Yuma County, Colorado
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Yuma County Pioneer Photographs:

Raleigh Wilson, Wages

In 1900 Lincoln Nebraska, Raleigh Wilson, 12,  is living with his parents Albert Ol. and Laura Wilson.  Albert is a printer

The Campbell show was already established - the Holyoke paper in August 11, 1899 said "Campbell Bros. railroad show reached Holyoke n the 9th and gave an exhibition in the afternoon and again in the evening.  It drew as large a crowd to Holyoke as we have ever had in the town for some time.  The attendance at the afternoon show has been estimated at from 2500-3000."

 

1907 Show World   advertisement - Raleigh Wilson, clown. Permanent address, 892 Central Park Av., Chicago.
Campbell Brothers' Circus
    The Campbell Bros.' Shows is a well-balanced, high-class circus organization that is enjoying a most gratifying season. Reports from the territory covered by this aggregation go to prove that it has seldom failed to meet with favor in the many cities it has visited, and that both the audiences and press have remarked upon the diversity and quality of entertainment purveyed. A traveling representative of THE SHOW WORLD recently visited the show, and had the following to say concerning it:
    "The exhibition which the Campbell Brothers are offering this season is well worth seeing. I entered the big top just in the nick of time to see the grand entry and tournament which afforded opportunity for the display of handsome costumes and beautiful horseflesh. The picturesque statuary and posing act of the Seven Delameads was succeeded by Raleigh Wilson's clever clown song, and then the rings were given over to a whirlwind jockey act. At the close of the breathless divertissement Fred Castello and Crandall & Barnett were heartily applauded.
 
Campbell Brothers had Fairbury, Nebraska as their winter quarters.
 
1908 Billbaord - along with a photo

The clowns, with Raleigh Wilson, principal, are just as foolish as ever.  Some new and original stuff is being offered this year, and is taking the place of slapstick and squirt-guns.  Ed. Allen is offering a clever burlesque on the "Merry Widow" hat.  The one he has is about as large as one can conceive of, and his female makeup, in hoop-skirts, is comical.  He is offering an alligator in the place of the old-time snake, and ,with his pad-dog "King" he easily manages to put the crowds in good humor 
Raleigh Wilson is doing a burlesque on a "Merry Widow" Waltz, with a breakaway woman. 
 
1914-1915 "New York Clipper" Vaudeville news "returning from Cairo on the "Ringling Special" were:  John Agee, Raleigh Wilson and Mrs. Wilson....
1919  Raleigh Wilson and wife, of the Ringling Show, are spending the winter in Pontiac, Ill., where Mr. Wilson is engaged in the printing business.
 
Raleigh had an ad in Billboard

RALEIGH WILSON

The Absurd Individual

Clownin' for a Livin'

with Ringling Bros/ Shows

1914 

    Raleigh Wilson, clown with Ringling Bros. last year and re-engaged this season, is putting in his spare time running a printing office in Fairbury, Neb.

  

Campbell Brothers' shows open at Fairbury, Neb., April 25, 1908. The circus has been greatly enlarged, overhauled, etc., and will go out stronger than ever.

    The Mizano Troupe of Japanses are concluding their vaudeville time, and will open with Campbell Brothers' shows on April 25, making their eighth consecutive season with this organization.

    Raleigh Wilson has about one of the poorest single acts in the business, and he has not met with any success at all. He can not get return dates, and has only two weeks booked between April fools' day and Christmas. Mr. Wilson says so himself. The press and public have been unanimous in roasting him. Wilson has signed with Campbell Brothers as principal clown - his third year with them.

1910
   Raleigh Wilson, press agent with the Campbell Brothers' last season, is in Chicago, and will introduce crayon talks in vaudeville. His plans for next tenting season are as yet unsettled.
1910 Rawleigh is 22, a lodger in Fairbury, Jefferson county, Nebraska
 
Raleigh entered the Vaudeville Registry  #887 on July 24, 1916
 
Raleigh Mentor Wilson Registered in Fairbuyr, said he was married born Wilcox, Nebr December 20, 1888 - a roustabout for Rignling Brothers Circus
 
But he did serve in WWI
 
Raleigh Mentor Wilson
Corporal, Q. M. C.
Wages
Roster of Men and Women Who Served in The World War From Colorado 1917-1918
Yuma County

 
in 1920 he's in Illinois
in 1921 the Typographical Journal included Raleigh M. Wilson in its list of "Addresses wanted"
 

In 1928 the Yuma Pioneer reported "R.M. Wilson, editor of the Eckley Tribune, was attending to business matters in this city Monday."
May 17, 1928
November 14, 1929 Yuma
1930 North Platte he's divorced, works at a theater
April 10, 1930 Yuma Colorado
1940 in Brush Colorado - 49 said he lived in Denver in 1935,  married to Alta, 36, who was in Sidney, Nebraska in 1935  He's a printer for a newspaper

She must be the Alta M. Cobb in 1930 Sidney - a society editor for a newspaper. divorced - widowed sister Ethel Hedlund is living with her.

Kreader, Alta M.        married in Box Butte County, Nebraska    Cobb, Gilbert A.         in 1914.

This might be the same Gilbert A. Cobb, brother of Frank S. Cobb, sons of Moffitt McKinney and Carrie B. Cobb.  Moffit was son of Amman Cobb, and was treasurer of Lancaster County Nebraska.
 

And 1900 Cheyenne County John Coleman Kreader is sheriff - with a bunch of kids, including Ethel G - December 1887 and Atta M January 1890 - both born in Nebraska

So the 1910 census in Lincoln Nebraska with Gilbert A. Cobb 29 and Lytly Cobb 19 is a good possibility.  Lytty said she had had one child, still living - but none are in the census.  The 1911 Lincoln directory saiys "Cobb Gilbert A. (Lytle), moved to Steamboat Springs, Col."

Carol Reay Cobb, born September 9, 1920 in Miami, died March 1924 in Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Florida.  Father Gilbert A. Cobb born in Lincoln, and Alta Kreader, born in Hopkins, Nebraska

Gilbert A. Cobb, born October 12, 1881 in Lincoln, Nebraska, divorced, brick mason, died January 5, 1931 in Mathis, San Patricio County, Texas.  The records says he was buried January 18 in Denton , Nebraska

Western Medical Review said "Dr. Axel Emanuel Hedlund of Dalton, Nebraska and Miss Ethel M. Kreader of Fremont, Nebraska were married at the bride's home in Fremont on September 11, 1913"  Axel registered for WWI in Dalton, Cheyenne County.

 

HIS FATHER WAS A PRINTER IN 1900 Lincoln.
The June 29, 1946 Billboard magazine mentioned Raleigh M. Wilson as writing in the Denver Post
Billboard of September 13, 1947
Ringling-Barnum
We enjoyed the fast and scenic reide from Dodge City, Kan. to Denver over the Santa Fe Road.  We arrived early enough to enjoy the Sunday off and teh movies and sight-seeing trips took most of our time. 
The girls beat the midgets 11 to 10, in a ball game played for the Denver Post
Visitors..... Raleigh Wilson, former clown with the Big Show and now with the Denver Post....
 
 
Billboard September 10, 1949
Raleigh M. Wilson, former performer with Ringling-Barnum and the Gollmar Shows and now a proofreader on The Denver Post, recently had a bylined feature, ...
 

He submitted photos from for a Life Magazine story January  2, 1950  The photos were taken near Smith Center, Kansas in 1908.

 

Wilson Raleigh M. 28 Dec 1952  death notice page 16C Denver Post
 


January 8, 1953 Yuma Pioneer

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