Daisy White's Final Resting Place Found

 

Daisy White, whose real name was Gertrude Nickerson, is buried in the St. Michaels Cemetery in East Elmhurst NY. She was an assistant to Servais LeRoy, Frank Ducrot, and possibly Houdini at some point. She was a demonstrator for Frank Ducrot and also worked as his secretary. Daisy is the model for the illusions in the Jarrett Book by Guy Jarrett. 

I wrote about her on my blog and spoke about her on my podcast. BTW, the podcast has the incorrect information about her grave. THIS is the correct info. It's been so difficult to track her down, but someone did independent of me. Thankfully we have the information. She died July 20th, 1957.

There is a gravestone which was dedicated in 2017 with her name Daisy White and also Gertrude Nickerson on it. It says 'Vaudeville Dancer' and mentions her associations with magicians. I do not have a photo of the grave, nor do I have the exact location. Prior to the gravestone she laid in an unmarked grave.

The cemeteries website is:  https://stmichaelscemetery.com/

The Grave of Montraville Wood

 

Who is Montraville Wood? He was a magic builder/inventor who created a slew of tricks. These include: The Disappearing Handkercheif from the side of a Gun, Vanishing Cards on Top of a Gun, A Coin Dropper used by T.Nelson Downs, A Second Sight System, and more. OH, and maybe his greatest creation was Houdini's Milk Can escape. 

He was born in 1860 in Catteraugus NY. He eventually settled in Berwyn Illinois. In the last years of his life he was working on a Monorail system for St. Louis. He is often listed in the magic periodicals as M.M Wood, as opposed to Montraville Wood.

He died at the age of 62 on January 6th, 1923. He is buried in the Mount Auburn Memorial Park in Stickney Illinois. in the Fairlawn plot section. 

Photo from FindAGrave.com, link below.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139065797/montraville_m-wood/flower#view-photo=113365633

The Grave of magician Paul Valadon

 

Here lies the remains of magician Paul Valadon. The famous story of Valadon begins when Harry Kellar was in search of the secret to the Maskelyne Levitation. Unable to obtain it, he hired away Paul Valadon in the hopes that Mr. Valadon could help him build the incredible illusion. There is quite a bit of conjecture surrounding the events, but one thing is for sure. Valadon did eventually go to work for Harry Kellar, and Kellar did end up with a version, though vastly improved version of the Maskelyne levitation.

Paul Valadon died in Phoenix Arizona on April 23rd, 1913 at the young age of 45. He died from Tuberculosis. He is buried in the Greenwood Memory Park Cemetery in Phoenix. 

To learn more about Valadon, watch for an upcoming episode of The Magic Detective Podcast.

The Grave of The Amazing Kreskin

 

Kreskin has died. The most famous mentalist of the late 20th Century into the 21st Century. Born  January 12th 1935, George Joseph Kresge Jr first appeared as a baby in Montclair NJ. As a boy he was inspired to become a magician by reading the comic strip Mandrake the Magician. 

He clearly had an interest in the history of magic because it's claimed he used the names Harry Kellar and Houdini to come up with KRESKIN. You can figure that one out on your own. 

During the 1960, 70s, 80, 90s and beyond Kreskin was the most popular mentalist in American. His name was synonymous with reading someones mind. He appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 88 different times. And he made appearances on every other major talk show. 

His most astonishing feat was having his paycheck hidden by a member of the audience and then, while blindfolded, he would proceed to find it! He only ever lost the check a couple times in his career.

He died Dec 10th , 2024, of complications of dementia. He was in an assisted living facility and surrounded by family when he passed. 

Kreskin is bured in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Caldwell NJ.

Sears The Illusionist

 

Harry Sears Knight was a remarkable man. He had an interest in magic from an early childhood. In his teens, he started to perform professionally. By his mid 20s he was performing in England and all over Europe. He developed a show with 45 people as well as animals like, an elephant, a camel, horses, snakes and much more. His sets were extravagant, he was way ahead of his time in the manner in which he performed. Very theatrical.

