Donna in Salt Lake City, November 24th & 25th, 1919 at the Salt Lake Theater.

Salt Lake Telegram
November 15, 1919 – Page 7

After the one night show in Rock Springs, WY, the “Chin Chin” company packed up and headed to Salt Lake City for two nights at the Salt Lake Theater.Pre-show hype began on November 15th with an article, “Melody and Artistry Aid ‘Chin Chin’ to Big Success” in the Salt Lake Telegram.  The article mentions some of the songs by name and, of course, Walter Wills and Roy Binder. An ad, also in that day’s paper, let us know that the prices range from 50 cents to $2.50 (to $2.00 for the matinee).  Most important for us a display article with a photo of “the four leading ladies” was printed.  At this point, Donna was certainly one of the leading ladies of the show (see below), however, neither photos at either Genealogy Bank or the Utah Digital Newspapers site provide enough detail to be certain that Donna is portrayed.  This was a real find as I have never seen this photo anywhere before. I believe Donna is the person on the right.

The 16th brought more advertisements but also a photo of Walter Wills and Roy Binder in their roles. I had not seen that photo anywhere before either. There were a couple ads in the paper on the 20th.

On the 21st, an article, “Mock Love Leads to Real Thing by Stage Stars” The article lets readers know that Walter Wills and Nora Seiler were married the week before.  Mr. Wills takes the part of “Chin Hop Hi” and Miss Seiler [Mrs.Wills] the part of “Moon Blossom.”

Salt Lake City Tribune November 16, 1919

The November 22nd paper (Salt Lake Telegram) has a lovely article, “Chin Chin, Gotham Musical Hit, Coming to Salt Lake,” which describes the sets, costumes, and sounds of the production.  There is also a photo of sixteen of the women who are in the show. I am sure that Donna is included in the photos, but the quality isn’t quite good enough to be certain.

DO YOU remember when you would read the “Thousand and One Nights,” or the wonderful adventures of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” and “Sinbad, the Sailor,” and all the rest of those fascinating characters, and how from out of them all emerged “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” as the prime adventure of them all?
And now Aladdin—a very modern Aladdin—very much in love with an American girl appears in Charles Dillingham’s “Chin Chin” which comes to the Salt Lake theatre tomorrow night with matinee Tuesday. In this musical concoction everything comes Aladdin’s way upon wishing and rubbing the wonderful lamp, thereby causing many strange and wonderful situations.

Walter Wills and Roy Binder as the two slaves of the lamp keep the audience in constant laughter through seven scenes and the three acts that cover 150 minutes of the most enjoyable fun.

Among the many features in this gigantic show are also the Teddy Bear dance, Tom Brown’s Clown Saxophone band, a real circus tent with an ‘honest-to-goodness’ big white circus horse circling around the ring, while Mlle. Falloffski performs the most daring and screamingly funny bareback stunts.

Other principals with this, the only production of’ “Chin Chin” are: Donna Montran, Edna Peekham, Jessie Walsh, Violet Tree, Nora Seiler, Ethel Lawrence, Marie Cavanaugh, Helen McDonald, Margaret Sharps, Joseph Robinson, Carlton Reager, Richard Bosch, English Cody and George Phelps, also Joseph Boyle and Thomas Bell as “Frisco” horse, and a largo singing chorus of pretty girls.

The 24th brings several ads, notes regarding the schedule at the theater and an article, “‘Chin Chin’ to Open Tonight at Salt Lake.

mart Musical Comedy Pleases Capacity House” review on the 25th mentions, in an article, “Chinesy Musical Comedy Pleases At Salt Lake,” that “there isn’t a New York cast, but that is nothing to scoff about. To the contrary, there are a bunch of people in the cast who do not appear worn to tatters by a season on Broadway. The chorus appears fresh; the girls are pretty and their costumes are new and pleasing.”

The article goes on to to mention Walter Wills, Roy Binder, Carlton Reiger and Ethel Lawrence by name.

The Salt Lake Theater

Salt Lake Theatre – Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Brigham Young announced the project and pursued its completion in 1861, eight years before the transcontinental Railroad was complete, which linked Salt Lake City with both the east and the west. The Salt Lake Theater was large for its day, with an estimated capacity of 1,500.  Amazingly large to support a city of only 12,000 people at the time.

