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1861-1866
Chapter 7 Part 1
Niblo's Saloon opened a new season on Monday, December 23, 1861. The night's entertainment featured the first New York appearance of the Peak Family of Vocalists, Harpists, and Lancashire Bell Ringers. Appearing on the same bill was Albert H. Fernald of Boston, a pianist and balladist who was also making his New York City debut. Though he is most remembered today - in connection with the Alleghanians - as a pianist and singer, he was more likely best known in his own times as a songwriter and composer of instrumental music. His productions, which are said to number over 100, come with a few particularly interesting appellations. A personal favorite title is "The Trial by Jury Waltz."
The Alleghanians gave concerts at the Stuyvesant Institute every evening of the week of Monday, May 19, 1862. Evidently this series of shows was quite successful. The group remained at the Stuyvesant Institute for a second week, including a "Grand Matinée" on Saturday.
In August, the company was booked into the Lecture Room of P. T. Barnum's American Museum in New York. At Barnum's Lecture Room, the Alleghanians appeared among such attractions as comic delineator Alfred Burnett, the Fat Girl of Connecticut, and Ned, the Learned Seal. James M. Boulard must have been highly amused by this engagement.
By this time, a basic Alleghanians lineup of James M. Boulard, Carrie Hiffert, and Frank Stoepel had been joined by George Galloway and Maria Boulard. Ned the Learned Seal, it is true, played the organ; but he would not be accompanying the Alleghanians. Not a lot about George Galloway is, at present, commonly known, though he was with this outfit for several years. Maria Boulard - performing, as she was, in company with her father - made the Alleghanians into something like one of the once-numerous traveling families of singers. The Alleghanians troupe, in many ways, was most comparable to the Rainer Family, the Hutchinsons, and the Baker Family.
Advertising for these shows announced that Frank Stoepel would "introduce his newly-invented piano-forte of wood and straw." The perceived accuracy of this passage could depend, in part, on how one defines "newly." Way back on Monday, May 19, 1856, this musician, who was then billed as Herr Franz Stoepel, made his "first appearance" at Keller's Empire Hall in New York. It would be a sensible enough interpretation of the phrase, "first appearance," that, on this occasion, Stoepel was making his New York City debut. And even by this early date, his instrument of choice was a piano made of wood and straw.
"The night's entertainment featured the first New York": "Niblo's Saloon Grand Opening Night," Advertisement, New York Times, December 22, 1861, p. 7 col. 6.
"Though he is most remembered today, in connection with": Albert H. Fernald published scores in the 1850s. I am not sure how many: possibly only a very small number, possibly more. Fernald's sheet music publications were more numerous in 1870 and the years that followed. If you are aware of any Albert H. Fernald printed scores from the period in between - from the late 1850s through to 1869 - and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page.
"The Alleghanians gave concerts at the Stuyvesant": "The Alleghanians," Advertisement, New York Times, May 19, 1862, p. 7 col. 5.
"The group remained at the Stuyvesant Institute": "Swiss Bell-Ringers - Second Week," Advertisement, New York Times, May 26, 1862, p. 7 col. 6.
"In August, the company was booked into the Lecture Room": "Amusements," New York Times, August 4, 1862, p. 5 col. 3.
"Ned the Learned Seal, it is true, played the organ; but": Ned and Fanny were "musically learned seals." So far, I have not seen what instrument Fanny played. In fact, Fanny's biography is in great need of fleshing out. On the other hand, Ned the Learned Seal, an ex-Bostonian, had a good deal of known show business history, and he would even become something of a hero in the mid-1860s when he almost miraculously survived the fire that destroyed P.T. Barnum's American Museum.
James Ambrose Cutting was Ned's and Fanny's learned trainer. Cutting first came to public prominence as the inventor of a popular type of changeable beehive. Though this may have been his chief claim to fame in his own times, today he may be better remembered as the inventor of a form of photograph called the ambrotype (the name of which was adapted from his own middle name). James A. Cutting was also a developer and proprietor of an important early public aquarium, Boston's Aquarial Gardens. Proprietor Aquarial Garden, in fact, is listed as Cutting's occupation in the 1860 United States Census.
