Scott Joplin (abt. 1868 - 1917)

Born about 24 Nov 1868 in Linden, Cass, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Freddie (Alexander) Joplin — married 1904 in Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States

Husband of Lottie (Stokes) Joplin — married 1909 in New York, United States

Died 1 Apr 1917 at about age 48 in New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Scott Joplin is Notable.

Scott Joplin' was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions and was dubbed the King of Ragtime Writers.^[1]

Formative Years

Scott was born about 24 Nov 1868 (birth date estimated, not proven) in Linden, Texas to parents Giles Joplin and Florence Givens.

Scott grew up in Texarkana, a town situated on the border between Texas and Arkansas. Scott Joplin took up the piano as a child and eventually became a traveling musician as a teen. The Joplins were a musical family, with Florence being a singer and banjo player and Giles a violinist; Scott learned how to play the guitar at a young age and later took to the piano, displaying a gift for the instrument. Julius Weiss, a German music teacher who lived in Joplin's hometown, gave the young pianist further instruction. Joplin was also a vocalist and would play the cornet as well. He immersed himself in the emerging musical form known as ragtime.^[2] Examples of his work can readily be found on the following websites:

Scott Joplin: African American Composer & Pianist

"Maple Leaf Rag" Played by Scott Joplin

"Elite Syncopations", 1902

Banjo Music "The Entertainer"

"Bethena, A Concert Waltz"

"The Sting" Soundtrack Suite (Scott Joplin & Marvin Hamlisch) 1973

Marriages

His first wife was Belle Jones Hayden, a sister-in-law of Scott Hayden. They married "after (John) Stark's successful publication of the Maple Leaf Rag. . . ^[3]

He married Freddie Alexander on 14 Jun 1904 at Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas. But she died just a few months later.^[4]

Death and Burial

Joplin was buried in a pauper's grave that remained unmarked for 57 years. His grave at Saint Michaels Cemetery in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York (refer to: Find A Grave: Memorial #556) was finally given a marker in 1974.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Scott Joplin @ Wikipedia
2. ↑ https://www.biography.com/musician/scott-joplin
3. ↑ Jasen, David A. Ragtime: An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography. 2007, p. 109. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
4. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82753051/freddie-joplin : accessed 29 November 2019), memorial page for Freddie “Bethena” Alexander Joplin (1884–10 Sep 1904), Find A Grave Memorial no. 82753051, citing Crown Hill Cemetery, Sedalia, Pettis County, Missouri, USA ; Maintained by RobMinteer57 (contributor 47389024) .
5. ↑ Chancellor, John. Scott Joplin Grave Marker #473904 NBC Evening News for Thursday. 3 Oct 1974. Accessed 10 Jun 2019.

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXGR-CZC : 24 May 2021), Scott Joplin in entry for Jiles Joplin, 1870.

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFFG-PZ3 : 15 January 2022), Scott Joplin in household of Giles Joplin, Texarkana, Bowie, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 2, sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .

• "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M387-NNR : 11 March 2022), Scott Joplin in entry for Susan Hawkins, 1900.

• "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQY4-22R : 18 March 2019), Freddie Alexander in entry for Scott Joplin, 14 Jun 1904; citing Marriage, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 495,026.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M599-B3G : accessed 15 April 2022), Scott Joplin in household of Edward Small, Manhattan Ward 20, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1184, sheet 7B, family 120, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1043; FHL microfilm 1,375,056.

• "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WBM-F2S : 3 June 2020), Scott Joplin, 1917.

• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/556 : accessed 29 November 2019), memorial page for Scott Joplin (24 Nov 1868–1 Apr 1917), Find A Grave Memorial no. 556, citing Saint Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, Queens County, New York, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .

See Also:

• Wikidata: Item Q191499, en:Wikipedia

• Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation

• Berlin, Edward A.. King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2016. Google Books includes 48 pages to preview, including genealogical evidence analysis and source images.

Acknowledgements

The profile Joplin-68 was created by Laura Scott on Tuesday, November 25, 2014.