That original theater was renovated in 1873, a renovation which gave the interior an elegance similar to the opera houses of Europe while maintaining the simple lines of the exterior.

The last performance at the theater was 20 October 1928.  A battle ensued with many people wanting to preserve the theater.

Eventually, the theater was razed to make way for a gas station.  The gas station was replaced in 1963 with six story building, which today houses an AT&T office, a Century Link office, and several other businesses.  There is an historical plaque remembering the theater, at its original location which is now 70 South State Street.

Sources:

Posted in 1919-20 - Chin Chin, Vaudeville | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Donna at the Henderson Theater, Coney Island

Henderson’s Theater, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – Week of 6 September 1920. 

Updated 29 Jan 2023

We know that Donna had finished a 5-week showing at B.S. Moss’ Broadway Theater on August 29th. We know she performed in that show because she was called out by name, Donna Montran, in one of the ads and in a promotion in the New York Clipper. I believe that after five weeks of solid shows, Donna took off a week before she began again at a new theater.

“California Bathing Girls” opened at Henderson’s Theater in Coney Island on September 6th for one week. Advertising included a short article and a small ad.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle – September 5, 1920

Ad for Henderson's Theater showing California Bathing Girls.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York), Sep 5, 1920 – Page 31 – Henderson’t Theater Ad.

At the Seaside Amusement Places
– – –
Henderson’s Theater.

At Henderson’s Theater a holiday week bill will be headed by Loney Haskell, character comedian, in a monologue. “Dream Stars,” a mixture of tunes and fun, will share the headline honors. Harry Murray heads the cast and is assisted b y Gladys Joye, Bernice La Rue and Julie Steger. Other acts on the bill are the Bathing Girls, Harry and Anna Seymour, Ed Furman and Bill Nash, Sully and Mack, Ed Hill in Hattie’s Creation”: Guy J. Samuel and Lily Leonhard and the Thames Brothers complete the bill.

Variety – September 10, 1920 – Page 5, Vaudeville – Column 4.

Luckily, an article in Variety on September 10, confirmed it was Donna Montran in the Henderson’s production. It is confusing because the article says “Now” and she was there “Now September 10th” however, the text says July 30th and then she was apparently between gigs. In any event, the article shows a photo of Donna sitting wearing a really beautiful hat and confirms that it was her in the California Bathing Girls at Henderson’s Coney Island.

The Variety article indicates that, “Donna Montran has an undeniable million dollar smile, oodles of personality and an elastic voice that hits the high registers smoothly and effectively – would make ideal $4 musical comedy stuff.” (I believe that “$4 musical comedy” refers to the price of a Victrola record.)

Remember that Donna played from July 26th until August 29th at the B.S. Moss’ Broadway Theater. Sometimes that show was called “Bathing Girls,” and sometimes it was called “California Bathing Girls.” However, at the same time (From August 9th until August 21st) there was another show, “Original California Bathing Girls,” playing in Philadelphia. So the question arises, was this another show or did Donna and the troupe make the 1-1/2 to 2-hour commute to Philadelphia every day. I don’t know. Certainly, it is possible.  The newspaper articles I have found for the Broadway Theater engagement are clear; Donna played it.  The Philadelphia engagement is not clear as it never identifies the bathing girls by name.

Postcard – Stage – Henderson Music Hall – Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.

Again, documents show that Donna played at Henderson’s Theater in Coney Island and that show was California Bathing Girls. I think more research will be needed to determine if Donna played in two shows simultaneously.

Further Research

  • Try to find further evidence if Donna played in the Original California Bathing Girls in Philadelphia from 9 until 21 August 1920 to resolve the conflict

Sources

  1. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) Sun, Sep 5, 1920 · Page 31 – Henderson’s Theater – Via Newspapers.Com https://www.newspapers.com/image/60005902
  2. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) Sun, Sep 5, 1920 · Page 30 – Via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/60005892
  3. Variety – September 10, 1920 – Page 5, Vaudeville – Column 4 (bottom) – Donna Montran
Posted in Donna Montran, Vaudeville | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Stanford Family Bible

Linwood Dyer Collection
Family Bible Sunday
By Don Taylor

Introduction

Family Bibles are great for genealogical research. They are historical records that typically are primary sources. Also, The information is usually provided by someone with firsthand knowledge of the event.[i] Sometimes, Bibles record information not documented elsewhere.

