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According to an item that D. G. Waldron contributed to an 1873 Alleghanians songster, 1859 is the year he entered into a "co-partnership" with these musicians.  That year, and for years to come, Waldron officially would be the troupe's advance agent; but it is doubtful, even at the start, that his role was ever so narrowly defined.   A New Hampshire native who had been based in California for a number of years, Waldron would be a key player in Alleghanians history from 1859 to deep into the 1870s and possibly beyond.

The partnership noted by Waldron  -  which must have involved shared ideas, interests, and ambitions  -  was probably behind the decision that sent the Alleghanians sailing across the Pacific.  The next place we hear of the group  -  which then included William H. Oakley, James M. Boulard, Carrie Hiffert, and Frank Stoepel  -  is Honolulu in the exotic Sandwich Islands.

Stoepel is an interesting fellow, which is not to say that we know a lot about him.  Franz Stoepel, according to the 1860 United States Census, was born in France.  "Frank" may have been strictly his American nickname.  In the 1860s, Stoepel and his family seem to simply vanish.   A lot of vanishing went on in Alleghanians history.  Both Frank and Kazia Stoepel were of European birth (France and England, respectively), and this research project follows the thought that, in the 1860s, they and their children left the United States.

"The Swiss Girl" was among the songs sung by the Alleghanians on this tour.  It was also a familiar piece in the repertoire of Frank Stoepel's wife, Kazia.

On this trip across the Pacific and back home by way of South America, much attention was focused on Stoepel and on Carrie Hiffert, though two founding members of the Alleghanians, Oakley and Boulard, were still with the group.  Today Stoepel, to the degree that he is known at all in the United States, is probably best remembered as a songwriter.  But on this trip, he stood out as a performer as well as the inventor of a peculiar musical instrument that we will get a brief glimpse at in a bit.

Waldron, in connection with this "world tour," stressed the importance to the Alleghanians of some facility with languages in addition to English.  This group did travel uncommonly widely; and, at many of the Alleghanians' stops, English was not necessarily the predominant language in use.  Even in North America, the Alleghanians sang in French-speaking parts of Canada and Louisiana.  Waldron, characteristically, only gave as an example his own abilities with Spanish, and he stressed how this came in handy in South America.  But Carrie Hiffert was of German birth, and it seems likely she learned the language as a child at home in New York.  It is known that she sang in several languages, which she likely also spoke.  Frank Stoepel, having been born in France, probably spoke French.  Hints exist, too, that he may have been fluent in German.  A lot of Americans named Stoepel were of German extraction, and Frank Stoepel's publishers tended to have German-looking names.

Stoepel may be connected with both Boston and New York.  But one possibility is that he may have married his wife, Kazia, somewhere in New Hampshire.  Though New Hampshire native D. G. Waldron is recalled for his varied life and career in California, after his advent with the Alleghanians, Granite State ties-that-bind became an important phenomenon, here and there, in this company's story.  Frank Stoepel may or may not be a case in point  -  time could tell  -  but several people who are quite important in later Alleghanians history are definite examples.

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It might seem to make sense that, in Honolulu in 1859, the Alleghanians would have been surrounded by strangers; but this is clearly not so.  Though this is in some ways perhaps off the subject, it is instructive, about how mobile mid-19th-century Americans could be, that Josiah Fuller of Milford, New Hampshire  -  a very close childhood friend of the Hutchinson Family  -  was at this time based in Honolulu.  Fuller would be known to many present-day readers of American music biography and history as the only person, other than the Hutchinsons themselves, who wrote entries in the troupe's journal book during the first big concert tour which group members called their "grand start."  One of Fuller's journal entries was even on the subject of singing with the Hutchinsons at their parental home in quite possibly one of the Hutchinsons' own family holidays.

