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Thanks for all your contributions — we’ll have a follow up and the final pages of the scrapbook for you on Monday.
In the meantime we have an update. A few weeks ago craig m jones pondered the possibility that perhaps John Burke, manager for Morlacchi and also the Buffalo Bill Combination may be a candidate as author of the scrapbook. Last week Juti Winchester, a former curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming mentioned that Buffalo Bill Cody kept a set of scrapbooks of his career, too, and was helped in this by a variety of individuals. “We don’t know for sure who they were, but I suspect that “Arizona” John Burke, their agent, had a hand in it because of his close connections with the press of the era”, she said.
Some of these Cody scrapbooks are kept in the collection at the Buffalo Bill Museum (you can go and check them out!) so we spoke to Mary Robinson, Head Librarian of the McCracken Research Library in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center about them and whether John Burke could be the author of our scrapbook. Mary told us:
“Don Russell, in his biography of William F. Cody, indicates that the management of the Buffalo Bill Combination fell to John M. Burke after Ned Buntline departed the troupe in 1873. Previously Burke had been Morlacchi’s manager, and Russell points out that Burke remained loyal to her when Texas Jack and Cody later parted ways. Not much is known about Burke’s early career except that he had been a stock company actor, a theatrical manager and a newspaperman. The census record that craig m jones mentions placing him in the Morlacchi household would certainly suggest that he was a close associate.
Given that loyalty, Burke might have created a scrapbook that is so devoted to her and her husband. This fact is what actually strikes me: Buffalo Bill doesn’t get top billing in this scrapbook. He’s important, of course, but he’s more on a par with the other players. The selection of clippings clearly highlights Morlacchi and Omohundro.
In the 1870’s, of course, no one knew that Cody was headed for international stardom. The Wild West had not been invented or even imagined. Buffalo Bill was a dime novel hero, but Burke couldn’t know then that he would devote thirty-four years to promoting Buffalo Bill. At the same time our library holds scrapbooks from the theatrical seasons that do lionize Buffalo Bill. It seems clear that your scrapbook’s creator saw Morlacchi and Texas Jack as equally worthy of attention and praise.
Beyond that observation, I cannot offer anything definitive about the handwriting except to say that the clear examples we have of Burke’s hand do not resemble the sample in your scrapbook, nor do they match up well with the jotting of newspaper names and dates in our scrapbooks of the same period. Burke’s handwriting, in my opinion, doesn’t appear in the theatrical scrapbooks we hold, but he might have been behind the making of them, and of one like yours - so my judgement about the handwriting should not eliminate Burke as an author. Burke is also not credited with creating any of the Wild West Show season scrapbooks that were later produced. In some cases we know who created the scrapbook for a given season, but not always.”
So it seems that, despite all of our investigating, it is becoming less and less definite who the author of our scrabook might be. Looks like we have a mystery on our hands. We’re working on tracking down some additional handwriting samples. Be sure to check in next week to help us continue sifting through the evidence.
Did an Italian Can Can dancer keep a scrapbook of letters from Wild West characters like Buffalo Bill and other western ephemera?
Week 4 UPDATE: Is John Burke the author?
Week 5: We Review the Evidence - Is the Scrapbook Authentic?
Week 6: Wrapping up the Research
Week 7: Who owned the scrapbook? Our expert conclusion
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In addition to Mary Robinson's perspective and comments I would add
that the theatrical review clippings in the scrapbook that we have seen
to date chronicle the careers of Mlle. Morlacchi ,Texas Jack, Buffalo Bill
Ned Buntline , Wild Bill Hickok, John Burke from circa 1872 to circa 1878.
