CIRCUS - Henry Luigi Boswell

[deb usa]

Regarding Lyle Boswell......... she was married to Texas Jack. He ran a circus in South Africa in the early 1900s and once, assisted by Will Rogers and Clarence Cooke, roped and rode a wild zebra for a bet ! When Texas Jack died in 1905, Lyle (nee Marr) married Walter Boswell.[/quote]

Lyle Marr is in my genealogy.  My records show she was the eldest sibling and had at least six brothers and two sisters:  Nellie and Lilly.   Lyle had a daughter Thelma by Walter Boswell.
Lyle apparently was the circus sharpshooter in Texas Jack's show.  She had met him in England, where she was born.  Her daughter Thelma became a tightrope walker.  Lyle got religious in later life when she lived in Johannesburg and later Durban.

I couldn't find a way to send a PM to JStockley, so I made my first post here.  Please let JStockley know.  Thanks.

Hi again

On the Passenger list there is no relation to each other  however it has 2 columns:
Accompanied by husband or wife OR Not accompanied by husband or wife

Both Walter L Boswell 55 and Thelma Boswell 24 are under the column: NOT accompanied by husband/wife.

hope this helps

deb

Ps Nice to be back at the circus and with the Boswells 

[HedgieUK]

Hi new to this site but hey here goes !

I am looking for information on Vincent Alvarez who performed with firstly the Alvarez Circus (which was his fathers circus) in 1866 in South Africa.  He then joined the Fillis' Circus which ultimately came to an end and reformed under the Boswells.

My interest is in that Vincent or Joseph Alvarez. Joseph was my great grandfather, however I cannot find who he was married to in the Cape. He had 3 sons - Vincent, Louis, and Charles.

Vincent was an equestrian, gymnast and acrobat.  Any ideas would be a great help.  The pic below is of his father Joseph Alvarez.

And this from the newspaper on Joseph's death in Port Elizabeth.

A CIRCUS RING PIONEER

THE TRAGIC DEATH OF JOSEPH ALVAREZ

HIS WANDERINGS UP AND DOWN THE GLOBE

An echo of what were perhaps the most romantic days of the circus in South Africa faded and became stilled when Joseph Desire Alvarez lost his life in a fire in his room at the rear of the St. Joseph’s Nursing Home last week-end. Joseph Alvarez was one of the pioneers of the circus in this country.

Born in Lisbon, Portugal in the year 1854, he literally became a member of a circus troupe when his father established Alvarez’s Circus in 1857 with which he toured throughout Spain. In 1864 Alvarez senior packed up his circus and transported it to South America. Here they toured extensively and two years later took ship for South Africa, arriving in this country in 1866. Senor Alvarez had a partner named Sanata – he also became very well known in South Africa. The partnership was dissolved in Cape Town, Alvarez continuing on his own.

In the same year Alvarez took his show to Mauritius, where he did well till he became involved in a law suit which swallowed up a full half of all he possessed. However, he kept his circus together and made a tour of the Indian Ocean islands, including Reunion. They reached the island of Bourbon in 1871, but owing to the Franco-Prussian War they were not allowed to show. Boat was accordingly taken for the Seychelles.

BACK TO SOUTH AFRICA

Roaming far and wide, Joseph Alvarez in time took a full part in his father’s circus. But in 1880 he decided to cut adrift and venture forth on his own. He chose South Africa, where he joined Frank Fillis’s famous circus as an all-round performer – tumbler, trapezist, rider and clown. Two years later he was joined by his brother Edward (the only surviving member of the family, who now lives here in Port Elizabeth). Edward became property manages to Frank Fillis. With Fillis, they toured every part of South Africa, and there are not a few of the older generation who cherish enjoyable memories of Fillis’s circus in general and of Joseph Alvarez in particular

Eventually Joseph left Fillis to throw in his lot first with Cook’s circus and then with Williamson’s circus; but in the end he rejoined Frank Fillis. Soon after this, however, Fillis left for India and the two Alvarez brothers decided not to accompany him but to settle down in South Africa.

When the Anglo-Boer War broke out Joseph enlisted in Nesbit’s Horse as a trooper. He was taken prisoner by General De Wet, but managed to escape. He was present when General Hertzog’s house was burned down during the war.

In private life Joseph Alvarez was always of a quiet, reserved nature. For the last 30 he has been associated with St. Joseph’s Nursing Home, and as such became well known and widely liked by patients and friends. Next to his gardens he liked nothing better than to talk in reminiscent vein of his circus days up and down the globe.
TWO OLD FRIENDS
One of his great friends was His Grace Archbishop MacSherry.
 “We are both growing old together, Joseph” would say His Lordship.
“Yes my lord; we will soon reach the old men stage,” would reply Joseph.
Although he had passed his 80th year, he preserved good health till last year, when he began to fail. At the time of his unhappy death he was very poorly, a circumstance which probably contributed to his death when his room became on fire.

Joseph Alvarez is survived by his brother Edward, who is resident here, and three sons, who are resident in Johannesburg. Sincere sympathy is extended to them in their great loss.

[Ramer2001]

Hello, I'm researching Lyle Marr, particularly her time in South Africa with Texas Jack.  I've enjoyed this thread of messages but may have happened on it a few years too late.  Can anyone tell me how to contact rram?

thanks to all for any assistance you might be able to give.

