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Archiver > IL-COOK-CHICAGO > 2008-12 > 1228322187


From: Beth Walsh <>
Subject: Re: [IL-COOK-CHICAGO] DAWSON family
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 08:36:27 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <462636.58252.qm@web82503.mail.mud.yahoo.com>


OOhh Pat, that sounds good. Where did you find that?
Right, I'm not completely sure that he was with an actual circus or if he traveled around with some performing group or what.


--- On Tue, 12/2/08, patricia meyers <> wrote:

> From: patricia meyers <>
> Subject: Re: [IL-COOK-CHICAGO] DAWSON family
> To:
> Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 11:41 PM
> Beth,
> It's possible that he was a trapeze artist in
> vaudeville.  There was a sister act, the Kemp sisters, who
> were duettists (whatever that is....) in vaudeville in
> Chicago about that same time period, and possibly these are
> the two Kemp girls that George "adopted?"  There
> was an unnamed trapeze act on the same bill with them.
>
> Pat
>
>
>  
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Maryellen T <>
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 10:06:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [IL-COOK-CHICAGO] DAWSON family
>
> WOW. I don't have anyone in my family that comes close
> to this interesting.
> How is it that one family gets all the interesting
> ancestors??? Lucky you.
>
> Seriously, I would get that photo over to Ringling. As
> librarians/historians, they are pretty knowledgeable about
> the circus.
> Also, if you are in Chicago, you should go down to the
> downtown public
> library and just start reading newspapers on microfilm.
>
> Try contacting the fire academy in Chicago for your fireman
> ancestor.
>
> Mary in Phoenix
>
> On 12/2/08, Beth Walsh <>
> wrote:
> > Okay Cheryl, I'll see what I can do here.
> >
> > One of my many brick walls, most of which are in
> various stages of
> > demolition, concerns my DAWSON family.
> > My grandmother's brother was named GEORGE E.
> DAWSON. He was born in 1868 in
> > Buffalo NY and the family eventually moved to Chicago
> in about 1880. My last
> > sighting of him was in the 1900 census in Chicago with
> his wife and
> > daughter. George was, believe it or not, a trapeze
> artist in the circus.
> > Whether it was an actual circus (like Ringling's)
> or just one of the many
> > traveling acts that proliferated around that time
> frame, I don't know.
> > That's something I would like to find out too. I
> did contact the museum in
> > Baraboo, but they would need to see the pictures and I
> just haven't gotten
> > around to that. It's doubtful that they could
> determine the name of a
> > circus, as there is absolutely no labeling, names, etc
> on the pictures.
> > I have pictures of him on the trapeze, with his
> partner, who supposedly he
> > was married to, though I don't know if that was
> the wife he was living with
> > in 1900 or not or even if that is true. I have no name
> for her either.
> > I don't have the information in front of me at the
> moment, but he was
> > involved in a 'kidnapping' case about 1892 or
> so. He was accused of taking 2
> > underage girls, sisters (about 14 and 16 or
> thereabouts), with him to
> > Kentucky, to learn the art of the trapeze. My
> great-grandfather, JOHN
> > DAWSON, a Chicago fireman, was charged with contempt,
> as he alerted George
> > to this and basically helped him leave the city.
> Pretty wild story. I
> > haven't determined the outcome, but apparently he
> must have gotten cleared
> > of the charges.
> > Anyway, the story my mother always heard was that he
> died in a hospital in
> > Denver after a fall from a hot-air balloon. That was
> another of his
> > 'careers', balloon ascensionist (sp?). A
> number of years ago, I did contact
> > the Denver Historical Society and the Denver Post and
> they did not find
> > anything like that in their archives. Doesn't mean
> it's not there, they just
> > didn't find it. However, I'm not even 100%
> sure that he died in Denver or
> > how much of that story is true. I believe that he very
> well must have died
> > before 1912 or even 1907, as my mother and both of my
> aunts had no
> > recollection of ever meeting him. Also, I have had no
> luck finding him in
> > the 1910 census anywhere.
> > This is where the story gets really murky. My
> grandmother and him were very
> > very close. But if that was the case, why would she
> not know when he died or
> > where or where he is buried? And why didn't I
> question my mother more
> > thoroughly about that? Both my great-grandparents were
> still alive at that
> > time (they died in 1919 and 1921) and the DAWSON
> family was fairly well-off,
> > so bringing him back here to Chicago for burial would
> not have been out of
> > the question. Most of the DAWSONS are buried up in
> Rosehill cemetery or
> > interred in the Rosehill mausoleum and I have looked
> for him there with no
> > luck.
> > His wife, LOUISA married a man named JOHN STAACK and
> their daughter, Helen
> > (b. 1900) also took the name Staack I believe. She
> also married and I
> > recently found her death notice in the Tribune. LOUISA
> is buried up in St.
> > Joseph cemetery and HELEN is buried in a cemetery out
> south (Chicago Heights
> > or thereabouts). GEORGE was not Catholic, so it's
> doubtful that he was
> > buried in St. Joseph's.
> > This is one of those that I start to ramble on about
> because there are so
> > many different stories going on at the same time here
> and with no names
> > really, it's hard to go about researching. I'm
> pretty sure he may have used
> > a stage name also, just to add to the puzzle.
> > So, WHEN did he die?  WHERE did he die? WHERE is he
> buried? WHAT circus was
> > he with?
> >
> > Anyone familiar with the building at 525 N Halsted? It
> is a loft/apartment
> > building now, but it was the DAWSON BROS. factory from
> 1880-1921. They
> > manufactured fireplace mantles and grates. The
> building is still there and
> > their name is very visible in the stone on the Halsted
> side of the building.
> > This was my great-grandfather's brothers business.
> >
> > Okay, there you go - one gigantic puzzle, where I have
> lots of pieces, but
> > not the ones that can link them together.
> >
> > Beth
> >
> >
> > --- On Tue, 12/2/08, Cheryl
> <> wrote:
> >
> >> From: Cheryl <>
> >> Subject: Re: [IL-COOK-CHICAGO] Chicago Memories
> >> the other list.
> >>
> >> Sometimes this list gets too "quiet".
> How about
> >> if we all name a brick wall and ask the others to
> break it?
> >> Please don't just give a surname with no other
> details.
> >> We have no idea who your family is; we need to
> know as much
> >> as you know, OK? I know it's a busy time of
> year, maybe
> >> others would prefer to wait until January?
> Let's hear
> >> from you!
> >>
> >> Beth, please start us off here; Dave, Cynthia,
> Molly,
> >> Bonnie, Linda, etal join in. I know you guys
> read/write.
> >> Let's hear it! Let's ROCK!
> >>
> >> Cher
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
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