While this Alleghanians troupe was in Hawaii, a grand complimentary benefit show was given for Carrie Hiffert at the Royal Hawaiian Theater on Tuesday, October 25, 1859.  Many interesting and notable individuals helped sponsor this event.  One was a great figure of American sports, a documented though otherwise legendary founder of organized baseball, Alexander Joy Cartwright.  Cartwright, by this point, already may have become Honolulu's fire chief.  Another sponsor, Abraham Fornander, was an intriguing fellow.  Fornander was one of the principal people to collect and preserve the early history and lore of Hawaii.

After singing in the Sandwich Islands, the Alleghanians set sail for a three month voyage through the islands of the South Pacific.  The group gave five concerts at Tahiti at the end of 1859 and the first week and a half of 1860.  At two of these concerts, Queen Pomare V and company were present.  In a letter that has been published several times in English and at least once in the original language, Queen Pomare expressed ultimate pleasure in meeting these "children of song," and she blessed them in their life's journey as they sang their way to the "realms of immortality."

The Alleghanians left Tahiti, which James M. Boulard called "that most lovely island," sailing out of the harbor of Papeete on the morning of Tuesday, January 10, 1860.

Boulard wrote a letter to the New York Musical Review, giving his amused account of some of the Alleghanians travels and experiences in the South Pacific.  His letter was afterwards reprinted two times or more, and parts of its contents were reported at least as far away as London.  Boulard's letter is by far the greatest source of information available with bearing on the Alleghanians South Seas activities.

The ship carrying the Alleghanians approached the island of Rarotonga on Wednesday evening, January 18.  After breakfast the following day, the Alleghanians took one of the ship's boats to the Rarotongan shore.  Boulard said there was only one spot for boats to land, and he reported that hundreds of island folk had gathered there.

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Americans were not the only mid-19th-century people who were mobile.  The Alleghanians quickly paired up with a Rarotongan who had been on two or three whaling voyages and had learned some English.

Members of the Alleghanians were carrying a letter of introduction from some unnamed individual in Hawaii to a Rarotonga missionary, Rev. William Wyatt Gill.  Rev. Gill and Mary Layman Gill, his wife  -  "a most amiable lady," according to Boulard  -  gave the Alleghanians a warm welcome and made known an interest in hearing the company perform.  But how, in a barter economy could they be paid?   It is entirely possible that nothing in his exceptionally long career amused James M. Boulard as much as the solution to this question.

Boulard said it pleased the Alleghanians fancy to be honored to give the first-ever concert in the Hervey Group of islands.  He must have meant the first Western-style concert, as one would imagine the locals had their own varieties of public musical entertainment.  Rev. Gill likely was an expert on this topic.  Either way, a contract was made at once and the ever-ready Alleghanians instantly sent by boat for their instruments, tickets, and other articles needed for a show.  Evidently monarchy reigned on Rarotonga to the degree that a royal command was needed.  This was quickly sought and issued.  Members of the royal family were given admission passes.  Possibly some things are the same everywhere.

Rarotonga had a large one-story schoolhouse which Rev. Gill made available for this concert.  Tickets went on sale at two in the afternoon at a spot that was occasionally used as a community marketplace.  The ship's second mate got the nod as the Alleghanians' official ticket seller.  Boulard reported that by four o'clock, 1,961 tickets were sold.  When one considers that this was accomplished exclusively through barter, it is easy to imagine that the second mate worked hard to make good in this new entertainment industry role.  The show must go on.

Boulard spoke of "squeezing, tugging, pulling and pushing," as nearly everyone expressed, bodily, a desire to be first through the door to get the best spot to witness this singular musical event.  Possibly some things are the same everywhere.  Soon enough this remarkable crowd was listening to the Alleghanians' opening vocal quartet.  Boulard described the audience as "highly delighted," but he noticed countless glances toward the table which held the troupe's musical bells.  The Alleghanians sang two or three songs and then played the grand march from the Vincenzo Bellini opera, Norma.  "I have heard of, and even witnessed several astonished audiences in my lifetime," said Boulard, "but this audience presented a picture of the widest open-mouthed astonishment during the performance of this piece, I ever beheld."