"Not a lot about George Galloway is, at present": The name of George Galloway, for some reason, is often given as George Calloway, though Galloway appears to be correct.
Quite recently I learned of the existence of a photo of Alleghanians agent Daniel G. Waldron with George Galloway, though I have not yet seen it. At about the same time, a CDV of George Galloway and Carrie Hiffert sold on eBay. Judging from the Google cached version of this eBay posting, evidently someone involved took the Alleghanians to be an opera company. I was not able to view a scanned image of the CDV at the eBay website, so I remain none the wiser as to what George Galloway looked like. I likely would recognize a photograph or other likeness of D.G. Waldron.
"Maria Boulard - performing, as she was, in company with": Efforts to track Maria Boulard forward through time, so far, have not been successful. If you know what became of her - such as whether or who she married and when and where she died - and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page.
A look into James M. Boulard's family history, by way of census research and searches of large genealogy websites, turns up no evidence at all of him and his relatives forming what is commonly called a musical family. To date - with the exception of daughter Maria Boulard, who sang with the Alleghanians in the 1860s - I have found no evidence of another family member being especially musically oriented. In my research, to find a musician who does not have a lot of musician kinfolk is highly unusual.
Much has come to light, in recent weeks, about James M. Boulard's New York marriage family and also a little, quite possibly, about his Massachusetts birth family. You could help a great deal if you know the names of his parents and you would be willing to share your information. If so, please e-mail us via the contact link near the bottom of the Web page.
At the time of his death, James M. Boulard was said to have been survived by his wife and four children. I am aware that he was survived by his children named George, James Jr., and Mathilda or Matilda. If you know of another child or of other children who survived James M. Boulard and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page.
"Advertising for these shows announced that Frank": "Barnum's American Museum," Advertisement, New York Times, August 6, 1862, p. 7 col. 6.
"On Monday, May 19, 1856, this musician, who was then": "Keller's Empire Hall," Advertisement, New York Daily Times, May 19, 1856, p. 5 col. 6.
Page 2
Sad to say, this was the last week at Barnum's Lecture Room for "the celebrated Connecticut Giant Girl, the largest lady in the world." She moved on, and we may well imagine that the Alleghanians soon did the same, while Ned the Learned Seal probably carried on, playing the organ, shouldering the musket, and throwing the ladies kisses. There's no business like show business. We also may well imagine that Ned kept carrying on a celebrity romance with Fanny the Learned Seal (no relation).
It is interesting to note that the Alleghanians, unlike the Hutchinson Family, did not seem to achieve any lasting reputation for singing Civil War songs. This is a matter that would be well worth researching and considering further. As conflicts go, the United States Civil War was highly musical. Martial music and war-related songs were very popular. Philip D. Jordan and Lillian Kessler said in their book, Songs of Yesterday, that "Songs of the battle front filled the music shops and were sung in the camps and on the home front."
The year 1862 is not a big one for documentation of the Alleghanians' career: far from it. But it was an eventful year for musicians who, at one time or another, were members of, or otherwise connected with, the group.
J. B. Packard, probably around this time, set verses titled "Stand by the Flag" to music.
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"Stand by the Flag" Stand by the flag! let not one star Be dim'd by foeman's hand; Long let it float, in peace and war, The symbol of our land. |
J.B.'s brother, C. R. Packard, would be credited with at least two Civil War songs. One of these, "The Soldier's Burial" (1865), honored Lieutenant Colonel William McCullough, who was killed in an ambush on December 5, 1862, at or nearby the Battle of Coffeeville in Mississippi.
Agatha States and her husband, William N. States, must have nearly missed the Civil War altogether, for it was around this time that they sailed for Italy where Agatha got much of her music education. Future Alleghanian
Rebecca D. Packard, the wife of J. B. Packard, died at Rockland, Massachusetts, on December 19, 1862.
