Talk:J. Aldrich Libbey

Article

 * (Partly) copied from User talk:Ghmyrtle:

I wish to thank you for posting this interesting and thorough article about a member of my family tree. J. Aldrich Libbey was my grandfather's cousin, and Aldrich Libbey's father was my great-grandfather's brother. The brothers were raised in New Hampshire, and my great-grandfather came west to San Francisco in the 1860s. I'd like to ask a question about Aldrich Libbey's death, which coincidentally took place in San Francisco, but he was apparently not buried there. Would you have any information about his place of birth? Also, I took the liberty of adding the Aldrich Libbey article to the Libbey disambiguation page, which links to a few other members of my family tree. I'm an infrequent poster to Wikipedia, so I hope this meets the appropriate guidelines. Thanks much. MWLX (talk) 01:40, 29 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your interest and comments. I've now found out a little more about his early life from this source, and added it to the article.  Regarding his death, it seems from the funeral directors' notice here that he was cremated at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, but I don't know any more about his death itself.  If you have any further information, please let me know.  I'll copy this exchange to the article talk page, where other editors may contribute in due course.  Regards, Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:10, 29 July 2013 (UTC)
 * You've unearthed detailed information about Aldrich Libbey that certainly helps to fill out the article. I'm unable to add much about his place of death. The cemetery cited - Cypress Lawn - has no record of Libbey's burial there, using its online search function. By coincidence, that cemetery is virtually across the street from Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, CA, where my great-grandfather had a large burial plot and might have wished to make it available for Aldrich Libbey. However, it's a Catholic cemetery, and Aldrich Libbey was almost certainly not Catholic, so another site would have been necessary. I'm unable to access the funeral home notice, which is password protected. I wish to call attention to three typos in the article: 1) Biography, paragraph 1, sentence 4: the phrase "as a soloist" is repeated; 2) Biography, paragraph 2, sentence 1: 'Libby's' is missing the 'e'; 3) Biography, paragraph 4, sentence 1: 'an' should be 'a'. Lastly, there is a web site that has two of Libbey's recordings from the earliest days of recording. Here is a link if you wish to include it in your article: http://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3A78rpm%20AND%20creator%3A%22J.%20Aldrich%20Libbey%22. Best regards and thank you. MWLX (talk) 04:37, 30 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks again. The information from the funeral home record is as follows:  Residence of deceased: 1135 Bush St.  Ordered by: Mrs Libbey.  Charge to: Mr Campbell, c/o Orpheum Theatre.  Place of death: 1135 Bush St.  Date of funeral: Saturday May 2 1925.  Services at: Chapel.  Cremation: Cy Lawn K [or OK - writing not clear].  There is also a newspaper notice attached to the card which reads as follows:-"LIBBEY - In this city, April 29, 1925, James Aldrich Libbey, dearly beloved husband of Katherine Libbey, a native of Massachusetts, aged 60 years. A member of Stuyvesant Lodge No.745, F. & A. M.; active member of the National Vaudeville Artists.  Funeral services will be held tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 o'clock p.m. at the chapel of Halsted & Co., 1122 Sutter St., under the auspices of Mission Lodge No.169, F. & A. M."  Regards, Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:04, 30 July 2013 (UTC)
 * The appearance of his wife's name, Katherine Libbey, is interesting because it's the first indication I've seen that Aldrich Libbey was married. What adds interest is that the online search for Cypress Lawn Cemetery lists a Katherine Libbey as being buried there on Jan. 10, 1936. I hadn't realized she was Aldrich Libbey's wife. But the cemetery has no mention of Aldrich Libbey, though one would think she was buried in the same place he was. I also note that Libbey traveled extensively on the Vaudeville circuit, and appeared frequently with Katherine Trayer. One wonders if Katherine Trayer at some point became Mrs. Katherine Libbey while retaining her maiden name for stage purposes. Update: I just found a match through Google which confirms that Katherine Trayer was Mrs. James Aldrich Libbey. It appeared in a Detroit railway union employees magazine called "The Motorman and Conductor." It so happens I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I'm due to make a trip to the Libbey plot at Holy Cross Cemetery, where my great-grandfather (Aldrich Libbey's uncle) is buried. I'll make a plan to go across the street to Cypress Lawn and see what more I can dig up (so to speak) regarding Aldrich Libbey. Regards.MWLX (talk) 00:51, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
