Copyright © 2023 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
This post continues my prequel to the establishment of Sosman & Landis, a Chicago scenic studio that delivered stage scenery to more than 6000 theaters between 1880 and 1902. In addition to painted scenery, the firm also manufactured stage machinery and lighting systems. They outfitted a variety of performance venues throughout North America and overseas.
In my quest to fully understand the innerworkings of the studio and the various personalities employed there, I wrote 113 staff biographies.
I also began to zoom in on the early life and career of Joe Sosman. Sosman was a scenic artist and visionary for the firm.
Here are my three previous posts about Sosman’s early life and career:
Sosman & Landis, Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre: From Soldier to Sign Painter https://drypigment.net/2022/12/18/sosman-landis-shaping-the-landscape-of-american-theatre-joe-sosman-from-soldier-to-sign-painter-1864-1874/
Sosman & Landis, Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre: Sosman’s Mentor, T. B. Harrison
Sosman & Landis, Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre: Sosman & Blaine
Perry Landis brought a substantial amount of business knowledge to their partnership. He was a skilled salesman, who intimately understood successful marketing . Landis was also very well connected throughout the midwestern and western states.
Sosman met Landis in 1875. At the time both were closely connected to Fairfield, Iowa. Sosman had just painted scenery for the new opera house, assisted by stage carpenter and scene painter J. C. Blaine. Sosman and Blaine extended their stay in Fairfield that fall to complete several other projects for local businesses.
Landis had deep ties to the Fairfield area, with three of brothers born there. He made frequent visits to town around the time that Sosman was painting scenery at Semon’s. When the two eventually met, they would have shared a common bond, as each intimately knowing many of the town’s more vociferous personalities.
Semon’s Opera House in Fairfield Iowa the year after Joseph Sosman painted scenery for the stage, c. 1876
The success of Sosman & Landis could be attributed to their network of support, especially from the Landis family. Four of Perry’s brothers became actively involved in the business; uprooting their lives and moving to Chicago to work with Perry. The Landis brothers brought a lot to the table. To fully understand the success of Sosman & Landis, one needs to examine the Landis family as a whole. They were a close-knit group of risk takers.
This story will take some time to tell. Here is a basic summary of Perry’s family tree. I will get down to business in my next post.
The Landis Family
Perry was the eighth of twelve children born to Henry H. Landis (1809-1893) and Catherine Johnston Landis (1817-1902). I am going to start with Perry’s grandparents, as they help place this family in Indiana during the early nineteenth-century. There are quite a few genealogical records that have erroneously linked individuals with the last name of Landis, those people who share close names and dates.
Perry Landis is part of the Landis family that settled in the eastern part of Indiana; the counties of Union and Franklin.
Location of Union County, Indiana, and Franklin County, Indiana.
Map of Franklin County, Indiana. Brookville is the county seat.
Perry’s Grandparents
I am going to start with Perry’s grandfather, David Landis (1767-1814). He married Elizabeth “Betsy” Picklesimer (1779-1871), on May 31, 1800, in Franklin County, Virginia. Their first child, Sarah, was born on May 1, 1805, in Virginia. Sometime between the birth of their first and second child, they couple moved from Virginia to Ohio, a 450-mile journey. Their second child (Perry’s father, Henry) was born in Middletown, Butler County, Ohio. The couple remained in Ohio for the remainder of their lives, celebrating the birth of a third child, Jacob, in 1812.
David Landis passed away on March 24, 1814, in Goodwins Corner [Liberty], Union County, Indiana. Elizabeth buried her first husband in Railsback Cemetery while pregnant with their last child. Elizabeth was born in Franklin County less than three months later, on June 9, 1814. At the time of David’s passing, his son Henry (Perry’s father), was only five years old. Betsy remarried when she was 39 yrs. On Feb. 26, 1818, Elizabeth Landis married John Moss (1786-1862), in Preble County, Ohio. Preble County is located approximately 40 miles northeast of Franklin County. They celebrated the birth of their only child, Phebe, on Jan. 19, 1819.
Elizabeth, and her three daughters (Sarah, Elizabeth and Phebe) never left the area. At the age of 92 yrs. old, Elizabeth Landis Moss (Perry’s grandmother) passed away and was laid to rest in Sims Cemetery, Harmony Township, Union County. This was in 1871. Unfortunately, the construction of Brookville Lake, necessitated that her remains were relocated to the New Fairfield Community Cemetery in Franklin County.
Henry Landis grew to adulthood in Franklin County where he met and married his future wife.
Perry’s Parents
The Indiana marriage registration for Henry Landis and Catherine Johnston is dated Oct. 1, 1831. Their wedding ceremony took place on Oct. 6, 1831, in Franklin County. For geographical context, Franklin County is located 25 miles due south of Union County; it is on the eastern border of Indiana, approximately 45 miles northwest of Cincinnati, Ohio, and 70 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
Catherine Johnston was the youngest of seven children born to James Johnston (b. abt. 1784) and Mary Groff (b. 1786). Like her siblings, she was born in Mansfield, Sussex County, New Jersey, on June 6, 1817. As a young girl, she moved with her family from New Jersey to Indiana. Her father ran a local dry goods store in Brookville, and advertised in Franklin County newspapers. On May 29, 1824, he placed an advertisement in the Western Emporium, listing the location of his store as “three doors south of the Printing Office, in Brookville.” On June 19, 1824, his advertisement in the Public Ledger announced that he had commenced the manufacture of tin ware. Johnston began operating a second store in nearby Richmond, 30 miles due north of Brookville.
