Vaudeville Star - Zaida Palmer

Zaida Palmer was born to Theodorous and Emma (nee Stoneburner) Palmer in April of 1882. She was my great grandmother's half sister. I had always heard that she was in Vaudeville but how true this was no one could say. 

Vaudeville is a theater genre that encompasses a variety of unrelated acts such as musicians, singers, dancers, magicians, acrobats, and even trained animals. Sometimes this would also include simple one-act plays. It was especially popular in America and Canada in the 1800's until the 1930's. Thanks to fellow genealogist, Vicki, I now have a more complete picture of Zaida's life.                                                   

She was first married to Henry Thomas Phare in 1904. They divorce by 1907. Strange fact: Zaida had lived with her aunt (also named Zaida) for a time. Her aunt had once been married to Thomas Phare. They divorced. Henry was his son by previous marriage. So Weird, right? I'm not the only that thinks this? Also this originally created a ton of confusion when trying to figure out the genealogical history. On to the crazier stuff...

Zaida was involved in vaudeville from about 1910 until the 1920's. The 1910 census shows her living with her married sister, Della Andrews, and has her occupation listed as "Singer, Theatrical Co.". 

In 1911 she married Roy Pearly Barker in Windsor, Canada. He went by the name "Bobby" Barker while on the vaudeville circuit. According to the State Times Advocate (January 31, 1913), Zaida and Bobby performed in "The Pink Mask" at The Elks Theater, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

[Excerpt:] "The Pink Mask" is the one musical comedy with a plot. .... Bobby Barker will be remembered from his past visits to Baton Rouge. His feature songs this season are "Good-bye Billie," ... Of the female members it is enough to say that Zaida Barker is a member of this company and is supported in her number by a corus [sic] of pretty and shapely girls....

We can follow Zaida and Bobby's travels through newspaper clippings from their shows. In September 17, 1917, the Boston Herald reports the Barkers being with "The Girls from Joyland" Company and performing at the Howard Anthenauem in Boston.  

Here's the clipping from the February 24, 1918 edition of the Repository (Canton, OH) 

BURLESQUE AT GRAND: "The Girls from Joyland," on the order of a Broadway muscial show, will be the burlesque attraction at the Grand opera house Wednesday evening when one of the big scenic and spectacular features will be a reproduction of Captain Kidd's ship, a reproduction of submarine F-47 and an "Undersea Myth," in which a dozen beautiful girls appear. 

In order to make the "Girls from Joyland" stand out as a musical production Sim Williams, the producer, has secured Zaida Barker a prima donna of exceptional voice, and Miss Beula Kennedy, a sourette with remarkable vocal accomplishments. The dance wonder of burlesque, Tiny Doris, does some graceful dancing and the singing and dancing of the Six Georgian Blossoms is an attractive feature. The comedy is handled by Billy Gilbert and Bobby Barker, assisted by Ida Nicolai, Dan Diehl, George Brower and a chorus of 24 pretty girls. "The Girls from Joyland" is strictly a girl show with feminine pulchritude as one of its outstanding features. The chorus is gorgeously costumed. The entertainment is in two acts and 10 scenes." 

Not only did Zaida perform in Vaudeville but it appears that she and her husband where part of a very similar circuit known as Burlesque. People have tried to revive the term, capitalizing on its nostalgia.

When I first heard that she was a burlesque performer I immediately thought of Gypsy Rose Lee. She was a dancer at that time, known for her grace and striptease acts. Of course the striptease of 1913 was not what it is today. 

After doing some research, I found that American burlesque was a variety show that focused on four main points: minimal costuming, focusing on the female form; sexually suggestive dialogue, dance, plot lines, and staging; quick-witted humor laced with puns but not overly complex; short routines or sketches with minimal plot cohesion across the show. 

Bobby and Zaida were living in Chicago as shown by the 1920 census. Bobby was 41 and Zaida 36. From there we follow them to Seattle, Washington through a July 2, 1920 newspaper clipping telling of a performance of "Ship Ahoy Girls" at Loew's Palace Hippodrome. By July 9th they were in Portland, Oregon according to the Oregonian.

In the 1930 census they seem to have come back to Detroit, Michigan where Bobby was working as a Stage Director for a theater. He was 52 and would die only a few years later. As far as we can tell, Zaida was no longer performing at 48 and was simply keeping house.

After Bobby died, she married his brother, William E Barker (October 2, 1934). According to the 1940 census they had moved back to Cleveland. Like his brother Bobby, William was also involved in performance. It lists his occupation at this time as a music director. He died in 1955.
                                         
 Zaida married one final time around 1955 to Martin Lee Cleveland Rice. This is the uncle that my mother and cousins would remember. Zaida never had children with any of her marriages. She passed away in October of 1974 in Lambertville, Michigan. She's buried in Toledo Memorial Park in Sylvania, Ohio.          

What an amazing and crazy life she must have had. I have to thank Vicki for following her line just because she wanted to know more. I appreciate all the work it took to untangle that information.

Zaida & Lee