I cannot believe that it has been a month since my last post! We have been extremely busy at the family business AND most of what little spare time (ha!) that I have goes to book research.
I promise to post more frequently in June (not that that would be hard!). In the meantime, here is the most recent post from Alternative Muses, wherein I briefly catch you up on an unexpected turn-of-events in Biographyville.
I achieved a major milestone a couple of days ago! What is it? Thanks for asking. I finished cataloging the contents of J’s main scrapbook. Hallelujah! I’ve already added the relevant information to her Master Timeline. This means that I can move on to the next phase of research. Not sure what that is going to be, just yet. There are many, many options.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEKS 23-24
Until next time!
Thanks to wonderful initial support on my Ko-fi, I purchased a six-month subscription to newspapers.com’s Publisher Extra. This gives me access to all the things. Although I won’t be diving headlong into the site for another couple of weeks (after I wind up the scrapbook project), I have been unable to completely resist its siren’s call. There is amazing content on there, y’all. See below.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 22
Until next time!
Hi there! It’s been a hot second since the previous entry in this series. My silence wasn’t from lack of research; far from it, actually. It’s because, six weeks later, I am still cataloging J’s main scrapbook. The reason it is taking so long? Early in the process, I also decided to start working on her main timeline. It simply makes sense to do one alongside the other. Current me is quite pleased with past me. Great choice, me. However, I didn’t want to bore you with the same spiel week in, week out for months. Thus, the lack of [R]evolving Research content as of late. Going forward, I will do posts when I have enough new content. Let’s see how that goes.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEKS 16-21
You may have noticed that there’s a Ko-fi button hanging out on the sidebar. If you have questions: Here’s an article explaining what that is all about. It’s truly a no-pressure situation. I will not mention it going forward, except on posts about my biography research.
Until next time!
I’ve spent most of the past week+ methodically recording the contents of J’s main scrapbook. I’m only about 25 percent finished. This is going to take awhile. Fortunately, it’s easy for me to get a rhythm going if I do it while watching T20 cricket. Whatever works, right? This might sound tedious to you, but I’m a weirdo who finds this kind of thing to be ridiculous amounts of fun. Every day that I work on this mini-project, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be the caretaker of J’s legacy. Who knows how many impulsive decisions were made over the years to ensure that her scrapbooks and photos were not tossed in the trash? I’m well aware that this path was a fragile one. One false step could have resulted in an unknowable tragedy.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 15
Until next time!
Sorry for posting this two days late. I had internet problems on Tuesday and was too busy to fit this bit of writing into Wednesday’s schedule. Let’s get started!
And I thought that endlessly staring at online copies of census records was hard.
It turns out that poring over century-old newspaper clippings (I’m talking physical copies) is even worse on the eyes. Who knew, haha? I finally forced myself to start cataloging the contents of J’s small but mighty scrapbook. It’s tedious only from the standpoint that it is going to take weeks (I’m on page 8) to finish. Other than the necessarily slow nature of the process, it is really damn exciting. I’ve already learned a great deal more about J and her early career in Memphis. This has also, of course, opened up many, many, and I do mean many, new avenues to explore. Dozens. All by page 8. Researching a biography is hard, y’all. That’s mostly a good thing, so I won’t complain.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 14
Until next time!
Happy New Year! 2021 will be the first full year of my research. (I only started this project about three months ago.) I’m excited to find out where things take me. I’ve already learned a significant amount of information about J, yet I know it’s a drop in the ocean of what I’ll need in order to write this biography.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 13
Last week was extra busy because of Christmas. We didn’t go anywhere, of course, because of the pandemic. There was a lot of baking and some last-minute decorating, though. I still fit in a fair amount of reading amidst the chaos. I also learned a new fact about J, courtesy of a nearly 101-year-old source. Yay!
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 12
Ad from 17 July 1919.
Until next time!
Anyone who has ever researched their family history knows that there are always branches missing from the tree. Looking into J’s husband’s past, I quickly found his first wife…or so I thought. They married in 1916. Easy peasy, right? After all, only two wives were listed on Archives.com AND Ancestry.com, J being the second. Weeks later, whilst reading a 1910 issue of Lyceumite & Talent (which is practically a pastime unto itself), I found mention of R’s wife. She was listed only as Mrs. R. Thanks a lot, early twentieth-century norms. Six full years before his marriage to supposed wife #1. Suddenly, wife #1 was wife #2, and J was moved to third position. Confusing, eh?
Who was the mystery first wife? I finally solved the puzzle last week. As I knew from that trade publication article, she was a performer. All of R’s wives, as it turns out, were actress-singers. He had a type: women of accomplishment and talent. I like that about him.
Wife #1 now has a name (and a stage name, too). Another long research road to walk down. Why is this important? As I’ve said before, J’s career was intertwined with that of her much-older husband. His performing and producing life pre-dated his relationship with her by 20 years. He worked with his first two wives, just as he did with J. I cannot talk about her professional endeavors without covering how they converged with those of R and his previous wives. Is it a mess or a blessing? Only time, and more research, will tell.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 11
Until next time!
This was an off week. Last Tuesday, I had an accident at my day job (not my fault, for what that’s worth). Complicated research was not exactly at the top of my mind, but I managed to do a considerable amount of relevant reading. My new website, Alternative Muses, which is dedicated to J, also went live. If you haven’t checked it out since then or at all, I’ve fleshed it out a lot.
RESEARCH NOTES: WEEK 10
Until next time!