Ad placed by James Johnston, Catherine Johnston Landis’ father, in 1824.
Ad placed by James Johnston, Catherine Johnston Landis’ father, in 1824.
Interestingly, on July 12, 1828, the Franklin Repository listed James Johnston as a candidate for city coroner. And that was the last that I have located about Catherine’s father. By 1829, both James and Mary Johnston had passed away. At the time, Catherine was only 12 yrs. old. James Johnston’s estate went into probate in 1830. Unfortunately, the court records are almost illegible, and I have yet to glean any information about Catherine’s life between the death of her parents and marriage to Landis. However, Catherine was only 14 yrs. old when she married her 22-yrs.-old husband in 1831. By 15 yrs. old she was a mother.
The birth of Henry and Catherine Landis’ children track the Landis family’s whereabouts after leaving Indiana. They seldom settled in any one place for long. Mary Landis was the first child born to the couple in Ohio, arriving on March 5, 1833. Mary arrived a month before her mother’s 16th birthday. Her second child, John Anderson Landis, was also born in Ohio on Jan. 14, 1835. His birthplace is listed as Xenia, Greene County, Ohio, indicating a move to the Dayton area. geographical context, Xenia, is about 55 miles due east of Union County, approximately 15 miles southwest of Dayton, Ohio. There is a four-year gap between children, and I would hazard a guess that a child died in infancy.
The Landis family lived in Xenia, Ohio, when John A. Landis was born in 1835.
Their third surviving child, David, was also born in Ohio on May 31, 1839, although neither city nor county are listed on his birth record. By 1840, the Landis family lived in Oxford, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. That year, the U. S. Federal Census listed a Henry Landis a h ead of household, living with three young children and an adult female. Keep in mind that some of the early census reports only recorded head of household names, not any familial relations; so, you have to guess who is living in the home. By the way, Oxford is approximately 17 miles northeast of Brookville, Indiana. Henry and Mary returned to Indiana with their three young children when Jacob H. Landis was born on Oct. 11, 1841.
Moving to Iowa
Sometime between 1841 and 1844, the Landis family moved from Indiana to Iowa. Joseph Landis was born in Fairfield, Iowa, on March 8, 1844. Timing is really everything when venturing a trek across the country. The Landis family’s arrival to Fairfield followed that of the Little Miami Railroad in 1843. Once Fairfield was connected to the ever-expanding railway system, it connected Fairfield farmers with other markets and farming communities.
Two more Landis children were born in Iowa during the mid-1840s, but neither survived infancy. On July 10, 1846, an unnamed daughter was born, dying only two days later. Another daughter, Julia Ann Landis, was born on August 17, 1847, but also died in infancy, passing away on Sept. 11, 1847. Whether it was loss, or something else, the Landis family returned to Indiana by the end of the decade.
A Brief Return to Indiana
Perry Landis was born in Clifty Township, Indiana, on Nov. 19, 1849, although some records site his birth year as early as 1848. For geographical context Clifty Township is one of twelve townships located in Bartholomew County, Indiana. In other words, they were living approximately 50 miles southwest of Franklin County.
The next two Landis sons were also born in Indiana. James Henry Landis was born on Feb. 6, 1851, and Edgar Landis was born on Feb. 7, 1852. The age gap between the youngest Landis son and the eldest Landis child was substantial. On Sept. 15, 1853, Mary Landis married Robert Alexander Marshall in Decatur, Indiana. By 1854, the Marshalls and the extended Landis family moved to Iowa, settling in Keokuk County.
Back to Iowa
Henry and Catherine Landis lived on a farm near Fairfield, Iowa, in 1854. From a historical standpoint, Fairfield was site for the first and second Iowa State Fair in 1854 and 1855. Only a year earlier, Fairfield became the first city in Iowa to offer library services. It was an area filled with opportunity. In 1855, H. H. Landis entered produce in the Iowa State Agricultural Society’s Annual Fair. In fact, on October 25, 1855, the Fairfield Ledger credited H. H. Landis with the three largest squashes in Class No. 24 – Vegetables (page 1). In 1856, the Landis family celebrated the birth of Franklin Landis on March 11, 1856. That same year, the Landis family moved 30 miles northwest of Fairfield, settling in Steady Run Township to be near their eldest child Mary who was pregnant. Mary and Robert Marshall celebrated the birth of Jennetta in 1857. Although grandparents, Henry and Catherine Landis celebrated the birth of another son; Charles Landis arrived on July 12, 1858.
The location of Fairfield and Steady Run, Iowa.
The 1860 US Federal census listed Henry and Catherine still farming in Steady Run Township and living with eight of their children: David (21 yrs.), Jacob (19 yrs.), Joseph (16 yrs.), Perry (12 yrs.), James H. (8 yrs.), Edgar (6 yrs.), Franklin (3 yrs.) and Charles (2 yrs.). Loss would follow the Landis family during the early 1860s, with three children dying over the course of four short years.
On Dec. 18, 1860, their son, James Henry Landis, died in Steady Run Township. At the time, he was only 9 years 10 months and 12 days old. James was buried at Martinsburg Cemetery, near Competine, Wapello County, Iowa. Less than two weeks later, their daughter, Mary Ann Landis Marshall, died on Jan. 2, 1861. She was also buried in Martinsburg Cemetery. Then, David Landis passed away from complications after being injured in battle on Dec. 20, 1863.
Their loss was compounded by the constant threat of the Civil War. Five of the eight Landis children had joined the Union Army.
To be continued…
