Ethel Dovey (January 12, 1882 – November 20, 1920) was an American singer and stage actress. Dovey was born into a large family and had two brothers and four sisters, one of which was

Alice Dovey Alice Dovey (August 28, 1884 – January 12, 1969)Dovey, Alice, ''Silent Film Necrology'', Eugene Michael Vazzana, McFarland Publishing, 2001, pg. 142. was an American motion picture comedian and actress who first appeared in '' The Commanding O ...

who she spent most of her childhood with training to be a singer. Her talent for dramatics was spotted at an early age and her maternal grandfather insisted that she and her sister be trained under the best teachers. For their talent to be realized, the sisters lived in London for part of their childhood, occasionally returning to America to visit family. As an adult, she enrolled at the

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...

and graduated in 1901 with a

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...

award for dramatic art. She would frequently visit

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

to perform in concerts and during the period 1902–1912, was recognized as a musical stage star. In 1908, she performed in the theater production ''The District Leader'', where she met her future husband, Fred Truesdell, who she

eloped Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...

with to marry in February 1909. She had two daughters to Truesdell and later married Willis M. Palmer. Due to poor health, she retired from the stage in 1912 and spent time traveling before her death at home in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

on November 20, 1920.

Early life

Dovey was born on January 12, 1882, in

Plattsmouth Plattsmouth is a city and county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,502 at the 2010 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the mouth of the Platte River, just north of what is now Main Street Pla ...

, Nebraska as the eldest child to parents Margaret Dovey and George E Dovey. Her childhood days and early education were spent in the city, where the "unusual dramatic talent" that she would later become famous for was first noticed. In order to fully realize her talent, Dovey and her younger sister Alice were sent abroad to sing and were known as the "Nebraska sisters". They lived in London for several years with their grandmother while studying voice and languages at ''Madame Cellini's School of Music''. While there, she was "flabbergasted" at coming face to face with "real dukes and "real princes", as well as a poet who attended one of her grandmother's receptions, which she thought was "marvelous". She and her sister, who were considered to be precocious, were permitted to enter the reception room for a brief period of time.

Education

Ethel and her sister's musical education began sometime around 1890, studying with Miss Lillian Terry for around four years before traveling to England in 1894, where they were favorably received by critics who "predicted a bright future" for them. In March 1895, under the care of Lillian Terry, they sang at a Royal

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

Cannon Street Cannon Street is a road in the City of London, the historic nucleus of London and its modern financial centre. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames, about north of it, in the south of the City. It is the site of the ancient London S ...

Hotel to an audience including the

Duchess of Fife Duchess of Fife is the typically the wife of the Duke of Fife, an extant title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which has been created twice, in both cases for Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife. In one case however, the incumbent was Duchess of Fi ...

and the

Ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

. At this time,

Henry Gartside Neville Thomas Henry Gartside Neville (20 June 1837 – 19 June 1910) was an English actor, dramatist, teacher and theatre manager. He began his career playing dashing juvenile leads, later specialising in Shakespearean roles, modern comedy and melodram ...

expressed a hope and belief that the sisters would go on to become actresses. She and her sister returned on a home visit from London around September 1895 and on October 16, sang at a concert held at the

Finke Opera House Finke Opera House, also known as the Ritz Theatre, is a historic opera house located at California, Moniteau County, Missouri. It was built in 1885, and is a two-story, eclectic Late Victorian style brick building. The building features decorati ...

, where they were praised for their "phenomenal method and correctness, their seriousness and their strangeness". By this time, they were already regarded as being "singing prodigies". Ethel and her sister returned to England in 1896 and around early 1898, gave a concert at the

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities such ...

in London. Around 1898, Ethel took the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

of ''Marie Louise Nebriska''. Alongside her sister, she performed at

The Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...

in August 1899, singing "with great success".

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

was "among their warmest admirers". They had an admiration of the work of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, which originated from their maternal grandfather Charles Dawson, who insisted they be "put under the best teachers" from a young age. Upon returning to America, Ethel enrolled at the

, where she later graduated in 1901 and was awarded the

diamond medal for dramatic art as her ceremony. Following her graduation, she and her sister Alice joined ''The Strollers'', a successful music comedy in 1902 which earned them recognition and success in follow-up seasons; they went on to feature at leading musical attractions in other major cities. Her musical education was completed in Paris, rather than London, owing to the death of her grandmother.

Career

During her early career, Dovey was a frequent visitor to

and performed in various concerts in the city. She was noted and recognized as a musical stage star during the period 1902 to 1912, winning high honors through the beauty of her singing voice "that has charmed thousands both in her native land and abroad". Dovey would often perform alongside her younger sister Alice, however in June 1906, performed in the same event for the first time as her other younger sister Margaret, who played the piano. In May 1908, she was described as being "pretty and graceful" and was praised for her role in a theater production of "The District Leader". In the production, where she appeared alongside actor Fred Truesdell, she was considered as being "one of the cleverest comediennes that has ever appeared in

Butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word mea ...

", having made a favorable impression to the audience. Ill health forced her retirement from stage in 1912, where she spent time traveling in hope of improving her health, spending some time with her parents.

Personal

Dovey had four sisters and two brothers, of which one sister was stage star

. She was the niece of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

of Baseball president and the great-granddaughter of

William Kennish William Kennish (1799 – March 19, 1862) was an engineer, inventor, explorer, scientist, and poet, known primarily for inventions developed while he served in the British Royal Navy (1821–1841). They ranged from improvements for artillery to nav ...

, author and poet. She married Fred Truesdell on February 6, 1909, at

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, who at the time was a popular leading man on stage. Their marriage announcement was a surprise to Dovey's many friends, who all joined in extending their best wishes. The couple met each other when performing with the "Stubborn Cinderella" company and had shortly decided upon an immediate marriage, but kept it a secret until the season concluded. She was married by Judge Graham and the news was only announced once the bridesmaid, who was a witness to the ceremony, was unable to keep the secret any longer. There had been "considerable" opposition when they became a couple. She had two daughters to Truesdell, Jane Margaret (b. c1910) and Betty Ann (b. c1913). She later married Willis M. Palmer in 1918. She died in her home in

on November 20, 1920, and was survived by her father, siblings, husband and two daughters. The funeral was held on November 30, 1920, in Plattsmouth.

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dovey, Ethel 1882 births 1920 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women singers American film actresses Singers from Nebraska