La Belle Titcomb

Heloise McCeney (19 January 1876-after 1920) stage name La Belle Titcomb, was an American vaudeville performer known as The Parisian Dancer on Horseback.[1] Her act usually had her riding upon a white horse while singing operatic arias.[2]

La Belle Titcomb

NYPL Digital Collection
Born (1876-01-19)January 19, 1876
Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.A.
Occupation Vaudeville Entertainer
Years active 1867 - 1903

Early life

Heloise McCeney [3] was born on January 19, 1876 in Washington, D.C.,[4] the daughter of Robert and Anna (née Broom) McCeney.[3] Robert McCeney, a native of Washington D.C., served as secretary for the National Fair Association in Washington.[3] He died in San Leandro, California on December 9, 1898 after a short bout with pneumonia.[5] Her mother died five years later on February 27, 1903, and was interred at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington D.C.,[6] as was her father and a younger brother, Robert, who died in 1884. McCeney also had a half-brother, Charles, from her mother's previous marriage.[7]

Marriages

Heloise McCeney's first marriage was to a San Francisco dentist, Charles B. Titcomb. Her second marriage, to Waine Weinerbet (his last name was given as "McEinbett" in a contemporary New York Times article) ended in divorce on May 13, 1910 [8] in Chicago on the grounds of "extreme cruelty."

Her third marriage was to fellow vaudeville performer Nat M. Wills on May 23, 1910. Upon their divorce four years later, she received a substantial alimony settlement which led to a legal battle to have the amount reduced after Wills married actress May Day (actress).[9]

Titcomb kept her married name after their divorce and listed herself as a widow after Wills died in 1917.[10] La Belle Titcomb continued to perform all over the world, though scant record of her exists after 1920.

Gallery


References

  1. ↑ The New York Times –Jan. 15, 1910
  2. ↑ Slide, Anthony. The Vaudevillians: a Dictionary of Vaudeville Performers. (New York: Arlington House, 1981).
  3. 1 2 3 1880 US Census Records
  4. ↑ U.S. Passport Application
  5. ↑ The Oakland Tribune – December 21, 1898
  6. ↑ Find a Grave.com
  7. ↑ U.S. Passport Application dated July 26, 1918
  8. ↑ "Nat Wills Weds Heloise Titcombe. - View Article - NYTimes.com". New York Times. 1910-05-24. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  9. ↑ "LIGHTS OF PARAGUAY GLOW AT WALDORF - G. L. Rickard, Returned Ranchman, Shows Worm and Bug-like Living Dynamos. GREEN AND RED LIGHTS Like Tiny Railroad Train and Automobile Moving in the Dark - Natives Use Them for Candles. - View Article - NYTimes.com". New York Times. 1915-04-14. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  10. ↑ "Ancestry.com". Search.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
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