The Faust Family Acrobats
Preface
While the Faust family are not my direct ancestors they did play a large part in the life of my 2xgt grandmother Julia who appears as the main character of my previous blog post. This family was her family, at least her second one, and so I have researched the many family members out of pure interest in these divine characters. I have also checked facts and used some dates from a wonderful book, "See how they ring!" written by Gwyn Gillard which has wonderful accounts of their tours. Thanks Gwyn.
The original Faust Family of Acrobats and London Bellringers
The original Faust Family of acrobats were from England. Head of the family was Edwin Faust Senior son of William, a gardener and Susanna, a laundress and dairy woman.
Edwin (Snr) was second youngest of 10 children. Nothing remarkable about this, large families were the norm in those days, they seemed ordinary people. His father with the German sounding name was born in England. I really have no idea how he became the head of such a famous family of acrobats, performers, singers, dancers and otherwise "amusement purveyors". I can find no indication of any other family peculiarities, though Gwyn Gillard reports in her book that the extended family were "music teachers, organ builders, songwriters, poets and popular entertainers".
It is also apparently a family story that young Edwin was kidnapped by a travelling circus only finding his way home when the circus came back through town. He does appear in the 1841 and 1851 censuses with his parents so unless it was between these times this may just be a fantastical story.
Standing apart from his siblings Edwin took on the stage name of Faust. He produced many children, a large family great for making up an acrobatic troupe, and he took the show not only on the road but over the seas.
Accompanying him on his adventures was his wife Louisa Ann Bowditch, whom he married in St. John's Church, Paddington in the county of Middlesex, 29 September 1862. Edwin was by then a vocalist at 21, and Louisa was still a minor, aged 17. The marriage was perhaps one of necessity as it seems the young girl was already 2 months pregnant with Edwin Jnr.
The Stidolph/Faust children were:
- Edwin William, later known and referred to in this post as Ted (b. 1863)
- Louisa Emily (b. 1865)
- Florence Alice Carlotta (b. 1869)
- Eugene Charles (b. 1871)
- Rose Adelaide (b. 1871)
- Virginia Maude (b. 1876)
- Alberta Daisy (b. 1878)
- Vera Constance (b. 1884 NZ)
- Marguerite Virginia (Aus b.1888 - d. 1889)
- Robert Faust (b. 1867) or maybe a love child
- Victor Faust (b. 1879 according to 1900 census) maybe Thomas Herson (from book)
1871 - Edwin and Ted (8) visit America as Gymnasts
1874 - Olympic theatre New York in November
1881 - Male children performing with their father in Chiarini's circus in Calcutta, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. While the boys were travelling, the girls stayed at home in St. Pancras. In the 1881 census it lists Louisa (16), Florence (12), Rosa (7) and Alberta Daisy (2) but no parent in the home. Virginia (5) was staying with her Nash cousins in Paddington on census night.
1883 - According to Gwyn, when the travelling Fausts returned to England the girls were incorporated back into the show. Evidently the girls went with them after that (at least some of them) as the troupe the following year in Sydney consisted of 10, and given that the parents were with them in Sydney, unless any of them stayed with relatives we can assume they were all there.
1884 - In February he is commanding a troupe numbering 10 performers working with Chiarini's circus performing in Sydney at "the spacious pavilion in Belmore Park". The ten are described as including 3 females, the youngest of which is a little toddler. Ted, Robert and Eugene Faust are presented as musical violin-playing clowns, "going through the strangest contortions never losing a note". This is followed by bellringing, foot-juggling (Risley Act) and acrobatics.
In May they arrive in Adelaide on board the "Taiwan", then back to Victoria where, on 6 September Ted marries Julia (my 2x gt grandmother).
Later in September the newly married Ted (21), Robert (17 but not a real Faust), Louisa(17), Rose (12), Eugene (7), Fanny(5), Victor (5 also not a real Faust) and Gertie (4) on the ship the "Changchow" are heading with their father Edwin now 43, to New Zealand. Ted's new wife Julia must be with them somewhere, or perhaps she follows later, she is already pregnant with the first of Ted's children.
1885 - saw them in New Zealand performing with Fryer's circus with similar accomplishments, fiddling, startling acrobatic feats and played "selections upon the silver-toned handbells" followed by a comedy routine "The Terrible Infants, or the Troubles of a School Master" that was to become a standard appearance in their shows. Herr von de Mehden was also performing with this lot, he was already married to 19yr old Louisa Faust. This year also sees the arrival of Ted's first daughter Violet Eugenie, born in NZ, 22nd May, Greytown, Wellington.
