AncestryDNA 2023 Update

 

My AncestryDNA July 2023 update

Ancestry has released the 2023 DNA update, and the are some notable changes from the prior results that I administer. In the new ethnicity estimate, my England & Northwestern Europe went up from 44 to 56%, while Scotland dropped from 29% to 14%. Germanic Europe and Wales went up 2 percentage points to 7%, while Spain held steady at 7%. My Indigenous Americas - Mexico went up a point to 5%, and Ireland remained the same at 4%. Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples has become Nigeria - East Central, and Indigenous Americas - Yucatan has dropped off.

For my Mom, her map now looks like this:

AncestryDNA for my Mom, July 2023 update

Her Scotland percentage dropped from 33 to 20%, and now Spain is her highest at 30%. Her England & Northwestern Europe went up to 17%, while her Indigenous Americas - Mexico remained the same at 12%, her Sweden & Denmark increased to 10%, along with Wales, up from 4 to 6%. Northern Italy remained steady at 3%, so did Basque at 1%, but her Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu also changed to Nigeria - East Central.

My Aunt Patty still has the most regions (14, an increase of 1 from the 2022 results), with an incredible new addition. Her Spain dropped by 1 point to 30%, and her England & Northwestern Europe went up from 19 to 24%. Her Scotland also decreased by 4 points to 15%. Her Indigenous Americas - Mexico went up a point to 11%. The latest addition was Jewish at 1%. This is not that surprising, I have seen prior research linking the Amado family to converso Jews who fled Spain.

AncestryDNA July 2023 update for my Aunt Patty.

My Aunt Linda retained 5% Portugal and 5% Basque. My son had 2% Portugal instead of Spain, and 1% Indigenous Americas - Central (yay Mayan).

A Closer Look

Mexico & Spain for me.

Zooming in on Nigeria - East Central for my Mom

Closer look for my Aunt Patty.

Agnes and Alfred

 

Variety, 19 Nov 1910.

During my review of the life of Agnes Atherton, I have run across a few references to her marriage to Alfred M. Gillette, acrobatic performer and promoter. It is unclear where they may have married or when. She was listed as Mrs. Gillette in the news article on the reunion with her father in March 1899, and she was performing with Gillette from at least 1884. On few occasions, she went as Agnes Gillett of the Gillett Family in 1888, she predominantly went by Agnes Atherton or Miss Agnes Atherton throughout her career.

New York Clipper, 28 Jan 1888.

Agnes returned to performing with the Gillett Family after recovering from her fractured arm, joining the Gilletts in Louisville in September 1889, Pittsburgh in October 1889 and appearing the billing for the Rochester, New York show in December 1889.

Democrat & Chronicle, 29 Dec 1889.

There is little indication Agnes and Alfred were often living in the same place. They seem to have been on separate paths, performing in different cities or circuits. Alfred appears as single in the 1900 US Census in Battle Creek, Michigan, living with his brother Leon and family. He seems to have been using Battle Creek as a base to train a new company of acrobats between 1899-1901. I have been unable to locate Agnes in the 1900 US Census, likely because she was constantly on the road touring in shows. They seem to have been in different locations up to 1904, when they reunited professionally after Agnes' tour in Boston and were planning a new show together. It is unclear if that fell through, or they went separate ways until moving together to Cincinnati before 1910. Agnes was clearly working and likely living in Lima, Ohio in 1906-1907. She may have moved to Cincinnati after the closure of Fred Harrison's theatre.

Battle Creek Enquirer, 1 Jan 1951.

They did appear together in the 1910 US Census, living in Cincinnati, Ohio. The census gets Alfred's state of birth wrong (listed as Ohio, he was actually born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1862). Agnes' age is also wrong, or maybe Alfred did not know her age. She was listed as 40, when she was actually closer to 52 (!). I'd like to think from her time on the stage, time as a dancer and performer, she looked young for her age.

