Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
P. Dodd Ackerman married for a fourth and final time after Harriet Smith Ackerman’s passing in 1935.
His last wife’s maiden name was Helen M. Hamilton, but she was previously married, and her name was Helen Fling. Fling was an interesting woman, first working as a costumer in the theatre, and later specializing in marionettes and puppet theater; a marked departure from Ackerman’s previous wives and kindred spirit.
I initially had a difficult time tracking down either Helen M. Hamilton or Helen Fling down, until a small bit of information surfaced about her career in a 1956 newspaper article. That year the Fort Myers’ “News-Press” reported, “Mrs. Ackerman was an authority on puppets and puppet theaters. She is an author on several books of the subject” (6 Dec. 1956, page 15).” That was the key that helped me track down Ackerman’s 1937 marriage license and Helen Fling’s marionette books.
Helen M. Hamilton was born on October 13, 1886 in Ohio. I have located little about her early life or when she entered the theatre. That being said, I did locate a “Miss Helen M. Hamilton” in Zanesville, Ohio who matches the age and theatrical interest. The dates all match up for this young woman who performed in class plays, was known for her soprano voice at musical concerts, and took a trip to visit her sister in California. There were other women known as Helen Hamilton in Zanesville too, muddying the research waters. And on top of everything else, there was also a younger Helen M. Hamilton from Dayton, Ohio; the niece of J. P. Morgan who married Arthur Woods and moved to New York in 1916 (Dayton, Ohio, 24 March 1916, page 13). Except for the age discrepancy, that would have tied up my tale in a neat little bow. Well, historical research is never that easy.
It was not until after Helen M. Hamilton married her first husband and became Helen Fling that I was able to positively identify Ackerman’s final wife in newspapers during the 1920s; at least she made headlines, making the search possible.
In 1937 Philip D. Ackerman married Helen (Hamilton) Fling in New Jersey. I knew little of a “Mr. Fling” until I came across mention of a “Helen Hamilton” in the Fling family tree, posted to ancestry.com. I was actually beginning to wonder if there really was a Mr. Fling, and if Hamilton hadn’t just adopted the “Mrs.” for some social and economic freedom. Here is what I have uncovered…Hamilton married William F. D. Fling (1884-1969) April 26, 1918, but little is known about her first husband, their relationship or later divorce. Everything lines up, except the first name of Nell. The Marriage license lists “Nell” M. Hamilton for the marriage that took place in Queens in 1918, New York. At that time, “Nell” was a nickname for Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor.
Keep in mind that women’s names were very fluid in historical records and their official birth name was not always provided; they were not always the one passing information along. I have noticed that women were often listed by what their husbands called them during a particular period; the husbands were the ones providing information to a census reporter, county official, judge, etc.
If William Fling and Helen “Nell” Hamilton were married in 1918, here is what I discovered about Mr. William F. D. Fling. He was born in Irvington, New York, Nov. 1884, the son of James Libby Fling (1854-1923) and Ella F. D. Drake (1856-1923). One of three sons born to the couple, his brothers were Arthur R. Fling (1892-1941) and Harry Comly Fling (1882-1969). William Fling moved to San Diego, California and passed away there.
In regard to Helen Fling’s work as an author, she wrote four books under the title “Marionette Hobby Craft.” These four volumes were combined into a single work and still available today.
Her four books include:
“Treasure Chest of Marionette Hobby-Craft V I: Showing How You Can Make – Mould – Cast – Paint – Puppet and Marionette Heads”;
“Treasure Chest of Marionette Hobby – Craft V 2: Showing How to Make Marionette Hands-Feet-Legs-Arms and Bodies” ;
“Treasure Chest of Marionette Hobby – Craft V 3: Construction of Control, Stringing and Manipulation of Marionettes”; and
“Treasure Chest of Marionette Hobby-Craft V 4: Production – Stage craft, Direction and Preparation of Marionette Plays, Also One Complete Play.”
Each volume was illustrated by Charles Forbell (1886-1946), a well-known illustrator at the time. Forbell made a name for himself with is comic strip “Naughty Pete that was published in the “New York Herald.” Here is a link to an artistic interpretation of his comic strip: http://painting167.blogspot.com/2009/09/naughty-pete-1913.html
Peter Maresca also includes Forbell in his “Origins of the Sunday Comics” and is well worth the peak, see (https://www.gocomics.com/origins-of-the-sunday-comics/2015/08/21). Forbell also did a number of illustrations for the original “Life” magazine.
Helen Fling’s marionette books were republished in 1973 by Dover; all four volumes combined and marketed under a new title, “Marionettes, How To Make Them Work.” Here is a link to the book: (https://www.bookdepository.com/Marionettes-Helen-Fling/9780486229096). The original publications were also copied and available at Kessinger as rare publications.
The beginning of each marionette book gives a little background about Fling, stating “Helen Fling, author of Marionette Hobby-Craft, is well known for her research, performances, writings and lectures about construction and display of marionettes. She served her apprenticeship under masters of the theatre and puppeteer field and under her magic touch of knowledge these quaint figures with their jointed bodies, grotesque expressions and incredibly human gestures become alive.”
By 1921, Fling was working as a costumer for the Garden Players in Brooklyn, New York. That year she was the costumer for “The Lancashire Lass,” a melodrama performed by the Garden Player of Forest Hills at the Community House (The Chat, Brooklyn, 5 March 1921, page 11). At the time, Fling was thirty-five years old. She was still working for the Garden Players in 1928, alongside Elton Clark, Bill Colton and Fred Kentner. The four were responsible for the show “Correcting History, The Lowdown on Napoleon Just Before He Went to Water Lou,” performed at the “Garden Varieties, ‘28” at the Forest Hills Theatre on Continental Avenue (The Chat, 28 April 1928, page 6). That same year, on May 12, 1928, “The Chat” announced the officers and committee members elected to the Garden Players that year (page 5). Fling and Patsy Renaud were the Garden Players membership committee.
In 1926, Fling traveled with Nancy Humpstone, Frida Scharman and Florence Tompkins. She was forty-years old at the time. They left July 1 to explore the western United States for about three weeks, visiting the Grand Canyon and various other points of interest. They then sailed from San Francisco to Honolulu, returning to Brooklyn by mid-September (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 16 May 1926, page 28).
At the age of fifty, Helen Fling assisted Miss Grace Wildern, supervisor of the Educational Puppetry Division of the WPA (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 June 1936, page 10). The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), later renamed the Works Projects Administration, included a story telling, dramatic and puppetry division in 1935. Founded on May 6, 1935, the WPA was an American New Deal Agency that sought to employ millions of job seekers to complete public works that included the construction of public buildings and roads. The initial appropriation was for 4.9 billion dollars, and between 1935 and 1943 8.5 million individuals were provided with employment, helping America recover during the Great Depression. We are still benefitting from their work today.
Of Helen’s education, all we know is from the 1945 US Federal Census. It listed her degree of education as “college, art academy,” the same as her husband’s at the time. I have yet to track down when or where she attended school for any artistic training. More on Helene and P. Dodd Ackerman’s live after they were wed in tomorrow.
To be continued…