This Bible is from the Linwood Dyer Collection[ii].

Births

  • Edith E. Stanford         September 29, 1871.
  • Walter S. Stanford      January 29, 1874.
  • Mary L. Stanford         November 23, 1876.
  • George W. Stanford    June 26, 1881.

Marriages

  • David F Stanford & Mary E Fenley – May 1, 1870.

Deaths

  • Mary E Stanford          Died March 16th, 1892.
  • Mary L Stanford          Died April 6th, 1897.

Comments & Conclusions

The Bible appears to be that of the family of David & Mary (Fenley) Stanford. The two death entries seem to be of a different hand than the birth entries, which makes sense as Mary (Fenley) Stanford’s death and that of their daughter, Mary, are recorded in the deaths.


Endnotes:

[i] Be careful about the source author. Occasionally, Bible record recorders do not have first-hand knowledge and fill in the information years after the event. 

[ii] Scarborough Historical Society, Linwood Dyer Genealogy Collection – Accession No. 2023.01.402.

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Busby (Busbee) – Surname Saturday

Howell-Vincent-Busby Line
By Don Taylor

Name Origin[i]

Family Search indicates that Busby is a habitational name from Busby in North Yorkshire or possibly a habitational name in Leicestershire. According to Ancestry, it could also be a Scottish habitational name from the lands of Busby in Carmunnock (Renfrewshire).

Busbee is a variant of Busby. Other variants include Busbey, Bushby, Buzbee, & Buzby.


Geographical

According to ForeBears, there are about 31,000 people with the Busby surname. Approximately 21,000 of them live in the United States. The greatest incidents of the Busby surname occur in Texas, California, and Alabama, which account for nearly a third of the Busbys in the US. Mississippi has the greatest frequency of the Busby surname (1 in 2,272). My Busby line came from Virginia and North Carolina.


My Busby Ancestors

  • 2nd Great-grandmother:  Elnora Busby – (c.1818 – bef.1900)
  • 3rd Great-grandfather: [Tentative] William Busby (c. 1800-____)[ii]

My Busbys in History

1880 – ForeBears indicates there were no Busby’s in North Carolina and only about 50 in Virginia, where Elnora was born.

1860s – Civil War – I have not found evidence that either Elnora or her husband, John Vincent, served during the Civil War. Likewise, it appears that none of her children served either, although I do need to do more research on her children.

1840 – Genealogy Bank suggests there were only 14 families in Virginia and one in North Carolina with the Busby surname.


Locations of my Busby Ancestors

Virginia – Born c. 1824, went to North Carolina before 1849.


Famous Busbys

The most famous people with the Busby surname include:

  • Matt Busby (1909-1994) – Football (Soccer) Player & Manager.
  • James Busby (1802-1871) – Governor General of New Zealand.
  • Steve Busby (1949- ) Baseball Player.

  • Busby Message Boards

A search for Busby on genealogy.com resulted in over 6,000 posts and over 8,000 messages on Ancestry Message Boards (formerly Rootsweb).[iii]


My Direct Busby Descendants

Some researchers suggest that Elnora’s father is William Busbee (1800-___). I am yet to confirm that. I’m reasonably confident that Elnora had a sister, Eliza, but I know of no people with the Busby surname/ 

Assuming Elnora’s father is William Busby, I have 147 known descendants of William in my tree: 45 Howell, 16 Boseman, and 13 Vinson/Vincents. I have previously written about three of them in nine postings.


Sources:


Endnotes

[i] Common surname origins include:

  • Occupations (such as “Farmer”
  • Physical characteristics (such as “Short”)
  • Places or landmarks (such as “Hill”)
  • Patronymics, derived from father’s name (such as Johnson from ”son of John”).

