Jennie A. Johnson Stone
Like her parents, Jennie started life in New England. She must have grown up with a love of horses from her earliest years, because riding a circus horse was her…
Read MoreGeorge Washington Sloan, Jr.
The Sloan family lived in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where both of George’s parents were born, and the fathers of both parents were in the Revolutionary War. Five of their 11…
Read MoreThomas Massey Rivel
A career in music is more than just a job. It provides an opportunity for expression, creativity, and variety, and it was Tom’s life. As it so often does, it…
Read MoreWilliam Henry Wallis
After living his first 12 years in London, William was fascinated with America. He moved with his family to New York to find the language was not quite the same…
Read MoreLillie Hinton
Her reviews said she was “rapidly rising in public esteem,” “highly successful,” and “the coming great star of America.” Unfortunately, Lillie Hinton’s celebrity status lasted only seven years, cut short…
Read MoreWilliam S. Fredericks
William’s given name was William Frederick Sheridan and was commonly known as Fred. He was the youngest of 21 children, born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland to an Episcopal clergyman…
Read MoreAnnie Kemp Bowler
The following story was provided by Peter Schmitz, adjunct professor at Temple University where he teaches courses in Theater History, and is creator of the podcast, “Adventures in Theater History:…
Read MoreJoseph Boggs Beale
Joseph Beale’s story is presented here under the category of entertainment because he was a popular illustrator of magazines, books, and newspapers before the technology was developed to publish photographs.…
Read MoreJeremiah “Jerry” Taylor
Named after his father but always known as Jerry, he was one of ten children, nine of them boys. The first four were named Andrew Jackson Taylor, Thomas Jefferson Taylor,…
Read MoreFrancis “Frank” A. Conly
Named after his father, Frank’s son was also given the name Francis, but they all were known as Frank. The first Frank was a carpenter who arrived in Philadelphia from…
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