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The Alleghanians' set of sixty-two bells sounds quite impressive.  Boulard said they ranged in size from a "lady's thimble" to one as big as a large water pail, and they made "a very attractive and imposing display."  Yet in the mid-1860s, these musicians would have a new set of bells made for them.  Perhaps they were trying to keep ahead of the other bell-ringing troupes by making use of the latest bell technology.  Whatever were the reasons for replacing the company's original eye-catching set of bells, considerable expense was involved as we shall see.  The cost of the replacement bells could be important.

Boulard wrote that the people of Rarotonga did not know how to make known to the Alleghanians their appreciation for this music and the performances.  But after Rev. Gill began applauding, the Rarotongans followed suit.

We were told earlier that Carrie Hiffert was very popular.  Evidently this did not always work in her favor.  After the concert, local girls and women surrounded Carrie for hugs and to rub noses with her, as a sign of love and friendship.  However, the friendly and loving Rarotonga females were quite numerous; and by the end of about 100 rubbings, the skin was taken completely off one side of Carrie's nose.  Rev. Gill then translated to the crowd the singer's request that their affection be shown in different ways.

The entire experience of this lone Rarotonga concert sent waves of mirth through James M. Boulard.  He, or the ship's second mate, or the two with the help of others tallied up all the produce, livestock, and various articles that had been taken, barter-style, in exchange for concert tickets.  Next Boulard estimated the New York City retail value of these things.  He then calculated that the total New York monetary worth of everything taken in payment for tickets was $5,086.08.   A published report out of London said it took a day and a half to get the proceeds from this concert into the company's ship.  This $5,086.08 was hard-earned.

Boulard ended his letter promising to write again from the Chilean port city of Valparaiso.

Later, news correspondence out of Chile reported that the Alleghanians had sung at a city theater with "moderate success" and had since left for Santiago.  It also added the helpful detail that Carrie Hiffert sang in English, French, and Spanish, and it named Frank Stoepel's instrument  -  a wood and straw piano  -  without further critical comment.

After concerts in the cities of Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, the Alleghanians planned to cross the Andes for stops in Argentina, Uraguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.  On the way home, it appears the group visited Havana for a series of engagements.

One Alleghanians publication, years later, said the company had been very successful in the Hawaiian Kingdom, the old Celestial Empire, and South America.  It also said that D.G. Waldron gained audiences for himself and the group with the nobility and heads of state in the nations visited.

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It must have been at about the time the quartet returned to New York that an important era in Alleghanians history came to an end.  At some point  -  and almost certainly this one  -  founder and leader William H. Oakley took leave from the group, as far as I know never to return.  Later United States Census reports give his occupation as music teacher.

Daniel G. Waldron celebrated the return from this world tour by marrying his New Hampshire sweetheart, Sarah A. Dodge, on June 3, 1861.

In October 1861, while the New York Tribune was reporting that the Alleghanians were greatly pleasing large audiences, the New York Times said, "The Alleghanians  -  old time favorites of our public  -  are giving a series of their pleasant evenings at Hope Chapel."  By November the company had moved on to Brooklyn for a week of "pleasing and diversified concerts at the Polytechnic Institute."

"Thus far the Lord hath led me on."   - Isaac Watts

One of the main goals for this first edition of Voice and Spirit has been to lay the foundation for an eventual revised, greatly expanded second edition.  Thus far the Lord has led us on.   A full-length biography of the Alleghanians is very much needed, and it is starting to look feasible.  Whether it would take the form of a traditional, hardcopy book or remain as a World Wide Web-only publication is yet to be seen.  Either way, I am hoping many readers of these pages will keep an eye out for Voice and Spirit II.  If it is possible to make a full-length Alleghanians biography happen, my plan is to do it.

Alan Lewis,  August 14, 2007