"It is interesting to note that the Alleghanians, unlike": The timeline used as a rough outline for this booklet shows no clear connection, so far, between the Alleghanians and the songs of the Civil War. A combined Worldcat search on the Alleghanians and the Civil War produced no hits.
"As conflicts go, the United States Civil War was highly": For excellent coverage of the music of the United States Civil War, along with the author's unique and occasionally trailblazing points of view, see the chapter, "All Quiet Along the Potomac," in Charles Hamm, Yesterdays: Popular Song in America, 1st ed. (New York: Norton, 1979), 228-252.
"Philip D. Jordan and Lillian Kessler said in their": Philip D. Jordan and Lillian Kessler, Songs of Yesterday: A Song Anthology of American Life (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1941), 348.
This chapter, "Songs of Yesterday," was named, in part, for Phil Jordan's and Lillian Kessler's book of the same title.
"J. B. Packard, probably around this time, set verses": "Stand by the Flag: Song and Chorus," lyrics: Frank Bert, music:
"One of these, The Soldier's Burial (1865), honored": "The Soldier's Burial," attributed to
"Later, Mershon said he had a drum with the": Evidently John Clem was most often called "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." It would take us quite far off track, should we research Clem's claim. But it does seem that a case could be made that William H. Mershon deserved this distinction.
"Rebecca D. Packard, the wife of J. B. Packard, died": Though we know little enough about Rebecca D. Packard personally and do not even have her cause of death, her Underwood birth family has been the topic of a good deal of research interest among family historians. Some of the first information we located about J.B. Packard came from postings on the World Wide Web by Underwood family genealogists. If you know why Rebecca D. Packard would have been in Rockland, Massachusetts, at the time of her death and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page. Judging from 1860 United States Census sheets, it looks as though, at the time, Rockland may have been organized as a part of Abington, Massachusetts.
Page 3
A grand concert to benefit wounded soldiers took place in New York at Cooper Union's large hall on Tuesday evening, December 23, 1862. Among the musicians who took part were Franz Stoepel, Madame Stoepel, and Kissy Stoepel who, it seems fair to say, was a daughter of Frank and Kazia.
It would be hard to say with confidence whether 1863 was an off-year for the Alleghanians or, instead, it was just an off-year for documenting the group's activities; but it was one or the other.
Evidently in the spring this company made a swing through the Midwest, and Maria Boulard was still a member of the troupe.
The song, "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye," was a dozen years old or more by this point. But as wave after wave of soldiers marched off to war, its theme of parting, and then of not parting, resonated with Americans on both sides of the battle lines.
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"Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye" The bright stars fade, the morn is breaking, The dewdrops pearl each bud and leaf, And I from thee my leave am taking, With bliss too brief, with bliss, with bliss too brief. How sinks my heart with fond alarms, The tear is hiding in mine eye, For time doth thrust me from thine arms, Goodbye, sweetheart, goodbye. |
Manayunk, Pennsylvania, seems to have had its share of great concerts at this time and beyond. Hutchinson Family papers include a copy of a priceless notice of one Manayunk show given by Asa B. Hutchinson's company in the 1870s. A bill for a November 25 and 26, 1863, Blaisdell Brothers production at Manayunk's Masonic Hall is no less remarkable but for different reasons. Julia Peak of the Peak Family of bell ringers married a man named William B. Blaisdell. But at present, information about their entertainment enterprises and their marriage seems to be terrifically scarce. So the first attention-grabber about this bill is that it pairs Julia Peak Blaisdell with her husband at two big shows in an important East Coast metropolitan area, Philadelphia.
Glancing down the page of this November 1863 Blaisdell Brothers Bell Ringers bill, one quickly notices the name of one of the principal figures in Alleghanians history,
"A grand concert to benefit wounded soldiers took place": "A Grand Vocal and Instrumental Concert," New York Times, December 23, 1862, p. 7 col. 4.
