Hello Ok, for three years or more I have been in a nearly desperate search of my great grandmother's gravesite and praying for a photograph for my mom, now 83, who would very much like to know about the grandmother she never met. Today, I was given an excerpt from a unknown book, that had been given to a Ernest Eakins in 1990 by a Delores Fay Greeg Harboldt Evans of Melbourne Florida. Tommorrow, I may learn more about the book. But tonight, I want to tell you this new information. Jennie E. Swisher, born abt 1856, who married Merritt Henry Cave on October 16, 1877, may actually be, "get this" Virginia Ellen Swisher. Virginia Ellen Swisher married Merritt Henry Cave, and died on November 27, 1920. But she was known as "Jeannie". All the legal documents I have found had Jenny or Jennie on them, so this turned me for a flip at first. However, in the material is that this Jeannie was in the Zeigfield Follies in 1920. She managed some apartments, made beautiful paper flowers and loved to dance and have fun. She had sparkley devilish eyes. Was blinded by glaucoma and died of cancer. Her second husband's name was Joseph Cooper. (Remember, I found her daughter listing her mom's name as Jennie Cooper on her marriage license in 1908?). They had one daughter, Katie Ellen Edmundson-Bauer-Chrisman-Eggelstone born 5/17/1899 in Seymour Missouri. (Where the heck is Seymour Missouri? If that is where Jennie's daughter was born, they maybe that is where she is buried?; since I can't find her after three years of looking) Now, for those of you who have been aggressively helping me; Do you think that is a big enough curve ball in genealogy research? Well, if that isn't enough for ya!!!!! Maybe this is. On several documents, as previously stated, I have found this Jeannie Swisher as being born in Virginia, Missouri, Clayton Illinois, and now.... guess what, this information states she is born in.... County Cork Ireland... But her parents, Absolom S. Swisher and Sarah E. Spicer resided in Adams County Illinois near Kellerville, where they are now buried on the family farm in a Cemetery known as the Amen Cemetery. That said, as I am pulling my hair out of my head.... here. Oh, well, if nothing else, if she really was in the Zeigfield Follies in 1920, maybe there is in fact a photo of here somewhere out there afterall. Thomas W. Rogers, born May 9, 1954 311 N. Main Street P. O. Box 85 Deer Creek, Illinois 61733 Notes: Information from excerpts of a unknown book, unknown author, given to Ernest Eakins in 1990 by Delores Faye Gregg Harboldt Evans, 2809 Vassar Street, Melbourne, Florida. 32901 Tele: 407-676-4293 for the genealogy of Virginia Swisher. (Phone no longer valid in February 2002). Notes: This Reel below of the Ziegfield Follies is Jeannie Swisher who married Merritt Henry Cave on October 16, 1877 in Brown County, Illinois. Reel # 183 THEATER OF THE AIR: Fanny by Gaslight, Death Takes a Holiday, Cannibal, Dominant Sex, Scarlet Pimpernel, Blanche Fury, Against the Wind, Jeannie Thomas William Rogers called and made inquiries in February of 2002, in an attempt to locate a copy of this Radio Show, however, such was not available. Metro Golden Memories, 1-800-538-6675. John & Marg Sebert, ------------------------------------------------------- Kingwood College Library American Cultural History - The Twentieth Century 1910 -1919 Facts about this decade...... ... The Ziegfeld girls earned $75 / week........ ... Average salary $750 / year.... Subj: Re: Radio Manuscripts Date: 3/2/02 3:04:43 PM Central Standard Time From: lgroebe@genericradio.com To: Travelback4u@aol.com Sent from the Internet (Details) on 3/1/02 4:06 PM, Travelback4u@aol.com at Travelback4u@aol.com wrote: > Hello > > I am trying to locate a copy of a manuscript, and possible information on > a Ziegfield Follies Girl, that was in a Ziegfield Follies Radio Show in 1920. > I've been told no actual recordings of such exist anymore, but I am > interested in a manuscript and possible photo record of her. > > Here is what I know: > > 1920 Reel # 183 THEATER OF THE AIR: > Fanny by Gaslight, Death Takes a Holiday, Cannibal, Dominant Sex, Scarlet > Pimpernel, Blanche Fury, Against the Wind, Jeannie > > I'm not sure if the Reel #183 is an original number or a number placed on > this by the list of Ziegfield Follies I got it from. > > This Jeannie is my great grandmother. Mom mom, now 83, never met her, as > she died the same year this was on the air in 1920. Nobody in the family has > ever found a photo of her and I have been looking for a photo to give my mom. > It would also be interesting to give her a copy of the manuscript of the > Radio Show. You indeed have a mystery here -- one I can't solve. But perhaps I can provide a few clues. Let's start with "Reel 183." This appears to be a reel-to-reel tape recording that is part of a 100-tape collection donated to Washington State University by radio show collectors Paul and Grace Pitzer. There's a page on the collection at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/mmr/pitzer.htm Mr. Pitzer may have a home page at http://members.home.net/pcpitzer ...but I can't access it at the moment, so I can't be sure. (He also appears to have this email address: pcpitzer@home.com.) The reel itself would appear to be 8 episodes from a radio series called "Theater of the Air." I believe this was probably a syndicated radio show (as opposed to a network show) sold to individual stations and provided originally as big 16" transcription discs. What "Theater of the Air" is almost certainly *not* is a radio show made in 1920. It may be ABOUT 1920, but it isn't FROM that year, as radio drama (or recordings of same) didn't exist yet! More than likely this was a series produced in the 1940s sometime. (There were several famous shows that had "Theater of the Air" as part of their names, but these titles aren't on any of the logs from those shows, so apparently this is a relatively obscure syndicated production.) So you should be able to get a recording of the radio drama from WSU. The script is likely lost to history, unless somehow the recording mentions up the writer's name (somewhat unlikely) and that could be traced. So now *I'm* still mystified -- what was the "1920" date you referenced if not the date of the radio show? Is this the date of the Ziegfeld show that "Jeannie" was in? There was a nice coffee-table book on Ziegfeld published a few years ago -- "The Ziegfeld Touch" written by some descendants and published by Harry Abrams co. I'm looking at a friend's copy as I write. It lists his major productions year by year. In 1920 there was a "Ziegfeld Follies", a "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" , and a "Nine O'Clock Frolic" among others. Pretty good stars in some of them - W.C. Fields, Fanny Brice, etc. I found no "Jeannie" in the book, but I do see some cast pictures, and your great-grandmother may well be in them. It may well be worth looking for this book at the library or on Amazon. I hope this was of some use to you - let me know how things go! --Larry Groebe Generic Radio Workshop Notes and research Written By Thomas William Rogers born 5/9/1954 in Peoria Co Illinois