Then he seemingly vanished. More appropriately he went underground. To find out more on his life and what happened to him, listen to my podcast episode 103. 

Harry Sears (Knight) is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma California, which is in San Mateo County. He died June 4th, 1961.

There is a photo of the grave on https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84550444/harry-sears

Grave of Rameses The Egyptian Mystic

 

Albert Marchinsky was born in Poland in 1876. He came from a very large family. He had 3 brothers and 5 sisters. At age 14 he saw a magician at the Royal Aquarium Theater in London and got hooked on magic. He started doing shows shortly thereafter. 

Eventually, Albert chose the moniker of Rameses, an Egyptian character to present his magic and to set himself apart from other performers. This was not a parody act and some sources claim he was very serious about his portrayal, having studied Egyptology in depth.

It is said his magic was not anything new, but the manner in which it was presented was very unique. He and his cast wore elaborate Egyptian style clothing, his backdrops and curtains all had beautiful painted scenes with pyramids and statues. 

Albert Marchinksy was only 54 when he died, the same age his father was when he died. He is buried in the Edmonton Federation of Synagogues Cemetery in Edmonton, London Borough of Enfield, Greater London, England. He died July 31, 1930.

To learn more about Rameses, check out The Magic Detective Podcast, Episode 101

The Grave of Dr. Hoy

 

Dr. David Edwin Hoy was born July 21st, 1930 in Evansville Indiana. According to newspapers, he was a renowned psychic, but we know him as a mentalist. He performed under the name Dr. Faust. His popular booklet; The Bold and Subtle Miracles of Dr. Faust, is full of amazing feats, including his most popular creation, the Tossed Out Deck. 

Hoy died rather young, at only age 50, on April 2, 1981. He is buried in Paducah, KY in the Oak Grove Cemetery , Old Add, Sec7, Lot 98 Gr1.

(watch for an upcoming article on the Magic Detective blog on Dr. Hoy.)

Zancigs, Julius and Agnes, Pioneer Mindreaders

 

Julius and Agnes Zancig were pioneer Mindreader during the early 20th Century. Their catch phrase was "Two Mind But With One Thought" They were very popular in their day. Agnes passed away  in 1918 when the couple lived in Washington D.C. . Julius remained and carried on the act. He eventually passed way in 1929 in Santa Monica California.

The learn more about the Zancigs, please check out my podcast at https://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-21-the-zancigs-mindreaders/

Agnes Zancig- born 1849 in Copenhagen Denmark, died April 8th, 1918 in Washington D.C. She is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in D.C.  Section E, Lot 7, Site 2.

Julius Zancig - born 1857 in Copenhagen Denmark, died July 29th, 1929 in Santa Monica CA. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, Section 10, Lot 26 D. 

Ira Davenport

Ira Erastus Davenport was one half of the Davenport Brothers. His brother William Henry being the other brother. In the mid 1800s they presented a Spirit Cabinet effect to great acclaim during the rise of Spiritualism. They performed it in the States and in Europe and South America. 

William Henry died in Australia and his brother essentially gave up the act at that point. He returned to Mayville NY, not far from the Spiritualism capital of Lily Dale. 

In later life he befriended Houdini and shared with him his technique that was used to produce the various spirit phenomenon. The brothers never claimed to have supernatural powers, nor did they claim they were fakes. They left that up to the audience to decide.

He died in 1911. Ira is bored in the Mayville Cemetery, in Mayville NY. plot 0132 B2

 

Chevalier Ernest Thorn's Grave

 

Chevalier Ernest Thorn was one of the greatest illusion designer/creators of the 19/20th Century, but he is sadly mostly forgotten today. I have a blog article on his illusions that you can find here: https://www.themagicdetective.com/2020/01/the-illusions-of-chevalier-ernest-thorn.html as well as a podcast episode on his life, which you can find here: https://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-41-chevalier-ernest-thorn-european-grand-illusionist/

He died May 21st, 1928 and is buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery in Leipzig Germany.