While many or most of the theatrical reviews are undated, by grouping the
reviews by 1)the participation/year of the above participants in the dramas, 2)
the dates of departures of Ned Buntline (1873),Wild Bill(1874), Buffalo Bill
(1876), 3) the varient titles of the dramas,Scouts of the Prairies,Scouts of the
Plains, Texas Jack In the Black Hills,Life In the Rocky Mts. etc. also reflect
the timeline of the theatrical seasons,1872-1873 1873-1874 1875-1876
1876-1877 and the players/participents in the dramas, 4) the majority of
the scrapbook articles that are not specifically related to theatrical reviews
refer to Texas Jack, Morlacchi, John Burke in relation to that troupe combi-
nation post 1876 and BB's departure and some solo exhibitions/performances,
adverts for Texas Jack hunting guide services, interviews with TJ and articles
attributed to TJ as writer etc.5) the telegram from BB to TJ,the 4 letters from
Sheridan/ Terry/Walker/? refer specifically to Texas Jack's military career as
scout,trail agent. The scrapbook clippings that we have seen on the whole
focus on Texas Jack's theatrical,military and personal life 1872-1878.
Mlle Morlacchi,his wife,dancer/actress was with TJ from 1872-1878
and John Burke,agent /manager/ actor was with TJ 1872-1878.
Mary Robinson,librarian and Juli Winchester,curator at the Buffalo Bill Museum
have eliminated Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, and John Burke's handwriting samples
as compared to the handwriting in the scrapbook.Wild Bill Hickok was only with
the drama troupe for one season and died in 1876,that eliminates him. While
Ned Buntline gave birth to the theatrical drama and assembled the theartical
troupe,Buffalo Bill,Texas Jack,Morlacchi and Burke(as Morlacchi's manager),
his role ends at season one /1873
Barbara Barker/Ballet/Ballyhoo may have eliminated Mlle Morlacchi by
describing Morlacchi's script on her will as "spidery and cramped. If I
had the resources I would still attempt to find other Morlacchi handwriting
to compare. I would also compare Mlle Morlacchi's sister Angelina's script
with the scrapbook samples,Angelina was there during the whole timeline
and would have had access to Texas Jack's personal property such as
the telegram and letters,her will is indexed in Middlesex County Probate Papers.
. I must admit that I had leaned toward John Burke as the compiler of the scrapbook,
it doesn't seem to be the case. Though a longshot as a compiler candidate
I will now attempt to find information on Donald McKay,
he is mentioned three or four times in scrapbook articles in conjuction with
the Texas Jack Combination after Buffalo Bill departs.
A second reading of Mary Robinson's perspective on John Burke's
role as compiler/comments on handwriting samples indicates I need to
read a little slower/more carefully. She states." so my judgement
about the handwriting should NOT eliminate John Burke as an author."
So I won't at this point, but will still add Angelina Morlacchi and longshot
Donald McKay as candidates. If my speculation about the scrapbook clippings dates
(1872-1878) are correct and that the scrapbook was compiled by someone
who was involved in Texas Jack's career perhaps the final installment
of scrapbook clippings will confirm/refute or leave unresolved the indentity
of the compiler. it will be interesting to see if any/or how many of the unseen clippings
or personal effects predate or postdate my suggested timeline at this point. We still have an
X the unknown seemingly unrelated Henry Ward Beecher Evolution article
(circa 1883 to 1886) to factor in as well.
Donald McKay of mixed white and Native American ancestry
was the leader of the Warm Springs Indian scouts during the 1873
Modoc Indian Wars in Oregon/California.
In Nov 1874 at Niblo's Theatre McKay portrayed himself in
"Wild Cat Ned" a drama about the Modoc Wars.
Source page 85 of Roger A Hall's 2001 "Performing the American West 1870-1906"
So another scout/actor on the same theatre circuit in the same year/years as
Texas Jack.
Have there been any perspectives/opinions offered or sought
from either the Lowell or Billerica MASS Historical Societies in re-
gard to Morlacchi and the scrapbook?
Have there been any Omohundro/scrapbook opinions sought/offered
by the Omohundro family or Texas Jack Associations?
It is also not out of the realm of possibility that the scrapbook was
compiled by an unknown Texas Jack,Morlacchi,Buffalo Bill,Wild West
"fan" or memorabilia collector.