According to the 1860 United States Census, Kazia Stoepel, then six years old, was a daughter of Franz Stoepel and Kazia Stoepel. She must have been the same person as Kissy Stoepel. If you know what became of these and other members of this Stoepel family and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us via the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page.
It would be interesting to know whether "Mr. J. R. Thomas," who was on this night's bill, was the same person as John Rogers Thomas, who composed music for songs sung by the Alleghanians including "I Wish Somebody'd Come" and "Old Friends and Old Times."
"The song, Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye, was a dozen": "Good Bye, Sweetheart, Good Bye: Favorite Ballad," lyrics: Folkestone Williams, music: John Liptrot Hatton, first line of text: "The bright stars fade, the morn is breaking" (Richmond, VA: Geo. Dunn & Comp'y, 1863).
"But what may be most remarkable is that the ensemble": Information about Frank Moore has been hard to come by. One source identified him as Frank Moore of Gorham, New Hampshire. Though I believe I have found him in the United States Census for a couple census years, with his occupation identified as bartender, this identification is definitely not a sure thing. Later in life, he was said to be a New York City shopkeeper. At some point, he married Belle Durgin of the Alleghanians. It would be great to know when. I have never found Frank and Belle Durgin Moore in the United States Census during their married years. It appears that Frank Moore may have died shortly before 1900. I have found neither him nor Belle in the 1900 census. If you have information about Frank Moore that you would be willing to share, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page.
This line of inquiry is complicated a good deal by the fact that a prolific historical writer named Frank Moore resided in Manhattan through these same years. Searches on the name, Frank Moore, produce a terrific number of hits having to do with the historian by that name.
Page 4
Speaking of husbands, it seems quite likely it was in late 1863 or, perhaps more likely early 1864, that
When one considers the strong ties of Jesse B. Packard's birth family to the Province of Quebec in Canada, as well as to Massachusetts and Vermont in the United States, it is interesting that J.B.'s brothers and sisters drifted, one or two at a time, to Bloomington, Illinois. Major Wellman Packard and his brother William settled early in Bloomington. And even in 1850 and for a time after, while Major W. Packard took part in the California Gold Rush, he was identified as being from, or of, Bloomington.
The Packard brothers had a diversity of day jobs, ranging from Charles R. Packard, a physician, to J.B. Packard, apparently the one full-time musician in the family. Yet in these years, somehow they seemed to manage to pull their respective schedules together such that they could entertain as the Bloomington-based Packard Brothers, with Mary E. Packard on female vocals. This view comes from a writing by D.G. Waldron which may be most notable for its vagueness. Nonetheless, Bostonian J.B. Packard and members of his family did move to Bloomington almost certainly in 1865, and Dr. Charles R. Packard relocated, evidently also from Massachusetts, to Bloomington by about the same time. A couple music scores dated 1865 may be associated with the Packard Brothers, the clearer example being "The Soldier's Burial." However it is that knowledge of the Packard Brothers may shape up, it was Mary's marriage to J.B., which probably happened in 1864, that led to her being known as Mary Packard of the Packard Brothers music group. Later, D.G. Waldron modified her name to Marie Packard. Who knows why.
The year 1864 featured one of the rarest of things in Alleghanians history, at least in the period following the circa-1849 to 1852 heyday of the Miriam G. Goodenow lineup. It is a series of widely-available press notices that does not involve the New York Times. A few items from the Leavenworth, Kansas, Daily Times have been posted on the World Wide Web, and they offer a glimpse at the Alleghanians as the touring group that it was.
The author of the first of these pieces recalled with delight "listening to their sweet songs and soul inspiring music" years before and forecast a sellout for the first concert at Laing's Hall. This prediction was realized, as all seats were filled and space to stand was about exhausted. "The concert gave great satisfaction," said an April 27 review. "The music made by the bells elicited rounds of applause."
Without actually singling out the Alleghanians yet, the writer took exception to touring concert companies coming to town with a repertoire of well-worn songs that they then presented as if "entirely new and astonishing" to the primitive folk of the prairies. Songs named in connection with this particular series of concerts include "The Brave Old Oak," "The Ivy Green," and "Very Pecooliar." The first two are time-tested, well-traveled Alleghanians concert program selections, while the third title did not show up at all elsewhere in my research.