Tony Slydini's Grave

 

Tony Slydini hardly needs an introduction. He was one of the greatest close-up/sleight of hand men of the 20th Century. What made him stand out among all the others is that he invented all his own moves. And according to his only officially authorized protege, Bill Wisch, Tony truly loved magic. His real name was Quintino Marucci born Sept 1st 1900 in Italy, died January 15th, 1991. 

The Magic Detective Podcast Ep 45 covers Slydini. http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-45-the-enigmatic-slydini/

The location of the grave was known to precious few. In fact, I've been trying to find out where it was for over a year. But thankfully, Bill Wisch has decided to reveal the location to all. We are forever grateful for revealing the location of Slydini's grave. Bill filmed a short video that you might enjoy...see below...

If you would like to pay your respects to Slydini in person, his final resting place is located at:

Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery

1500 Stuyvesant Ave. Union, NJ 07083

Mausoleum of the Good Shepherd

D Chapel-Unit B-Row 3

908-688-4300

The Grave of Imro Fox

The first comedy magician, by all accounts, was Imro Fox. He performed with Servais LeRoy and Frederick Eugene Powell in the Triple Alliance. He was likely the template for Servais LeRoy's character of BOSCO in the Monarchs of Magic. In fact, Fox used to do a trick with a duck and a chicken and he'd remove their heads and switch them on the two animals. Later, Servais LeRoy added this effect to his show.

Isadore IMRO Fox is buried in the Oheb Shalom Cemetery in 1321 North Broad St. Hillside NJ. He is buried in Lot 1001, Block 59, Grave #3. His wife Pauline is also buried there in Grave #2

You can learn more about Imro Fox on my podcast http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-43-imro-fox-the-comic-genuis/

Special Note: On FindAGrave.com he is listed in both Oheb Shalom Cemetery and then in another listing being in Evergreen Cemetery. These two cemeteries are right next to each other, but they are separate. He is NOT in Evergreen. I'm going to try and get that listing removed. Photo below courtesy of Tom Ewing, and used with his permission.

Eugene Laurant's Grave

Eugene Laurant, who was born Eugene Lawrence Greenleaf, has his ashes in  a crypt in the mausoleum  at Rosehill Cemetery, in Chicago. He was interred May 1st, 1944, though he passed away in Feb 19th, 1944. His service was conducted by magician turned clergyman John Booth.

He was born August 19, 1875 and died Feb 19th, 1944.

Carnegie The Magic Detective On The Radio

A couple weeks ago John Michael Marty of WSMI Radio out of Illinois interviewed me for his radio show. John and I were introduced through our mutual friend Steve Baker, known professionally as Mr. Escape. John contacted me about doing an interview where we would talk about Steve, and magic history, Houdini and my own professional performing career. We were supposed to do a 20 minute spot, but I think we ran around 45 minutes (including commercials). It was a fun interview and I thought you might like to listen to it.

Minerva Queen of Handcuffs

Minerva Queen of Handcuffs, also Queen of Mystery, was born Margaretha Snelling on Dec 18 1878 in Germany. Her career as an escape artist ran from 1904-1913. The retired from the stage after marrying illusion builder Guy Jarrett.

She is buried in Mission City Memorial Park, Santa Clara, CA, Plot Section K-3, No 26. She is buried with her fourth husband, George Backus. Sadly, though there is a spot on the grave marker for her name, Minerva's name does not appear on the gravestone at all.

For more information on Minerva, check out my podcast #26 on https://magicdetectivepodcast.com

the photos below were used with permission of Michael Stroud. 

Olive Dot Robinson Gravesite

When it comes to one of the greatest magician's assistants in history, surely one of the early ones was also one of the best. Olive Robinson was the wife of William E. Robinson. For a time she worked as Harry Kellar's chief assistant in his show. Later, when the Robinson's were wooed away by Alexander Herrmann, she became an assistant in his show. And when her husband, William Ellsworth Robinson hired her to be his chief assistant as well.

