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MORTENSON Martin Edward

 

Date of birth : 1897 in California. Son of Norwegian immigrants.

Date of death : February 10, 1981, Mira Loma, Riverside County, California.

  

Portrait : 

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Practise: meterman at the Southern California Gas Company.

Second husband of Gladys Baker.

 

Story

He met Gladys during Summer 1924.

He was immediately attracted by her charm.

Furthermore, having been educated as a good Lutherian, he was clearly impressed by Gladys's interest for the religion.

To Mortenson, she was the ideal woman. For her part, she found him handsome, generous, well-balanced and with a very flattering jealousy. He looked older than he was and had a discreet scar. Thus, likely unconsciously, he had for her something like her own father. Anyway, even though she was looking for, there were no reason to turn down his wedding offers and a more safety life.

They got married on October 11, 1924; he was Lutherian and true believer; he would have been a disciple of the Christian Science.

Wedding certificate

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But, not in the least he had doubt about nor the youth of this passion for spirituality, neither its ephemeral nature.

Gladys was unfortunately unable to be limited to the faithfulness defined by the holy matrimony.
As she confided it to Grace McKee, life with Martin was reasonable, reassuring and boring beyond bearable.
 

Gladys left him on May 26, 1925 and returned to live with Grace.

 
Martin Mortenson made many attempts to get her back. He waited, full of hope, but Gladys didn't answer to his many reconciliation attempts.

He determined to sue for divorce which was granted to him on August 15, 1928:.

 

He was named as the father on Norma Jeane's birth certificate : .

 

In 1929 Gladys learned from friends coming from Ohio, that a man named Martin Edward Mortenson had been killed in a motorcycle accident on June 18, 1929, on the road from Youngstown to Akron, Ohio:.

It was another Mortenson, native to the Middle West, who had the same name, and with kind of the same past (itinerant bread baker), which caused confusion. This Mortenson is buried at the Mount Hope Park Cemetery, in Youngstown.

 
Apparently it wasn't him; the real Mortenson, Norma Jeane's alleged father was well alive and lived in California.

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