1910 US Census, Cincinnati, OH.

Agnes' profession was listed as "dressmaker", and we now know from the recap on her career that she was much more than that. Actress Mae Pleau and singer Cecilla Hall were living with Agnes and Alfred during this time. Agnes' profession was listed as "costumer" in the 1910 City Directory for Cincinnati. In the same entry, Alfred's profession was listed as "actor". As far as I can tell, Agnes and Alfred never had children.

Sometime around April 1910, Agnes and Alfred moved from Cincinnati to Chicago, Illinois, probably for medical care. She had a moving party at her home, attended by many old friends and vaudeville performers. Agnes passed away in Chicago on 7 November 1910.

New York Clipper, 2 Apr 1910.

It appears the family back in Illinois may not have heard of Agnes' death in 1910. Jennie O'Brien (Matilda Jane Lambert O'Brien, my 2nd-great-grandmother) sent a letter in 1914 to Billboard, asking if anyone knew the whereabouts of Agnes Gillett "whose stage name was Agnes Atherton", and to write back to her in Shelbyville, Illinois. It is a sad note, but shows the family in Illinois still wanted to connect with her.

Billboard, 14 Mar 1914.

Alfred

Alfred M. Gillette was born on 1 February 1862 in St. Louis, Missouri. He died on 14 June 1947 in Battle Creek, Michigan. He is known for his high-wire and acrobatic acts that toured the country. His obituary makes no mention of Agnes.

Battle Creek Enquirer, 15 June 1947.

Theatre Manager

 

New York Clipper, 10 Nov 1906.

As I have been recapping the career of my 2nd-great-aunt Agnes Atherton this week, it has been fascinating to see her progression from young singer and dancer to actress, star performer, producer and stage manager. Agnes added another title in her career to business owner, running her own stage production company, the Atherton Stock Company. Through her association with Harrison's Garden Theatre in Lima, Ohio, she also took on the role of theatre manager in 1907. She ran advertisements for acts in various trade publications, booked shows and entertainers for the theatre.

Billboard, 27 June 1907.

New York Clipper, 12 Oct 1907.

New York Clipper, 30 Nov 1907.

Lima, Ohio was not then and isn't now a major metropolis. It is a small town in northwest Ohio, north of Dayton, south of Toledo, east of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Agnes had previously served as stage director for performances in 1905 at the competing Miller's Theatre in Lima. Both Joe Miller and Fred Harrison, proprietors of the stages in Lima, ran into trouble with local officials in 1906. 

Lima had enacted a local ordinance against women working in locations where liquor was sold. The ordinance effectively shut down Harrison's Theatre, and likely ended Agnes' role as theatre manager. The timing is odd, as the wanted ads for performers, particularly for women, continued to run in trade publications in late 1907, while the cases against the theatres were being challenged.

Lima News, 31 Dec 1906.

Lima News, 15 Jan 1907.

Lawyers for Miller and Harrison were able to invalidate the legality of the ordinance on a technicality, as the minutes of the city council meeting where the ordinance was approved was not properly signed and executed (22 January 1907, Lima News). The Lima mayor sent the ordinance back to the council, and it was re-enacted. The case against both theatres continued in 1908.

Times-Democrat, 13 Mar 1908.

Harrison's Theatre was raided on 12 March 1908, and nine women employees were arrested. Agnes was not among those listed. Harrison closed the theatre the following week.

Stage Director

The Billboard, 10 June 1905.

Using money saved from performances in Boston and New York in 1904, and building from her experience as a producer, Agnes Atherton took on a new role as stage director and producer for a show titled "In a Turkish Harem" at Miller's Theatre in Lima, Ohio.

New York Clipper, 10 June 1905.

The theater had recently reopened following a closure for "a contagion", which resonates now coming out of the COVID experience 115 years later.

Allen County Republican-Gazette, 10 Apr 1905.

Lima News, 10 Apr 1905.

It looks like Agnes' show ran through at least the end of May 1905, possibly into June. In November, Agnes returned to Buffalo, New York for a series of shows at Linn's Museum, one of which was a benefit show with the entire proceeds donated to a veterans organization. These performances ran through at least the first week of December 1905.

