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William A Lavelle(circa 1850-1924)
Hi All-
I just joined this group, hoping someone can help me. My brick wall is William A Lavelle. He was my SO's great great grandfather. He was an actor in the 1870s-1890s, and a wild west/circus performer. In his older years, he made a living from his physical likeness to Buffalo Bill.
I know when he died, where he is buried, his second wife's name, I found him on the 1910 and 1920 census, when he is in his 60s and 70s. But he appears on no census records that i can find besides a possible match in 1870 in a military fort. I also have him as the father of William Lavelle (later changed to John Henry) John Henry's mother was Clara/Carrie Erickson Lavelle, no proof of marriage, but William had been married twice according to the 1910 census. He was a survivor of a fire that killed many actors in Wisconsin circa 1893. I believe he worked at McVickers theater in Chicago as an actor/super, and also may have have worked with Edwin Booth in NY.
I have used the Old Fulton NY postcard site with some success, but nothing that adds to his biography.
I have numerous articles regarding his acting career including a long interview he gave circa 1912-1913 before he left for Australia to become the manager of a Wild West show in Australia which ultimately failed because of the type of carriages they used. In the interview, he claimed to have been born in 1848, to James and Anna Lavelle in Butler, PA. But I can find no record of a James or Anna Lavelle in Butler County. He claimed to have been a spy in the Civil War, and later a scout, then discharged at Leavenworth. I haven't been able to prove or disprove any of it, though most of it seems unlikely.
Also, at one point William F Cody(Buffalo BIll) brough suit again a show he was working in, "Young Buffalo" as Buffalo Bill wanted him to cease and desist using the name 'Buffalo'. They settled out of court.
I found an article in 1901 re a William A Lavelle who was involved in a stabbing in a theater(he was purported to be the stabber), but can't determine if it was him, but it could be since he never seemed to be there after 1901.
I believe he lived mostly in Chicago and NY
So, I'm hoping someone can help me figure out where I can find more data on him that is provable. :)
(You can see one of the photos of him leading a parade on my home page)
Thanks!
I just joined this group, hoping someone can help me. My brick wall is William A Lavelle. He was my SO's great great grandfather. He was an actor in the 1870s-1890s, and a wild west/circus performer. In his older years, he made a living from his physical likeness to Buffalo Bill.
I know when he died, where he is buried, his second wife's name, I found him on the 1910 and 1920 census, when he is in his 60s and 70s. But he appears on no census records that i can find besides a possible match in 1870 in a military fort. I also have him as the father of William Lavelle (later changed to John Henry) John Henry's mother was Clara/Carrie Erickson Lavelle, no proof of marriage, but William had been married twice according to the 1910 census. He was a survivor of a fire that killed many actors in Wisconsin circa 1893. I believe he worked at McVickers theater in Chicago as an actor/super, and also may have have worked with Edwin Booth in NY.
I have used the Old Fulton NY postcard site with some success, but nothing that adds to his biography.
I have numerous articles regarding his acting career including a long interview he gave circa 1912-1913 before he left for Australia to become the manager of a Wild West show in Australia which ultimately failed because of the type of carriages they used. In the interview, he claimed to have been born in 1848, to James and Anna Lavelle in Butler, PA. But I can find no record of a James or Anna Lavelle in Butler County. He claimed to have been a spy in the Civil War, and later a scout, then discharged at Leavenworth. I haven't been able to prove or disprove any of it, though most of it seems unlikely.
Also, at one point William F Cody(Buffalo BIll) brough suit again a show he was working in, "Young Buffalo" as Buffalo Bill wanted him to cease and desist using the name 'Buffalo'. They settled out of court.
I found an article in 1901 re a William A Lavelle who was involved in a stabbing in a theater(he was purported to be the stabber), but can't determine if it was him, but it could be since he never seemed to be there after 1901.
I believe he lived mostly in Chicago and NY
So, I'm hoping someone can help me figure out where I can find more data on him that is provable. :)
(You can see one of the photos of him leading a parade on my home page)
Thanks!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kate Steere on
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Here is William Lavelle in 1910, Ella and Olga Anderson were his step daughters. I believe Olga was a dancer. Henrietta(Rosch) Lavelle is his second wife, she was a dancer from Germany. Her first husband was Carl Anderson from Pennsylvania, in 1910, he is in PA with a new family. We believe William's first wife was Clara/Carrie Erickson, who I haven't found yet in 1910, but is in NY in 1900, 1920 and 1930.