Her husband, in the roll of Chung Ling, was tragically killed on stage while presenting the Bullet Catch mystery in 1918. In 1922, Olive packed her bags and left England to head back to America. Oddly, she didn't tell anyone she had returned.Word was she was embarrassed by the death of her husband and the varied rumors surrounding the death.

When she arrived in New York in 1922, she didn't tell anyone she was here. She lived until the ripe old age of 71 passing away on Nov 13, 1934. She is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. In 2016 magic historian Diego Domingo raised money for a stone market to be placed on Dot's grave.

The Grave of W. D. LeRoy

William D. Le Roy was born in LaSalle Illinois August 5th, 1862. In his youth, he studied music and

the violin. By the age of 19 he was living in San Francisco and was giving classes on the violin. This appears to be where he picked up the magic bug and began to learn the trade. But, whether he met someone or discovered it from a book is not known.

In 1885, he made his first professional appearance as a magician at the Fountain Theatre in San Francisco according to the Feb 1909 issue of The Sphinx. He also appeared on the cover that month. 

In 1887, he relocated to Boston and by 1893 opened the Boston School of Magic on 103 Court Street. According to the website Auspostalhistory.com, Le Roy altered the way his name was spelled in 1906 from Le Roy to Leroy. I would guess because it was easier to remember or to distinguish himself from Servais Le Roy.

He is credited with having the largest and most up to date magic catalog of it's time. Besides selling magic he was a big advocate of magic fraternities and was instrumental in signing up many people to the Society of American Magicians.

Le Roy passed away on June 10th, 1919. He is buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Gloucester Mass.

The grave of Magic Dealer Otto Maurer

Otto Maurer was a magician and magic dealer who ran his own magic shop in the basement of 321 Bowery in NY for 28 years. His shop was a popular hang out for professionals and amatuer magicians. Houdini and Thurston both learned the then underground move (no pun intended) called the Back Palm from Maurer. To read more about Otto Maurer, please visit TheMagicDetective.com
Otto Maurer died of cancer at the age of 53 on May 15th, 1900.

He is buried in The Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens. The actual location is Public Lot 3, Map 5, Row 25, Grave 25.

The Grave of Henry Ridgely Evans

Born in Baltimore Maryland on November 7th, 1861, Henry Ridgely Evans can trace his family heritage all the way back to the early colonial days of America. In 1878, he became interested in magic while attending a performance of Robert Heller in Washington D.C.

H. Ridgely Evans never became a performing magician, but instead focused on magic history. He wrote a number of wonderful books on magic including 'The Old and the New Magic', 'Magic and It's Professors', and 'The History of Conjuring and Magic' just to name a few. He also wrote for Stanyon's MAGIC.

He died at the age of 87 in Baltimore Maryland. (died March 29th, 1949)Mr. Evans is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. His grave is in the Stewart Section, Plot #610 East. It is very difficult to find. It's near the back of the cemetery and the hills are treacherous, especially on a rainy day like it was when I was there.  The tombstone to the right is also from his family.

If you'd like to read more about Henry Ridgely Evans check out my other articles here
http://www.themagicdetective.com/2017/04/the-great-henry-ridgely-evans.html

Frederick Eugene Powell's Grave

Frederick Eugene Powell was born March 1st, 1856 in Chester PA.  He first became interested in magic by viewing the shows of Robert Heller, Signor Blitz, and Wyman the Wizard. Powell was a contemporary of Harry Kellar and Alexander Herrmann. For a time he formed a partnership with Servais LeRoy and Imro Fox, they called themselves The Triple Alliance.

Powell was a skilled conjurer, adept at both manipulation magic as well as large scale illusions. He presented a cremation illusion in his show as well as the very large Noahs Ark Illusion. He died very close to his 82nd birthday on Feb 27th, 1938.

During Powell's life he saw the Civil War first hand as well as World War 1. He saw the advent of radio and the movies. When he was alive people got from town to town either by horseback or by train. But during his life he saw the invention of the automobile as well as the airplane.

Frederick Eugene Powell is buried in an unmarked grave in his family plot at the Chester Rural Cemetery in Chester PA Plot: Sec K Lot 10 Grave 5