Buffalo Courier. 27 Nov 1905.

Buffalo Times, 26 Nov 1905.

In January 1906, Agnes appeared in Montreal, Quebec at the Bijou Theatre.

Montreal Star, 13 Jan 1906.

The Gazette, 16 Jan 1906.

By the end of January 1906, Agnes had returned to New York. She performed at the Capital Music Hall in Glens Falls during the week of 22 January (Billboard 3 February 1906), then on to the Rialto Theatre in Elmira (Billboard, 24 March 1906). At the end of July, she was at the American Concert Garden in Canton, Ohio.

Producer

 

New York Clipper, 1 Feb 1902

While 1901 may have been slow for mentions in the press, Agnes Atherton was in New York, planning a career shift into producing. The article above notes she had a five-week run in Savannah, Georgia, producing shows at the Alhambra Music Hall.

The previous year, Agnes had been in St. Paul, Minnesota (February 1901) followed by New York, appearing at the Rialto Music Hall in Elmira, New York in mid-August 1901, followed by the Columbia Music Hall in Utica, New York in late October. While these shows drew big crowds, it appears Agnes was working on a new type of production.

After the five week run in Savannah, she had a ten week run through the end of April 1902 producing a show called "Said Pasha" at the Star Theater in Charleston, South Carolina. While she did not receive the star billing in the advertisements for the show, she likely received a bigger portion of the profits from producing the successful run. It shows she had a lot of talent and creativity to move "behind the curtain", attracting comedians and entertainers from the vaudeville circuit in New York to take part in the Charleston shows. The performance often ran two shows a night, one early in the evening, followed by a late show, and were often paired with a boxing match.

Charleston Evening Post, 26 Apr 1902.

Charleston Evening Post, 22 Apr 1902.

Charleston Evening Post, 21 Apr 1902.

It is not clear if Agnes next took her production on the road to other locations on the Southern Circuit such as New Orleans, or if she made it to Cuba. I have not yet found a record for Agnes in the arrival or departure records on Ancestry for the early 1900s. 

Agnes appeared again in the papers as part of a comedy duo with Clarence Prouty. They performed with strong reviews at the Imperial Theatre in Tampa in mid-September 1902, followed by a return stop for Agnes to Savannah. On this trip she returned as part of the duo, to the rival theater of the Alhambra, the Royal Music Hall.

Tampa Morning Tribune, 24 Sep 1902.

Savannah Morning News, 19 Oct 1902.

The show must have been successful. Agnes stayed on in Savannah at least through mid-December 1902.

Savannah Morning News, 16 Nov 1902.

The owner of the Royal Music Hall declared bankruptcy on 11 December 1902, closing the doors. Apparently the performers were paid, but the closure of the hall put them out of work. Agnes was likely among those performers.

Savannah Morning News, 12 Dec 1902.

It is not immediately clear what Agnes did through the following months in 1903. She next appeared in the New York Clipper trade paper, which received a letter from Agnes in December 1903. Agnes wrote "she is soon to produce a new act in Vaudeville, with new wardrobe and scenery, now being made." (New York Clipper, 5 December 1903.

In February 1904, Agnes reappeared with a new stage show at Austin & Stone's Museum in Boston. She performed there through at least 10 May 1904. She wrote to the New York Clipper reporting "success in Boston, playing clubs. She has joined A. M. Gillette, and they will produce their European novelty act shortly" (13 February 1904).

In July and early August, Agnes appeared at the Lyceum Theatre in Niagara Falls (31 July 1904). The Niagara Falls Gazette noted Agnes was "a sketch artist and balladist. The whole show includes two dozen unusually strong numbers and is one of the best put on here in a long time."

Niagara Falls Gazette, 6 Aug 1904.

By September 1904, Agnes had moved on to Canton, Ohio. 1905 seems to mark a turn in the fortunes for Agnes, as she again received star billing in Buffalo, New York, and took on a new role in a production in Ohio. More on that in the next post.