Copyright © 2023 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Julius Fehrman was listed as a Sosman & Landis employee in 1885. His name was included in a list of individuals who made donations to the Grant Memorial Fund. On August 2, 1885, the Chicago Tribune” reported that Fehrman donated 50 cents. Fehrman was a stage carpenter.
Juls Fährmann emigrated with his family from Prussia in 1867. At the time, Julius was only nine-months-old, the youngest of three children born to Carl and Marie Fährmann.
I was able to locate the Fährmann’s on a passenger list from Hamburg to New York that fall. The departed Hamburg on Oct. 5, 1867, arriving in New York Harbor on October 23. They sailed aboard the Borussia, a vessel in the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft shipping line. Coserow, Preußen was listed as their home. Today, their home is known as Koserow, a municipality on Usedom Island, in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. For centuries, the economy of the Koserow village was based on fishing and agriculture.
Map showing where the Fährmann family lived before sailing to the United States in 1867.
The 1867 passenger list included the following Fährmann members:
Carl (35 yrs., butcher)
Marie (36 yrs.)
Ottilie (7 yrs.)
Bertha (4 yrs.) –
Juls (9 ½ months)
By 1880, the Fährmann family was living in Chicago, and had changed their surname to Fehrman, although over the actual spelling would constantly change in directory listings. Some of their first names became Americanized too. This may have happened upon their arrival at Ellis Island, or shortly thereafter, as many Eastern European Jewish immigrants used anglicized or truncated versions of their Jewish surnames.
The 1880 Census listed the following Fehrmann members:
Charles (45 yrs., works as butcher)
Marie (46 yrs.)
Ottilie (20 yrs., works in show factory)
Bertha (17 yrs., works at paper box co.)
Juls (13 years, at school)
Their household also included Frank Schertgeger, a 24-yrs.-old cousin who worked as a clerk in a dry goods store. Their address was 66 Cornell Street, and they would remain on Cornell for quite some time.
Sadly, the patriarch of the family, Charles Fehrmann, passed away on April 20, 1881. His death certificate listed that he was a 49 yrs. old butcher who was buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago. So many Sosman & Landis employees were buried here, including the two founders of the firm.
The Fährmann family continued to reside on the same street, Cornell. Directory listings show the wide variations of the Fährmann name over the years. Due to constant misspellings, it is almost impossible to trace individual members. I was only able to locate Carl’s widow by her address. Here are the listing’s for Julius’ mother Mary Fehrmann from 1882-1889:
1882 Chicago Directory: Fehrmann, Mary wid. Charles, house 62 Cornell
1885: Chicago Directory: Fharmann, Mary wid. Charles, house 62 Cornell
1887: Chicago Directory: Fahrmann Mary, wid.. Charles, h. 62 Cornell
1889 Chicago Directory: Feurman, Mary, wid. Charles h 62 Cornell
It remains unclear as to when or where Julius entered the theatre. The abovementioned 1885 newspaper article lists Julius Fehrmann as a Sosman & Landis employee. He would have been 18 yrs. old at the time, likely living with his widowed mother and financially contributing to the household. I have yet to locate any other listing for a “Julius Fehrmann” in the region.
Interestingly, I discovered two newspaper articles from 1892 that listed Julius Fehrman as part of a touring production. That year he was associated with Alexander Salvini.
Alexander Salvini image from the Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. “Alexander Salvini” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-3a8d-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Like Fehrman, Salvini Americanized his first name, changing it from Alessandro to Alexander. Born in Rome to the famous tragedian, Thomas Salvini, Alexander Salvini’s American debut was in 1882. After a visit to Italy in 1890, Salvini returned to the US to tour with an impressive wardrobe form his father’s extensive costume collection, and began a tour. Julius Fehrman toured with Salvini in 1892 and 1893.
On August 28, 1892, the Buffalo Courier reported, “Alexander Salvini’s Company this season includes William Redmund, John T. Burke, William Ranous, Ben. Johnson, Edmond Day, Paul Cazeneve, J. B. Murphree, George Clare, Julius Fehrman, Max Mazzanovick, Edwin Lewis, Antonio Rusini, Judith Berolde, Augusta DeForrest, Maude Dixon, Grace Webster, with Alfred Bradley, agent George W. Magee, treasurer, and W. M. Wilkinson, Manager” (page 10).
Julius Fehrman listed as the Judge in Salvini’s production of “Don Cæsar de Bazan”, 1892.
I need to put this brief mention in technical theatrical context.