"Major Wellman Packard and his brother William settled": Sources, and particularly postings at genealogy websites, differ as to the full name of Major W. Packard. But the family of his brother, Matthew Hale Packard, has handed down that "Major" was his given name, not a title, and that his full name was Major Wellman Packard. In addition, that the letter "W" in Major W. Packard stands for "Wellman" has been established by cataloguers - and evidently several of them - at OCLC member libraries. I see no reason at all to doubt that the full personal name of this historic individual - and, incidentally, friend of President Abraham Lincoln - was Major Wellman Packard.
Regarding the evidently unlikely but sometimes-mentioned possibility that "Major" might be a title rather than a given name, research to date appears suggestive that Major W. Packard did not have Civil War military service. It seems to me, though, that he was more of an age for the Mexican War, so this may be a line of research worth pursuing in the study of Packard family history.
"This view comes from a writing by D. G. Waldron": Alleghanians, The Alleghanians, Vocalists and Swiss Bell Ringers' Songster: Sketches and Travels
"A couple music scores dated 1865 may be associated": Another song, which may be related to "The Soldier's Burial" in some way, is "Ho, Boys! De Time Am Come" by
"Later, D.G. Waldron modified her name to Marie": For reasons no doubt uniquely his own, D.G. Waldron liked to call J.B. Packard's widow "Miss Marie Packard."
"The author of the first of these pieces recalled with": "Daily Times" (Leavenworth, KS), March 26, 1864 - November 11, 1864," www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/leavenworth_times_64.htm, accessed May 10, 2006.
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The Leavenworth Times allowed that "The Alleghanians are finished musicians and good vocalists, and our citizens cannot spend an hour or two more pleasantly and profitably than in listening to their well executed songs and the rich tones of their musical bells." The group's third Leavenworth concert was then given a seemingly heartfelt plug.
The final Leavenworth Times notice might be seen as a good deal less friendly. The critic, by the time of the third concert, had grown weary of programs built from very familiar songs and melodies. Titles named included "Lord Lovel" and "The Ship on Fire." The April 28 review began by noting the reputation of the Alleghanians in Hawaii, the Fiji Islands, other spots across the Pacific Ocean, and in South America. Noting good song selections, "their talent of the highest order," and "the splendid cultivation of Mr. Galloway's voice," the author still judged that "The Alleghanians can do better, and that they are out West is no reason why they should not."
Frederick Buckley of Buckley's Serenaders died at Boston on September 16, 1864, of one of the dread diseases of the day, consumption. It may have been an exceptionally sad day for Carrie Hiffert when news arrived. Fred Buckley composed much music for her to sing; and, during Carrie's time with the Buckley company, the two must have worked closely together. He is said to have been a delightful individual.
Frederick Buckley was the "middle man" in the company's Ethiopian programming. The 19th-century and retrospective sources consulted in this study often noted the excellence of his violin performances.
The year 1865 brought joyous news to the Buckley family in the way of marriages for George Swayne Buckley and R. Bishop Buckley. Though the brothers, by this time, resided in Boston, for some reason both are said to have been married at Providence. Perhaps a tour stop in that city turned more romantic than other stops.
This was a year of great and terrible history-changing events, likely the best known United States examples being the ending of the Civil War and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
"The Leavenworth Times allowed that The Alleghanians": "Daily Times" (Leavenworth, KS), March 26, 1864 - November 11, 1864," www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/leavenworth_times_64.htm, accessed May 10, 2006.
"Noting good song selections, their talent of the": "Daily Times" (Leavenworth, KS), March 26, 1864 - November 11, 1864," www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/leavenworth_times_64.htm, accessed May 10, 2006.
George Galloway was with the Alleghanians for a few years. One of the pieces he was noted for singing during his time with the group was a comic ditty, "The Cork Leg," which came in several variants. One undated score, which is probably from 1866 or one of the next few years, says, "Sung by Mr. Geo. Galloway at all the concerts given by the Alleghanians throughout the United States and British provinces."
