Effie Germon
Encyclopedia
Effie Germon was an American stage actress of the late 19th century from Augusta, Georgia
. She excelled as a soubrette
. She was the daughter of actors Greene C. Germon and Jane Andrews. Her father was the original impersonator of Uncle Tom
at the Chatham Theatre
. Her mother had begun her stage career at the age of 8, was a cousin of actor Joe Jefferson and continued acting for 50 years.
Germon's theatrical debut was made at the Holliday Street Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland,
during the season of 1857 - 1858. She played the role of Sally Scraggs in Sketches in India
. Germon acted with both the Baltimore and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
stock companies. Her given name was Euphemia Germon.
, whom she married at Providence, Rhode Island on 13 July 1859. She returned to prominence at the Chestnut Street Theatre during the theatrical season of 1863 - 1864.
She made her first appearance on the New York City
stage which opened in 1869 under the management of John Brougham
. Germon appeared with John Gibbs Gilbert
at Wallack's Theatre
in a production of Brother Sam in
December 1872. At the same venue she acted with
Richard Mansfield
in Prince Karl, the original production of Little Lord Fauntleroy (play)
. She paired with Francis Wilson (actor)
in Erminie
. During the season of 1906 - 1907 Germon performed on the road in Sunday. She married a second time after divorcing Patti.
Her second husband was the comedian Nelse Seymour.
, on the evening when Abraham Lincoln
was assassinated at Ford's Theatre
. While she was singing Sherman Has Marched To The Sea, C.D. Hess, manager of Grover's Theatre, learned of the shooting
of Lincoln. A week earlier Germon was present when John Wilkes Booth
came into the office of Hess
and inquired as to when Lincoln would attend a performance of Aladdin. The President had been
invited and had promised to attend. A photo of Germon was found on Booth when he was killed at Richard H. Garrett's farm in 1865.
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. She excelled as a soubrette
Soubrette
A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
. She was the daughter of actors Greene C. Germon and Jane Andrews. Her father was the original impersonator of Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom is a derogatory term for a person who perceives themselves to be of low status, and is excessively subservient to perceived authority figures; particularly a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people....
at the Chatham Theatre
Chatham Theatre
The Chatham Theatre or Chatham Street Theatre was a playhouse on the east side of Chatham Street in New York City. It was located between Roosevelt and James streets, a few blocks south of the Bowery. At its opening in 1839, the Chatham was a neighborhood establishment, which featured big-name...
. Her mother had begun her stage career at the age of 8, was a cousin of actor Joe Jefferson and continued acting for 50 years.
Germon's theatrical debut was made at the Holliday Street Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland,
during the season of 1857 - 1858. She played the role of Sally Scraggs in Sketches in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Germon acted with both the Baltimore and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
stock companies. Her given name was Euphemia Germon.
Marriage, return to the stage
She left the theater to marry violinist Carlo Patti, the brother of Adelina PattiAdelina Patti
Adelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914...
, whom she married at Providence, Rhode Island on 13 July 1859. She returned to prominence at the Chestnut Street Theatre during the theatrical season of 1863 - 1864.
She made her first appearance on the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
stage which opened in 1869 under the management of John Brougham
John Brougham
John Brougham was an Irish-American actor and dramatist.-Biography:He was born at Dublin. His father was an amateur painter, and died young. His mother was the daughter of a Huguenot, whom political adversity had forced into exile. John was the eldest of three children...
. Germon appeared with John Gibbs Gilbert
John Gibbs Gilbert
John Gibbs Gilbert was an American stage actor whose real name was Gibbs.Born in Boston, he made his first appearance there at the Tremont Theatre, in 1828, as Jaffier in Otway's "Venice Preserved." His original aim was to be a tragedian, but while on a tour through the South and West, the...
at Wallack's Theatre
Wallack's Theatre
Wallack’s Theatre , located on 254 West 42nd Street in New York, United States, was opened on December 5, 1904 by Oscar Hammerstein I. Wallack’s was Hammerstein’s 8th production theatre and was originally known as the "Lew Fields'", a name that Hammerstein gave it in recognition of his favourite...
in a production of Brother Sam in
December 1872. At the same venue she acted with
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas and for his portrayal of the dual title roles in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
in Prince Karl, the original production of Little Lord Fauntleroy (play)
Fauntleroy (play)
Fauntleroy was a play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone....
. She paired with Francis Wilson (actor)
Francis Wilson (actor)
Francis Wilson was an American actor, born in Philadelphia.-Career:He began his career in a minstrel show, but by 1878 was playing at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, and the next year appeared in M'liss with Annie Pixley...
in Erminie
Erminie
Erminie is a comic opera in two acts composed by Edward Jakobowski with a libretto by Claxson Bellamy and Harry Paulton, based loosely on Charles Selby's 1834 Robert Macaire...
. During the season of 1906 - 1907 Germon performed on the road in Sunday. She married a second time after divorcing Patti.
Her second husband was the comedian Nelse Seymour.
Lincoln assassination
She was performing in Aladdin at Grover's Theatre in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on the evening when Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was assassinated at Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
. While she was singing Sherman Has Marched To The Sea, C.D. Hess, manager of Grover's Theatre, learned of the shooting
of Lincoln. A week earlier Germon was present when John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
came into the office of Hess
and inquired as to when Lincoln would attend a performance of Aladdin. The President had been
invited and had promised to attend. A photo of Germon was found on Booth when he was killed at Richard H. Garrett's farm in 1865.
External links
- Effie Germon photos at New York Public LibraryNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
Digital Gallery, retrieved on 2-13-08. - Effie Germon at Internet Broadway Database, retrieved on 2-13-08.