Herschel Elsia Stephenson (1894 - 1982)

Born Sep 1894 in Springfield, Missouri

Ancestors

Died Sep 1982 at about age 88 in Moberly, Missouri

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gerald Stephenson [send private message]

Biography

Herschel Elsia Stephenson (son of Moses Aaron Stephenson and Nora Belle Broaddus) was born in September of 1894 at Springfield, Missouri and died in September of 1982 in Moberly, Missouri. He married Dixie J. Bradley. He played the piano and drums. He served in the army in World War I. He was a bugler and played in the Army band and the shrine band. After the service, he gained notoriety on the theatre circuit in Missouri and Kansas. He played several instruments, but he was basically a percussionist. His favorite instrument was the xylophone. He played at the Grand Theatre in Moberly, Missouri and the Sedalia Theatre in Sedalia, Missouri, among others. He eventually had his own vaudeville troupe out of St. Joseph, Missouri and one of his dancers was Jane Wyman who went on to Hollywood and became a well-known actress and Ronald Reagan’s first wife. They were of the Methodist faith. They moved to Detroit, Michigan for 39 years where he worked for the Chrysler Corporation. They moved back to Moberly, Missouri in 1977. They had no children but adopted their ward, Lillian Freeman, a daughter of Dixie’s cousin. Dixie died on June 2, 1980. They are buried in the Oakland Cemetery, Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri

Sources

• personal knowledge