Randy

[Nathan Woolford]

Woolfords in the Circus

Hello all, I am posting here as I thought your collective knowledge may help.

I am descended from Robert Woolford 1774-1832 who seems to have been involved with Thomas Taplin Cooke and probably his father too. His children were all involved in the circus and many married  into circus families. They are George Robert 1801-c1842, Robert 1802-1847, Thomas Robert 1806-1858, Charles Robert 1808-1893, Edward Robert 1810-, Henry Robert 1811-, Louisa 1816-1900 and Amelia 1818-1885.

George Robert Woolford 1801-c1840 has previously been identified as the father of Louisa, this is incorrect. George married Charlotte Stanfield 1809-1833, then Rebecca Cooke 1814-1898. Looking at the 1836 manifest for the Cooke circus trip to the US Rebecca appears to be called Mary Ann Cooke and their daughter Rebecca Marianna had already been born. But by the 1841 census Rebecca Marianna Woolford appears to be in the care of Thomas and Mary Cook. So I presume George has died, most likely in the US, although I can find no record of this.

Oddly, a Richard Woolford c1821- is recorded on this census. I do not know how this fellow fits in as I don't think he is one of Robert Woolford's 1774-1832 children (we have a list from a family bible). It does leave the possibility that this is George Robert's son from his first marriage.

Edward Robert 1810- also travelled to the US with the Cooke circus but I can find no record of him beyond his wife likely being named Ellen.

Louisa Woolford 1816-1900 married Andrew Ducrow and after his untimely death married again to a well off brewer.

I have an issue with Amelia Woolford as there are two. Amelia Woolford 1818-1885 was the daughter of Robert Woolford 1774-1832, Amelia Woolford 1831- was the granddaughter of Robert Woolford 1774-1832 and daughter of Robert Woolford 1802-1847. Amelia Woolford is recorded as marrying John Bridges 1810-1879 and Andrew Gulig/Gullig. I suspect that the two Amelias may have each married one of these men and the story became conflated. However, I can find very little on Andrew Gulig so it is hard to tease it all apart.

Henry Robert Woolford 1811- married Caroline Nash and was variously a painter, cop, gardner etc. He ended up living with the widow of Thomas Robert as an older man.

Thomas Robert Woolford 1806-1858 was an equestrian like most in the family but also held other jobs as well. He married Eleanor Jamieson 1808-1899 who appears to have been from a Traveller family in Scotland. She apparently thought little of the life and all her sons had professions (watchmaker, goldsmith, lawyer). Part of the family came to Australia and that is where I come in .

Charles Robert Woolford 1808-1893 was also brought up in the circus but was injured and stopped performing (I have heard). He emigrated to Australia as well.

We connect into the Loyals, Ducrows, Bridges, Carlos, Loyals, Gautiers, and of course Cookes. There are no doubt more, that is from memory.

If anyone has any info on the Amelias of what happened to George Robert or Edward Robert I would love to hear more.

Nathan Woolford

[JoWells1234]

I'm very interested in the info posted by Rram and Ramer2001, among others, on Lyle Marr.
I am coming at this from the English side, so have info on the Marrs / Morts (Lyle's paternal grandmother was Harriet Mort).
Unfortunately, the posts are quite old now - if anyone reading knows anything about the Marrs after their arrival in South Africa and/or would like the information I have on the family tree on the Mort side, please do get in touch.

[Carole L]

My grandfather is Harry Lee Pope, my Grandmother is Edna Hancock. I know they were circus performers in the US around 1910. He was a slack wire walker, she rode bareback. They met at the circus and married in 1911 in Tennessee. I have never been able to find out anything about them. After the kids started coming they eventually dropped from the circus to a carnival circuit in the tri-state area of IN., ILL., and OH.

[deb usa]

Hi Nathan,

I have seen that George Robert Woolford b 26 Sept 1801 had another middle name "Augustus", s/o Robert and Joan.

I found mention of him on the Find A Grave site:
Birth:    unknown
Death:    Jun. 4, 1840
 Inscription:
39 years 9 months
Burial:
DeRonde Cemetery
Hillcrest (Rockland County)
Rockland County
New York, USA

link: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=57482468

I am trying to figure out the two Amelias. The last sighting of Amelia b 1831 is in Shropshire where she is 10 and living with her parents Robert and Jane.

deb

[deb usa]

Hi again

Just found an interesting  marriage :

Edward Robert Woolford = Elizabeth Dwyer
25 August 1834, by banns
Manchester, St Mary, St Denys and St George
They both signed.
His details:
Bachelor, equestrian

Witnesses:
Mary Ann Dwyer and Thomas Parry

Found this snippet: http://www.circushistory.org/History/Clown2.htm

The “Miss Woolford” was Louisa Woolford, daughter of Robert Woolford and sister of George, who in 1828, at age 14, had made her debut with Ducrow’s company. She was described at that time as “a very attractive and promising young lady.” Within the next ten years, she developed into a popular arenic attraction, second only to Ducrow himself. 84 The death of Ducrow’s wife, Margaret, in January of 1837, opened the way for the marriage of Louisa and Andrew, an event which occurred on June 10, 1838.

deb

[Nathan Woolford]

Thanks Deb USA, I have found a great deal since I started but your information is very useful, especially the grave of George Robert Augustus Woolford! Are you related?

Nathan