William A Lavelle
age 60
born approx 1850
birthplace: PA
father's birthplace: PA
mother's birthplace: PA
Home in 1910, Chicago Ward 21, Cook, IL
Married, White, Male
Occupation, Actor/Theatrical
Relation:Lodger
They lived on Cass Street. I believe at this time William was performing the show that Buffalo BIll later sued him for.
So, according to this record, his claims to be from PA, and his parents are from PA, but I can't find a Lavelle that fits in Butler County, PA. Which is where he is supposed to be from.
According to his death certificate, he died March 3, 1924, birthdate was March 15, 1852, and he was 74...it doesn't quite add up. ;)
One of his obits from Billboard(a transcription, McVictor's should be McVickers, in Chicago):
OBITUARY:
March 15, 1924
THE BILLBOARD
LaVelle--Col. William A., 82, died Monday night, March 3, in the American Hospital, Chicago, of infirmities due to old age. Col LaVelle was a familiar figure in the show world and easily remembered owing to his flowing white hair, goatee, and certain peculiar tho becoming oddities of dress. Col. LaVelle was president of the National Indian League of America and a member of the Showman's League of America. In the sixties he was a member of different dramatic companies that played to the old McVictor Theater, Chicago, and played in some of the organizations headed by the old-time stars. In later years he went with the outdoor shows, was with the Young Buffalo Show for several seasons and also with the Sells Floto Circus. Col. LaVelle went to Australla in 1912 with a show and was away from this country for some time. The funeral was held March 6. In charge of the Showman's League, and was conducted by Col. Fred J. Owens, league chaplain. Flowers were sent by the league by Dr. Fechter, an old friend of the deceased; by several actors and others. There was a good attendance of the members of the league. No known relatives survive. Burial was held in Showman's League Rest, Woodlawn Cemetery, Chicago. The pallbearers were Walter S. ????, Sam Frankenstein, George A. Wright, Harry Daigle, Tony Perry and Peter Rogers.
I'll add more later, and if you have questions, feel free to comment on my page. :)
Kate -
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feel free to ask me for more details if you need them. :)
thank you! -
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I'm attaching William's death record from 1924, you'll notice the birth year and death year don't work out to the age given-
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Permalink Reply by Beth Gatlin on
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Since you mentioned that he had lived in New York and I have access to the New York Times from September 18, 1851 to the present, I thought I'd look and see if I could find anything. These may not be about the right person, but here are summaries of the articles that I found:
April 7, 1884: New York: William Lavelle was one of the pall-bearers at the funeral of the actor Frank Roche. (Maybe the right person?)
Nov. 20, 1886: Lockport, NY: Catherine Lavelle, age 80, was found dead in her home on Nov. 13, where she resided with her son William. A fractured breast bone caused her heart to be paralyzed. The injuries were caused by her son William. The two had been intoxicated and quarreled. The coroner's verdict was rendered Nov. 19. (If this is the right person his mother would have to have had him late in life.)
Feb. 6, 1894: Buffalo, NY: On Feb. 5, William Lavelle, a young man convicted of burglary, was sentenced to the Elmira Reformatory. (Probably not the right person, since William would have been about 44.)
July 10, 1901: William A. Lavelle, a scene painter for a play, was arrested for the stabbing of H. S. Jacobs, a theatrical agent and manager. (Is this the article that you have?) -
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Hi Beth-
In 1886, our William would have been in his late 30s, early 40s. I'm thinking the 1884 article could very well be him, I think we found him in Google Books, in a History of NY Theater as working on shows in NY in the 1880s.
His son was born in 1887, so would have been 6 or 7 in 1894, and he was born as a William, later his name was changed to John Henry, I don't know when.
I'm attaching William/John Henry's birth certificate from 1887-
Thank you for the lookup, Beth, definitely some things to think about. The stabbing article may have been a reference to our William, as I can't find any reference to him in NY after that date, and maybe in those days you could just promise not to come back to the state in exchange for charges dropped(just a crazy idea on my part, but chasing William A is a crazy journey, LOL) - Attachments:
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