Fehrman’s name was listed just before Max Mazzanovick. This is well-known theatre technician Maximillian Mazzanovich (1870-1950). It was Mazzanovich who helped me later place Fehrman in New York, working as a stage carpenter again in 1900. The inclusion of Mazzanovich’s name also made me wonder if they were the technical crew for the production. This was actually Maximillian Mazzanovich (1870-1950), the son of Lorenzo Mazzanovich and brother of John C. Mazzanovich (scenic artist, 1856-1886) and Lawrence Mazzanovich (landscape painter, 1871-1959). In the 19th century, it was common for members from the technical staff to fill in on stage, performing smaller roles in productions necessitating a large cast. It made financial sense, at it reduced the need to hire local actors. Before joining Salvini, Max was connected with the A. M. Palmer Stock company, of which Maurice Barrymore (Lionel’s father) was a member. Mazzanovich remained with Salvini’s troop until 1895. After Salvini, Mazzanovich became the technical man for Klaw & Erlanger, and was associated the famous Drury Lane plays that included ‘Silver Slipper,’ ‘Mother Goose,’ and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ On an interesting side note, Max was a stagehand with the Bluebeard Co. when the Iroquois fire occurred in 1903. Purportedly, Max was outside smoking when the fire broke out, and therefore did not see the flames until the conflagration was well underway. He was among those arrested and held on bail. Max later went on to serve as George M. Cohan’s technical director for 32 uninterrupted years, retiring in 1938. His first show with Cohan was ‘Forty-five Minutes from Broadway’ (c. 1906) In census reports, he listed his trade master mechanic in the Theatre industry (1920) and Directory in the Theatre Industry (1930).
The second 1892 article also concerned Salvini’s tour, again listing both Fehrman and Mazzanovich. On Dec 14, 1892, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that Julius Fehrman played the role of the judge in Salvini’s “Don Caesar de Bazan” at the Seattle Theatre (page 5). Other members of the cast included William Redmund, William Ranous, George Clare, William Marston, Charles Richards, Edmund Day, Max Mazzanovich, J. B. Murphree , Edward Lewis, Judith Berolde, Augusta De Forrest, and Maud Dixon.”
Fehrman was still with Mazzanovich and Salvini in 1893. On March 7, 1893, the Philadelphia Inquirer listed Julius Fehrman in the role of Pacola and Max Mazzanovich in the role of Perez in “Don Cæsar de Bazan” at the Walnut Street Theatre (page 7). Salvini’s Company also toured with “The Three Guardsman.”
Julius Fehrman listed as Pacola in Salvini’s production of “Don Cæsar de Bazan”, 1893.
It was Mazzanovich who helped me later place Fehrman in New York, working as a stage carpenter again in 1900. That year. The US Federal Census listed Jules Fehrman working as a stage carpenter and living at 225 Bowery Street in Manhattan, New York. That year, Mazzanovich was also living in Manhattan, with his wife of five years, Marie. Mazzanovich was listed as a “property man” living in Manhattan.
The last mention in that I have discovered for Fahrman was from 1908. On March 24, The Standard Union reported, “LEG BROKEN BY FALL AT RUNAWAY GATE. Frightened by a passing automobile on the bride to-day, two horses attaches to a truck of the Curtain Transfer Company, at 266 Bowery, Manhattan, bolted and broke away from control of their driver. The driver, James Judge, of 3 North Third street, jumped from the wagon, but his helper, Jules Fehrman, 41 years old, of 243 Bowery, Manhattan, remained clinging to his seat. The signal was given and the runaway gate at the Brooklyn terminal was closed. In spite of this, however, the horses continued their headlong flight and smashed into the gate with full force. Fehrman was thrown over the runaway gate and his leg was broken. He was removed to the Williamsburg Hospital by Dr. Baum. One of the horses was also fatally injured” (page 2).
Fehrman died four days later.
His death certificate, dated March 28, 1908, cited “fracture of left leg and chronic alcoholism” as his cause of death at Williamsburg Hospital. He was buried on April 1, 1908, at Linden Hill.
1909 Map showing the location of Linden Hill Cemetery and the Cemetery of Ahawath Chesed.
The death record does no specify whether it was Linden Hill Methodist Cemetery or the adjacent Cemetery of Ahawath Chesed. Linden Hill is located, near the intersection of Flushing and Metropolitan Avenues in Ridgewood, Queens, New York. Although Methodist, Linden Hill Cemetery has always been nonsectarian, with graves of individuals from multi-ethnic backgrounds. Linden Hill Jewish Cemetery occupies ten-acres on the northwest side of the Methodist Cemetery. In 1875, Ahawath Chesed, a prosperous German Jewish congregation located in midtown Manhattan acquired the tract of land on Linden Hill. Ahawath Chesed is now known as Central Synagogue. David Belasco is buried at the Cemetery of Ahawath Chesed.
The Belasco Mausoleum at Linden Hill Jewish Cemetery, April 2016 (photograph by Mary French).Here is the link to the photograph: https://nycemetery.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/belascomausoleum_april2016.jpg
If I locate any more information about the life and career of Julius Fehrmann, I will update this post.
Astonishing research
Thank you.