 * The funeral notice is very specific that he was cremated, rather than buried, so that may explain his absence from burial records. (He may of course also be listed as James, rather than Aldrich.)  I didn't know that Katherine Trayer was his wife - thanks!  I've now found them in the 1900 US census - James A Libbey and Kate Libbey, living in Hudson, New Jersey.  According to that, she was born in Pennsylvania in June 1873, and they had been married for 11 years - so, from 1888/89, when she would have been 16 at most and he was 24/25.  They didn't have any children.  Ten years later in 1910, they were living in Brooklyn together with Katherine's mother, Emily Jane Trayer (1846-1924 - also cremated at Cypress Lawn).  I've also found him in the 1880 census living in Somerville, Mass., with his parents and siblings - he was a clerk in a dry goods store.  Let me know if you'd like further details of his family.  I've found a mention of the pair in Australia in 1896 here, and another press notice from 1902 (also referring to Trayer as his wife) here.  There's also a sheet music cover here showing them both.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:07, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
 * PS: I've found Katherine's death record here (subscription required) - which gives her birth as June 27, 1876 and death as January 13, 1936. I assume that she must have shaved a few years off her age - I doubt she was married at 13.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:25, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't have much more to add except that the cemetery search was just for last name, and it showed only Katherine Libbey. I'm hoping that an in-person visit will turn up more. It's interesting that Katherine's mother was buried at Cypress Lawn, but the online search does not show a Trayer. This place of burial seems odd because the mother died a year before Aldrich Libbey's death. That makes it appear that he and Katherine had settled in San Francisco, since Katherine apparently retired from the vaudeville life and remained there until her death in 1936. I have to believe that my great-grandfather, who died in 1923, would have known of the presence of his nephew and wife in the city, along with my grandfather, who would have been Aldrich Libbey's cousin. My grandfather worked in advertising for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper and certainly would have known about the reputation of Libbey and Trayer. Unfortunately, no family commentary about this was passed down to me. I have a Libby Family book (which includes Libbeys) published in 1882, which traces our family back to the first Libby from England in 1630. It shows that Aldrich Libbey's parents were Joseph Libbey, born May 5, 1817, in Milton, Maine, and Caroline M. Aldrich, born in Lebanon, N.H. They were married July 18, 1849, and soon after moved to Massachusetts. James Aldrich was their fourth child. Aldrich Libbey's father, Joseph, was a brother of my great-grandfather, John Garvin Libbey, who was 16 years younger. Garvin Libbey settled in San Francisco in 1868, and some 25-30 years later, his path must have crossed with Aldrich Libbey, who was mentioned in various newspaper notices of his stage performances in San Francisco as early as the 1890s. MWLX (talk) 02:45, 1 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I can only think that, as Aldrich Libbey and Emily Trayer were both cremated, and Katherine Libbey was buried, that the online search function only records burials rather than cremations. I've now tracked them down in the 1920 census, living at 1161 Fulton Street, Brooklyn - listed as James and Catherine [sic] Libbey, and Emily Trayer.  Their ages are given as 48, 46, and 73 respectively - though his true age would have been 56 - and while his trade is still given as "actor", Katherine's is given as "none" (so, she had retired by then).  One possibility, I suppose, is that they settled in San Francisco just before or just after your great-grandfather's death.  I've also found Katherine in the 1930 census, living alone as a widow at 795 Pine Street, San Francisco - her age is given as 62 when in fact she was 56, and her work is given as "dressmaker".  Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:21, 1 August 2013 (UTC)