I am not finding too many connections between Donald Mckay
and Texas Jack, they do perform together, they are in Philadelphia
during the 1876 Centennial Exposition,there are four or five
clippings in the scrapbook that put the two men together but
overall it seems a short union between them.
It is curious that there are so few clippings(in what we have seen
so far) that feature only Mlle Morlacchi performances or personal
notices/interviews etc. Perhaps what we have not yet seen in the
scrapbook includes more. I have been indexing news articles
seen at genalogybank.com particularly from Lowell Mass, there are
several that feature Mlle Morlacchi or her sister Angelina(real estate
bought by Angelina Morlacchi in 1877(,she paid $22,000 for the land
and building at the corner of Market and Suffock Sts in 1877)
Mlle Morlacchi took part in the YMCA Strawberry Festival in Lowell
in May of 1879, these type of articles aren't seen in the clippings seen to
date. seems curious.
NOTE: For Barbara Cohen Stratyner RE: Annie Endress/Anna M Endress
theatre costumer death date source for obituary search
Go to www.sec.state.ma.usvitalrecordsearch
Massachusetts Death index 1841-1910
You can order a copy of Miss Endress death cert. which will provide
the month/day year that you could use to initiate an obituary search in
boston newspapers.
The online search gives you this information:
Endress,Anna M. died in Boston 1891 index ref.
volume 420 page 88
Anyone interested in Mlle Morlacchi's death cert or her father's DC
can order it through
www.sec.state.ma.us/vitalrecordssearch
Morlacchi Antonio Billerica 1873 vol.257 page 101
OMOHUNDRE JOSEPHENE(MORLARCHI) all as spelled in index
Billerica 1886 Volume 374 Page 55
i can find no DC index listing for Mlle Morlacchi's sister Angelina
Note for Barbara Cohen-Stratyner
Boston City Directory 1884 page 357
Endress,Annie costumer Boston Theatre jouse 12 Akron
Note for Barbara Cohen-Stratyner
According to information at Tufts Digital Library
www.bcd.lib.tufts.edu
Boston City Directories Year 1872
Miss A. ENDRES(spelling as indexed)
costumer Globe Theatre
boards 2 Columbia Building
In 1875
Endress Annie costumer house 14 Newton Place
(Ferdinand Hight the actor is at the same location)
In the Week 1 Update was: "Wendy also points out that most of the clippings are for the Ned Buntline show, which we noticed as well. The "Only a Ballet Girl" stood out for us as well - perhaps it was someone M'lle Morlacchi knew and was close to? Or perhaps it is just the sympathy of a fellow dancer's lot?"
I believe the connection for these clippings may be from a sentimental attachment to Ned. Ned Buntline is the person who first got "Texas Jack," "Bufflo Bill" and Morlacchi together on stage 16 Dec 1872 at Nixon's Opera House in Chicago. See the very detailed biography at: Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries http://library.uml.edu/clh/Texas/T4.Html
The farm purchased by Morlacchi near Boston had a very extensive library with "...works of the best writers in several of the modern languages." [a small, but possibly useful clue]. Another person, a female artist, called Mlle. An[?]onino was living at the farm. The [?] letter looks like an "f" or "t." 27
July 1870, Janesville Gazette, Janesville, Wisconsin
Might be worthwhile to check out the book: Logan, Herschel C. Texas Jack of the Old West and Mlle. Morlachhi of the Stage.
She not only lived with her sister, Angelina, on the farm, but also "she sent for her widowed father to emigrate to America and share their farmhouse." [ see University of Massachusetts source above]. Would she have had any servants or hired assistants?
Probate of the estate of Angelina Morlacchi.
20 Mar 1886 Lowell Sun, Lowell, Massachusetts
Possible handwriting sample: Morlacchi sued her manager in Philadelphia for non-payment of wages.
10 Dec 1868, The Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Just a comment. The covers of the scrapbook appear very much like those of the books I have in my collection from the mid to latter part of the 1800's, including one that contained blank pages for a person to write their own book. I would believe the scrapbook to be from the correct period.