William Henry Palmer (abt. 1829 - abt. 1878)

Born about 1829 in England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died about 1878 at about age 49 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

According to the entry for Robert Heller, under "Notable Burials," on the website for Mount Moriah Historic Cemetery and Arboretum, William Henry Palmer was born in England, the son of a concert pianist. He was a student at the Royal Academy of Music when he became fascinated with magic. He left the Academy to become a professional magician in 1851. In 1852 he traveled to the United States and launched his magic career in New York City under the name Robert Heller.

“Heller’s Hall of Wonders” opened in December of 1852 and ran for 6 months. An advertisement published in the New York Times (1) on December 14, 1852 described Heller as The Enchanter providing entertainment every evening and stating he was known as “The Prince of Wizards”. Heller gave up magic for awhile, settling in Washington DC where he became a music teacher. As the Civil War was beginning, Heller re launched his magic act adding music and comedy. He toured throughout the United States, Great Britain, Europe and Asia. One of his most famous tricks was “The Second Sight Mystery” where objects held by audience members were identified by Heller or his assistant without being seen by them. While performing in Philadelphia, Heller became ill and passed away on November 28, 1878.

Sources

• Robert Heller in Wikipedia [1]
• Robert Heller in Geni Magazine [2]
• Robert Heller under Notable Burials in Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery [3]
• Robert Heller's Remarkable Disposition of His Estate, New York Times, December 10, 1878, page 8 [4]