It is worth noting again, for the benefit of anyone whose interest in Voice and Spirit mainly has to do with this one passage, that lately I have become aware of two photographs in which George Galloway appears. The first shows him with long-time Alleghanians agent Daniel G. Waldron. In the second, which sold recently on eBay, Galloway appears with long-running Alleghanians member Carrie Hiffert. To date, I have not actually seen either of these photos, though I do know the location of the first.
"Frederick Buckley was the middle man in the company's": In the Buckley's Serenaders' Ethiopian opening sets, Frederick Buckley served as the company's middle man or interlocutor.
"This was a year of great and terrible history-changing": A photo of Fanny Brown, as noted earlier, was found on the corpse of Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. Fanny Brown was briefly married to Frederick Buckley.
Page 6
An undated concert bill which almost certainly originated in 1865 shows the Alleghanians singing at Tremont Temple in Boston. Group members included James M. Boulard, Albert H. Fernald, George Galloway, Carrie Hiffert, and Amy Jenner. Though currently available promotional materials often name Fernald as the group's pianist, he also sang tenor with this company. A much later source could be read to characterize Fernald's role in the Alleghanians as that of vocalist. This is the group that, with managing agent
It was during this tour that the Alleghanians had a new set of Swiss bells of solid silver manufactured for them at Berne, Switzerland, at a cost of close to
It is known that the group was in Edinburgh, Scotland late in 1865. By the time this tour ended in 1866, the Alleghanians had given twenty-eight concerts at Great St. James Hall in London. One Alleghanians publication reported that the company sang for the Queen of England and the royal family at Windsor Castle.
On Saturday, April 21, 1866, the Alleghanians landed at New York City by way of the steamship Hibernia out of Glasgow. It could be of some interest that a published passenger list gave the founding member's name as
"Group members included James M. Boulard, Albert H.": It has been possible to locate women named Amy Jenner around this time, in New York City and elsewhere. But an obvious or even apparent match for the Amy Jenner who sang with the Alleghanians has been beyond reach. The strongest candidate at present is an Amy Maria Jenner; but she and her kinfolk seem consistently not to have been counted in the United States Census for some reason, greatly hampering search efforts for a match, if any, between Amy Maria Jenner's history and that of Amy Jenner, the Alleghanians singer. If you know of a 19th-century public singer called Amy Jenner, of New York origins or otherwise, and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the Web page.
"A much later source could be read to characterize": "Reaches Three Score Years," Boston Daily Globe, March 22, 1895, page 5.
"This is the group that, with managing agent": "Passengers Sailed," New York Times, October 22, 1865, p. 8 col. 5.
"It was during this tour that the Alleghanians had a new": Alleghanians, The Alleghanians, Vocalists and Swiss Bell Ringers' Songster: Sketches and Travels
While it seems most likely that the "foreign tour" during which these bells were made was the one that ran from 1865 to 1866, a European tour sometime in the early 1870s - probably 1872 or thereabouts - is also possible. But while we have some details of the mid-1860s European trip, all we have is intimation that there was an early-1870s tour, which anyway easily could have been limited to the United Kingdom.
This is actually quite an important question, since the very expense of these instruments is evidence to be considered. If these pricey bells originated in 1865-1866, learning who owned them could help us understand a later split of some sort between
"One Alleghanians publication reported that the company": Alleghanians, The Alleghanians, Vocalists and Swiss Bell Ringers' Songster: Sketches and Travels
"On Saturday, April 21, 1866, the Alleghanians landed": "Passengers Arrived," New York Times, April 22, 1866, p. 8 col. 6.
"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
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We've roamed over mountain, We've crossed over flood, We've traversed the wave rolling strand. Though the fields were as fair And the moon shone as bright, Yet it was not our own native land, No no no no oh It was not our own native land. |
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Brattleboro, Vermont: Published by the author. 2007.
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