With a little help from friends...

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my great grandmother must have had a lot of "stories" to tell about her life. I discovered through vital records that she married her first husband Philip in St. James, Minnesota. Having contacted the Buffalo Bill Historical Center I was informed that Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show was NOT in Minnesota in 1906, thereby eliminating the possibility that Alma was a performer in that show. I also contacted the Watonwan County Historical Society where I was extremely lucky in having an associate help me with my research. She was the best! She searched the microfilm and found the marriage announcement of Alma and Philip published in the St. James Journal Gazette on June 1, 1906. Coincidentally, the same day Alma and Philip were married, there was an advertisement for the Gollmar Brothers Circus giving a performance in St. James! Fact: Alma could not have been a performer in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show in 1906 when the show was on the "other side of the pond". I will now move in a somewhat different direction. I will be looking into the history of the Gollmar Brothers Circus and see if perhaps Alma was a performer with that show. There is evidence that Philip was a theactrical agent at one time. Perhaps they worked for the same circus or show. I have that feeling again......that "itch" that I may be getting close to getting another clue here in my family history...

Here's the story, of a lovely lady......

In order to be "fair", I will share another story about a different ancestor. This time the story will be about my great grandmother Alma Guinee. I have no recollection of Great Grandmother Alma, she died when I was about eight years old. However, my grandmother Lucy shared the following story with my family when we asked questions about her. Here's how I remember the story....
Sometime after the turn of the 20th century, most likely between 1900-1906, Alma joined a circus, or a vaudeville show, or even perhaps Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show! (This story is very sketchy). She was only a teenager at the time. She may have traveled around the Midwest area with whatever show she was involved with. My grandmother Lucy told me Alma used the stage name of "Beatrice Arnold", which other relatives have also indicated to be true. In fact, people referred to her as "Bea". The story goes on to say that she performed song/dance routines and may have ridden a horse in whatever show she was in. According to my grandmother Lucy, Alma was actually a very good bareback rider. Apparently Alma very much enjoyed working as a performer and may have even had her picture on the cover of a playbill! (In the late 1930's or early 1940's, one of my cousins recalls her performing a song/dance routine for him to the song of "Shuffle off to Buffalo")
That's it. That's all I have of the story passed down to me. What parts are fact and fiction I do not know. How exciting as a child to think you might actually be related to someone in the circus or who may have really known Buffalo Bill! There are rumors that one of my cousins may actually have a copy of that playbill that Alma was privileged to be on the cover. I have yet to discover who may have it. As time goes by, my chances of getting a copy of that "playbill" may get smaller and smaller. My hope doesn't die though and my itch to find out more continues to grow.
I have been in contact with the Circus Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, unfortunately they have no record of a "Beatrice Arnold" working for the circus. Recently I have written to the Buffalo Bill Historical Society in the hope that perhaps they have copies of the shows' playbills. I do not have any personal pictures of Alma and I together. The few pictures I have however, do show a very lovely lady!