[ii] I have not had the opportunity to personally research these individuals. As such, their names and dates are tentative and/or speculative.

[iii] Something I should review in the future.

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Photo Friday – Gray, Potter, & Strout.

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 006
By Don Taylor

For Photo Friday, I identified two people in five photos from the Linwood Dyer Collection this week. This collection includes hundreds of photos, documents, and genealogies of people who lived in Scarborough, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I desire to analyze the images and reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the picture. The Scarborough Historical Society holds the originals in this collection.


Henry Staples Potter (1870-1920), 1873.

Henry Potter, 1873

The photo identifying information includes:
H S Potter, Jr., April 10th, 1873, 2 years.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • In Linwood Dyer Collection, Part 4, I examined an 1893 photo of Henry Staples Potter.
  • I am confident this is a photo of Henry, taken on 10 April 1873, when He was two years five months old.

I added this photo of Henry to my Ancestry Tree.


Arthur E Strout of Individual

Photo of Arthur E Strout
Arthur E Strout

The photo identifying information includes:
Yours Truly | Arthur [? – “A,” “C,” “E,” or “P”] Strout

What I learned while researching this photo:

  • First, I researched the monument. I found that it is the World War I Monument at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.[i]
  • Next, I learned that Arthur E Strout attended Bowdoin College from 1953 to 1957. My review of the 1954 Bowdoin College yearbook[ii] suggested this is the same person as in the photograph.
  • A 2009 “Interview with Arthur Strout by Mike Hastings” at Bowdoin Digital Commons revealed that Arthur was born on 6 September 1935 to Alfred Meserve and Olive Mabel (Edwards) Strout. He grew up in Thomaston, Maine.

I feel confident this photo is of Arthur E Strout, circa 1955.

I added Arthur E Strout to my Ancestry tree and included this photo with that tree.


John Gray (unidentified)

The photo identifying information includes:
John [?] Gray | Grays Farm | Antigua | B W I

Photo of John Gray in costume.

What I learned while researching this photo:

  • A review of Ancestry public trees for “John Gray” in Antigua failed to yield useful results. There is a John Gray b. 1825 in a private tree. But this cannot be that person, as the photo is too new.
  • A review of Family Search yielded five John Grays:
    • John Gray (1783-1863),
    • John Gray (1785-1870),
    • John Gray (1816-1880),
    • John Gray (1843-1900),
    • John Gray (1846-1900)

Because the photo style and format appear to be from the mid-20th century, this photo cannot be of any of these John Grays. This photo may be of some other John Gray visiting Grays Farm, Antigua, British West Indies.

Photo Not Identified.


Mr. Sawyer[?], c. 1890s.

The photo is a small (2.5” x 4”) cabinet card.
The photo identifying information includes: Mr [“S” or “D”] wyer.

Name Written on back of photo.
Photo of Mr. Sawyer

What I learned while researching this photo:

  • Reading the name written on the back is very difficult. I believe the writing says, “Mr Sawyer,” which was overwritten at some time.
  • My Google search for the image resulted in no viable copies of the same photo.

There is insufficient information to identify the individual. Sawyer is a common name in the Dyer genealogy material, so it is possible I may find another image of this person in the remaining material.


“Victoria”

Photo of Victoria holding a tray of strawberries.

The photo identifying information includes writing on the back that says,
“Victoria with tray of wonderful strawberries at the door leading into the patio.”
Below that is a stamp saying “MINICAN | Av. Juarez Num. 71 | Mexico D. F.”

There isn’t enough information to identify the woman in this photo. Possibly, I’ll find another picture of Victoria with more details as I review the Linwood Dyer Photo collection.


Conclusion

I identified two individuals and included their photos in my Ancestry Tree.

I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before.


Endnotes

[i] Wyvern Almon Coo…’s name on the monument gave me the clue to determine the monument’s location. See the University of Southern Maine Digital Commons, Maine WWI Memorial Inventory. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cumberland/13/

[ii] Ancestry.Com – U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 – Maine – Brunswick – Bowdoin College – 1954 – “Beta Theta Pi – Freshmen (Image 74 of 168).

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