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Jane Quirk (c. 1878 – 13 July 1949) was a cornetist, vaudeville performer, and orchestra conductor.

Early life

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Jane Quirk was born Patsy Jane Holcomb, around 1878 in Keytesville, Missouri, the daughter of Ethan Holcomb and Martha Price.[1] She was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,[2] where from a young age she performed as a singer, dancer and cornetist, along with her brother and sister at social occasions and church events.[3][4] During her teens she lost most of her family, with her sister,[5] brother[6] and mother[7] dying within a five year period. Jane's father died in 1901.[8]

Life and career

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Patsy Jane Holcomb playing the cornet

After the death of her mother in 1898,[7] Jane went on the road performing as a cornet player for traveling orchestras, including the Kirchner's Famous Lady Orchestra,[9] and the Boston Ladies' Symphony Orchestra.[10] In 1903 Jane married fellow performer Billy Quirk in New York.[1] Jane and her husband bred and showed champion French bulldogs.[11] In 1907 Jane appeared on Broadway in "The Top O' Th' World," [12] a musical extravaganza in which Jane and five other dancers appeared in a "collie ballet," dancing with six collie dogs.[13]

As Jane Quirk

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Around 1909, Jane stopped going by "Patsy" and became professionally known as Jane Quirk.[14] She kept working and traveling, appearing in various plays, and eventually moved to conducting the orchestra for musical plays, including Jesse Lasky productions The Trained Nurses in 1912,[15] and Red Heads in 1913.[16] During the next few years, Jane continued to play the cornet, and was the conductor or musical director for various productions.[17][18] In 1916 Jane appeared in a stage act with her husband Billy Quirk.[19]

As Jane Frayne

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Around 1921 (possibly after her divorce from husband Billy Quirk), Jane's professional name became "Jane Frayne".[20][21] In 1924 she was the director of a jazz band, the "Knights of Harmony",[22] following which she presented "Jane Frayne's Toyland"[23] with the Shand family.

Later life

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According to Billy Quirk's death certificate,[24] the couple were divorced at the time of his death in 1926. In 1928, Jane married musician William Greene,[25] and retired from the stage in 1930.[26] Jane and William settled in Battle Creek, Michigan, where she ran a tea-room for a time,[27] and then for several years worked for Kellogg's.[26] Jane died on 13 July 1949 after a long illness.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Marriage Certificate for William A Quirk and Patsy J Holcomb". Historical Vital Records: The New York City Municipal Archives. 26 January 1903. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  2. ^ ""Theatrical News"". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 13 October 1900. p. 7. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Easter Services". Evening Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). 26 April 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  4. ^ "An Enjoyable Evening". Evening Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). 2 September 1891. p. 4. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. ^ "End of a Beautiful Life". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 15 July 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Orin Holcomb Dead". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 18 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Died on the Way Home". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 4 April 1898. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Pioneer Lawyer Gone". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 2 April 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Exhibition Week". The San Francisco Call. 24 March 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ "An Artistic Success". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 17 October 1900. p. 5. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Chorus Girls Come From All Stations and All Localities". The Denver Post. 18 October 1908. p. 8.
  12. ^ "Additional Greater New York". The Billboard. 19 (45): 17. 2 November 1907 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ "Plays and Players". The Rockford Morning Star. 9 December 1908. p. 5.
  14. ^ "Correspondence". Variety. XVI (6): 27. 16 October 1909 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ^ "The Trained Nurses". The Sunday Star. Washington D.C. 24 November 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Cedar Rapids Girl Pleases". The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. 1 October 1913. p. 10. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Keith Vaudeville". The Atlanta Constitution. 8 February 1918. p. 10. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Lady Minstrels Give Delightful Show at Grand". The Evening News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania). 5 December 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Quirk Returns to Stage". New York Clipper. 7 October 1916. p. 6. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  20. ^ "This Orchestra Director Quite Charms Audience at the Brandeis". Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). 22 September 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  21. ^ "In Averill Home". Cedar Rapids Republican. 1 April 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Humphreys and Good Orchestra for the Palace: Musical Comedy Pair Here Sunday". The Rockford Daily Register-Gazette. Rockford, Illinois. 23 August 1924. p. 12. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Toylands and Feature Vaudeville Saturday". The Olympian. Olympia, Washington. 28 November 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  24. ^ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994". FamilySearch. 21 April 1926. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Michigan US Marriage Records 1867-1952". Ancestry. 21 June 1928. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  26. ^ a b c "Vaudeville Veteran Succumbs Here at 60". Battle Creek Enquirer. Battle Creek, Michigan. 14 July 1949. p. 10. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  27. ^ "Two Women Can Now Carry Guns". Battle Creek Enquirer. 8 July 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
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