1887 - the family travels to Albany via Adelaide on the ship "Albany"
1891 - and they were playing a gig at Bondi Aquarium - members listed on the program were Ted Eugene and Victor, and young Daisy. Herr von de Mehden also appeared.
News notice - The Sydney Morning Herald - Wed 1 July 1891 - p7, Leave of absence for two months was allowed to Edward W. Faust, of tho Royal Town Hall Hotel, Druitt-street.
While Ted was proprietor of the Royal Town Hall Hotel, corner of Kent and Druitt streets, his father Edwin Snr was proprietor of Faust's Oxford Hotel (and billiards), the licence only recently transferred to him in August of that year (1991) and only held for a year, it was at Petersham on the road heading to Canterbury Races.
1892 -
Newspaper notice in the Evening news Wed 13 Apr 1892 p6, An application for leave of absence for six months was granted to Edwin Faust, Royal Town, Hall Hotel, Druitt-street. If one had a licence for a hotel you had to ask to take leave if you weren't going to use it.
1893 - In June Ted is performing at the great circus at Redfern station causing "convulsions of laughter" doing burlesque horizontal bar work, and another of their famous sets of the company was was their Roman Statuary, where "the all white figures, with colored limelights just graciously tinting them, in groupings which rival ancient statuary art, look positively entrancing."
In October of that year there was a "Distressed Actor's Benefit", the main event being the costume football match where the teams dressed up as male and female teams, the captain of the "male" team was Ted Faust, the prize for the winners was a huge cake! The family were giving acrobatic performances at intervals. I must note that actress Nellie Stewart (who worked with John Wallace) was presiding over the refreshment tent!
In November tragedy struck and Edwin and Julia lost their little boy Edwin. A week later they place a note of thanks is the newspaper, thanking the many friends who sympathised with them in their bereavement and showed great kindness.
1894 -
And in July it is reported in the paper that Ted, hotelkeeper of the Royal Town Hall Hotel has been put into bankruptcy.
1896 - They are in NZ
 |
| Rose, Daisy and Vera at the Alhambra Theatre |
1897 - Reports say they have just arrived in America from London via Australia! The Faust Family Pantomime Company and London Bellringers, to play at the Orpheum in April
1910 - Edwin Faust Snr. dies
Ted E. Faust Minstrels
The next time that Ted went back to America he took his family and that is where they made home for the rest of their lives. He formed the Ted. E. Minstrels and toured the American states with great voracity. His minstrels were made up of himself, his brothers for a short time, his young daughter Ruby and various other children whose parents gave consent. Their performing season did not include the summer months. At the close of each season they returned "home" to Columbus, Ohio.
1899 -
Snippet of news in the Hagerstown Morning Herald (Maryland) 12 Jan. 1899: The Faust Family of Al. G. Field wanted to take Pience Smith along with them, offering to educate and care for him until he was 18. His parents would not consent.
Of the above listed troupe members only Ted and Ruby are actually real Fausts (Stidolphs). Louis and Artie were brothers (surname Russell) who it is rumoured were told by the Faust Family that their family had died in a boating accident. Evidently this was untrue and they were later reunited with their siblings.
 |
| Louis, Ruby and Artie around 1900 |
I have yet to determine the real identities of Willie or Bert. Master Ray and Myron Faust are also added to the troupe the following year. Though I have only heard of Myron once. A news article in 1904 states that Earl Highley had joined the troupe. I wonder which Faust "child" he became.
25 Aug 1903 "In Sunny Italy" A minstrel show produced by the Ted E. Faust Co. (http://userwww.sfsu.edu/hl/v.event.html)
1904 - An article about their private car being looted with a discharged member of the troupe being arrested.
13 Aug 1904 Minstrels produced by Ted E. Faust. (http://userwww.sfsu.edu/hl/v.event.html)
1905 - Articles mention master Ray "such a tiny morsel that critics in speaking of him have said 'He is a mere speck, scarcely making a shadow in the sunshine' " Poor Master Ray was involved in a scary incident in April of that year when lightning struck the Faust Minstrel car (a Pullman railway car) which was parked in the Ohio Central yards, it injured seven-year-old Master Ray knocking him down and badly stunning him, but he was soon revived. He was the only one injured except for the vehicle itself which suffered a damaged roof. During the 1905 season the family had travelled a total of 31,323 miles.
Another report in September, not long after the start of the season in August tells of Ted.E.Faust going into bankruptcy, "His only asset scheduled is a valuable diamond pin - many creditors". The Ohio national Bank was apparently holding the diamond pin worth $2300. Unsecured credits amounted to $4943.25 with total debts amounting to $7243.25.
Comments
Post a Comment