The True Story of Lucille, 1883-1967
I have been working on a book for a few years about Lucille. She lived from 1883 until 1967. When I started writing about her, I knew very little about her. I didn't even know when or where she lived, just that she was alive around 1900 and that she was a professional violinist.
Lucille Billingsley Kidder was my husband's great-great-aunt. She was his mother's great-aunt, her grandfather's sister. About three or four years ago, Mark's mom gave us some antique violins, and said they belonged to her grandfather's sister, but that she didn't know much more about her outside of the fact she was a professional violinist.
The case was a double case, and included two very well made violins, one obviously her practice violin and one her "show" violin. There were some items in the case, including an orchestra performance schedule from the USS Baltic on July 4, 1906, a grocery list, a piece of paper with a doctor's address on it, a copy of her husband's will, some newspaper clippings about personal hygiene, and a letter from a violin repair shop in Brooklyn. These, and a few other "to-do" lists and notes (one was a list of songs to learn and practice, another was a list of books she intended to read)were the only "clues" we had about Lucille.
Thanks to the miracle of the internet, I started piecing together remnants of Lucille's life. It has been difficult, and has taken me a long time. I found it interesting when we started that Mark's mom didn't know much about Lucille, and it became clear as I did more research that she had no children. It bothered me that her ancestors knew virtually nothing of her, only two generations removed. I started thinking about any person that is alive should have something of value to pass on, not only to their family but to society.
I think of an anecdote that I've heard more than once, in various forms, that is something along these lines: You die twice; once when you stop breathing and the second time the moment your name ceases to be spoken. I didn't want Lucille to go unknown. I wanted to know who she was, what she wanted from life, and the impact she made on the world around her.
I learned that Lucille had four siblings. I learned that mental illness was prevalent in their family. I learned she married at a later age than was the norm for that time. I learned that her husband was a philanderer, and basically abandoned her. I learned that she seemingly gave up her music for him, and never returned to it. I learned that she took care of her aging parents. I learned that she never remarried, even after divorcing her husband during an era this was not acceptable. I learned that she died in 1967, but I still haven't learned where she lived after 1940 or what she did for a living. I did learned more about her sister and her family, but not enough.
In truth, I haven't learned enough about any of them. I want to see them, to know them, to know what they liked and disliked and who they voted for. I want to know what made them sad and why they made the choices they did.
Even though I don't know all of these things, their story still haunts me and stays with me. I am writing a novel about what I think their story is, but it isn't true. However, even untrue, it will still give justice to the people who have died that no one knew. I feel them speaking to me, and I will tell it the way I know how. On this page, however, I will tell the true story, filling in details as I find them.
1883
Lucille Billingsley was born October 19, 1883, in Bastrop Louisiana to James Jackson Billingsley and Georgine Wartelle Billingsley. At this time, Lucille's older brother James Wartelle was already born, and eventually this family would include five children. Eudora was born in 1885, Frederic Nichols (Mark's great-grandfather) was born in 1887. By 1891, the family had moved to Mentor Lake, Ohio and the baby, Marguerite, was born there then.
James Jackson was a Methodist preacher. Lucille attended The Shephardson College Conservatory of Music at Denison University in Ohio, studying violin. Lucille attended the Indianapolis Conservatory of Music, possibly graduating in 1900.
While not Lucille, this link is of a violinist performing De Beriot's Opus 99, 8th movement, which was a piece Lucille performed often. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZ_EelKqyE
In 1902, Lucille studied under the famed Henry Schradieck in Brooklyn, New York. During this time she performed many times.
Mozart Sonata in E Minor for Violin and Piano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y2PQ4lzCsg
Lucille Billingsley Kidder was my husband's great-great-aunt. She was his mother's great-aunt, her grandfather's sister. About three or four years ago, Mark's mom gave us some antique violins, and said they belonged to her grandfather's sister, but that she didn't know much more about her outside of the fact she was a professional violinist.
The case was a double case, and included two very well made violins, one obviously her practice violin and one her "show" violin. There were some items in the case, including an orchestra performance schedule from the USS Baltic on July 4, 1906, a grocery list, a piece of paper with a doctor's address on it, a copy of her husband's will, some newspaper clippings about personal hygiene, and a letter from a violin repair shop in Brooklyn. These, and a few other "to-do" lists and notes (one was a list of songs to learn and practice, another was a list of books she intended to read)were the only "clues" we had about Lucille.
Thanks to the miracle of the internet, I started piecing together remnants of Lucille's life. It has been difficult, and has taken me a long time. I found it interesting when we started that Mark's mom didn't know much about Lucille, and it became clear as I did more research that she had no children. It bothered me that her ancestors knew virtually nothing of her, only two generations removed. I started thinking about any person that is alive should have something of value to pass on, not only to their family but to society.
I think of an anecdote that I've heard more than once, in various forms, that is something along these lines: You die twice; once when you stop breathing and the second time the moment your name ceases to be spoken. I didn't want Lucille to go unknown. I wanted to know who she was, what she wanted from life, and the impact she made on the world around her.
I learned that Lucille had four siblings. I learned that mental illness was prevalent in their family. I learned she married at a later age than was the norm for that time. I learned that her husband was a philanderer, and basically abandoned her. I learned that she seemingly gave up her music for him, and never returned to it. I learned that she took care of her aging parents. I learned that she never remarried, even after divorcing her husband during an era this was not acceptable. I learned that she died in 1967, but I still haven't learned where she lived after 1940 or what she did for a living. I did learned more about her sister and her family, but not enough.
In truth, I haven't learned enough about any of them. I want to see them, to know them, to know what they liked and disliked and who they voted for. I want to know what made them sad and why they made the choices they did.
Even though I don't know all of these things, their story still haunts me and stays with me. I am writing a novel about what I think their story is, but it isn't true. However, even untrue, it will still give justice to the people who have died that no one knew. I feel them speaking to me, and I will tell it the way I know how. On this page, however, I will tell the true story, filling in details as I find them.
1883
Lucille Billingsley was born October 19, 1883, in Bastrop Louisiana to James Jackson Billingsley and Georgine Wartelle Billingsley. At this time, Lucille's older brother James Wartelle was already born, and eventually this family would include five children. Eudora was born in 1885, Frederic Nichols (Mark's great-grandfather) was born in 1887. By 1891, the family had moved to Mentor Lake, Ohio and the baby, Marguerite, was born there then.
James Jackson was a Methodist preacher. Lucille attended The Shephardson College Conservatory of Music at Denison University in Ohio, studying violin. Lucille attended the Indianapolis Conservatory of Music, possibly graduating in 1900.
While not Lucille, this link is of a violinist performing De Beriot's Opus 99, 8th movement, which was a piece Lucille performed often. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZ_EelKqyE
In 1902, Lucille studied under the famed Henry Schradieck in Brooklyn, New York. During this time she performed many times.
Mozart Sonata in E Minor for Violin and Piano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y2PQ4lzCsg
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