck Fonda and his wife Harriet, who had moved there from their native New York.  In 1900 he was a Salesman. He married Herberta Jaynes between 1900 and 1910.

By 1910 the family is living in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.

Herberta (Jaynes) Fonda died in 1934 "at her home in Omaha", and William Fonda died about 1935, probably in Omaha.

===Primary documents for 2===
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7602&iid=NET623_925-0369&fn=Ten+Eycr+h&ln=Fonda&st=r&ssrc=&pid=32703986 1900 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f7=&f9=&f10=&f18__n=&f20=nebraska&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&f23=&f17=&f16=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&_8000C002=&f21=&_80008002=&f22=&_80018002=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1910uscenindex&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=11&recid=44813824&recoff=3+18+19 1910 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f20=Nebraska&rg_fa5__date=&rs_fa5__date=0&f16__n=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&f18=&fa20=&f21=&fa18=&f22=&fa14=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1920usfedcen&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=17&recid=51390463&recoff=3+18+19 1920 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=view&dbid=50003&iid=NEWS-OH-NE_JO.1975_06_15_0083&r=an&rc=1923,1967,2155,2017;2188,1967,2254,2017;2288,1967,2487,2017&fn=&ln=Record+William+B+Fonda&st=d&ssrc=&pid=511392851 "Henry Fonda on William B Fonda"], [[June 15]], 1975, ''News Journal'' (Mansfield, Ohio) : "The elder Fonda born in the mid-1880s, died in 1935.  In 1905, when Henry was six months old, William and his wife Herberta moved from Grand Island, Neb., to Omaha, Neb., and set up a printshop

==Herberta Jaynes==
Herberta Jaynes was born in [[Jun 26]], 1879 in Wisconsin, but by 1898 the family had moved to Omaha, Nebraska.  She married William Brace Fonda sometime between 1900 and 1910 probably in Omaha.

By 1910 the family is living in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.

===Primary documents for 3===
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=view&dbid=8099&iid=NEWS-NE-TH_NE_ST_JO.1898_12_25_0010&r=an&rc=1292,2854,1419,2883;1435,2854,1546,2883&fn=herberta&ln=jaynes&st=d&ssrc=&pid=471229450 "Social and Personal"], Dec 25, 1898, ''The Nebraska State Journal'' (Lincoln, Nebraska) :"Miss Alice Fuller will spend this week in Omaha as the guest of Miss Herberta Jaynes." - transcription courtesy of  Will Johnson, wjhonson@aol.com, Professional Genealogist, from the original image on Ancestry
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f7=&f9=&f10=&f18__n=&f20=nebraska&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&f23=&f17=&f16=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&_8000C002=&f21=&_80008002=&f22=&_80018002=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1910uscenindex&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=11&recid=44813824&recoff=3+18+19 1910 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f20=Nebraska&rg_fa5__date=&rs_fa5__date=0&f16__n=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&f18=&fa20=&f21=&fa18=&f22=&fa14=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1920usfedcen&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=17&recid=51390463&recoff=3+18+19 1920 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=view&dbid=8098&iid=NEWS-NE-TH_LI_ST.1934_10_08_0004&r=an&rc=1325,4817,1555,4867;1584,4817,1756,4867&fn=herberta&ln=jaynes&st=d&ssrc=&pid=490020868 Obit, "Herberta Jaynes Fonda"], [[Oct 8]], 1934, ''The Lincoln Star''(Lincoln, Nebraska) :<blockquote>Services at Omaha for Herberta Jaynes Fonda &mdash; Funeral services for Mrs. Herberta Jaynes Fonda were held in Omaha Monday afternoon.  Mrs. Fonda was a schoolmate of Mrs. E.C. Hardy at the University of Nebraska.  She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority.  Mrs. Fonda died Oct. 5 at her home in Omaha.  She was 55 years old.  Surviving besides her husband, William B., are two daughters, Mrs. John B. Peacock of Omaha and Mrs. John Schoentgen of Council Bluffs, and a son, Harry Fonda of New York City.  Mrs Schoentgen attended the university in 1927.</blockquote> - transcription courtesy of  Will Johnson, wjhonson@aol.com, Professional Genealogist, from the original image on Ancestry

==Ten Eyck Fonda==
Ten Eyck Fonda was born Dec 1839 in [[New York]] to native New York parents.  He married, about 1864 to Harriet somebody also a New York native.  They stayed in New York until at least 1871 when their son Ten Eyck Jr was born there, but by 1879 they had moved to Nebraska where their next surviving son William was born.  Out of their six children, four were yet living in 1900 when they are enumerated in Omaha where Ten Eyck Fonda is a Railroad Ticket Agent.

Ten Eyck and Harriet are yet living in Omaha in 1920 so it's probable that they both died there.

===Primary documents for 4===
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7602&iid=NET623_925-0369&fn=Ten+Eycr+h&ln=Fonda&st=r&ssrc=&pid=32703986 1900 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f8=Nebraska&f9=&f10=&f20=New+York&rg_fa5__date=&rs_fa5__date=0&f16__n=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&f18=&fa20=&f21=&fa18=&f22=&fa14=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1920usfedcen&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=5&recid=51291860&recoff=4+19+20+21+22+24 1920 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]

===Secondary sources for 4===
*[http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=amfonda&id=ind00200 "TenEyck Hilton Fonda"] in 'Fonda Family Genealogy', by Albert Mark, [mailto:mark@fonda.org mark@fonda.org], db amfonda at Rootsweb's WorldConnect Project

==Harriet M==
===Primary documents for 5===
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7602&iid=NET623_925-0369&fn=Ten+Eycr+h&ln=Fonda&st=r&ssrc=&pid=32703986 1900 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]
*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=Fonda&sx=&f8=Nebraska&f9=&f10=&f20=New+York&rg_fa5__date=&rs_fa5__date=0&f16__n=&rg_f19__date=&rs_f19__date=0&f18=&fa20=&f21=&fa18=&f22=&fa14=&gskw=&prox=1&db=1920usfedcen&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&fh=5&recid=51291860&recoff=4+19+20+21+22+24 1920 Census of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska]

[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Nebraska]]
[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Movies and Television]]