George C. (George Cunnibell) Howard, 1815-1887, and Family
Collection, 1833-1963 (bulk 1840-1935) 1 file drawer (1.8 linear feet), 7 oversize boxes, 1 flat file drawer Acquisition: Purchase, 1963
Access: Open for research
Processed by: Helen Baer, 1999
RLIN Record ID: Table of Contents
Genealogy
Scope and Contents
Folder List Biographical Sketch The marriage of actor George C. Howard to Caroline Emily Fox in 1844 linked the theatrical careers of not only Howard and Fox, but also those of two of Caroline's brothers and two of the Howard children (Cordelia and Walter), as well as cousins George L. and Frank E. Aiken. George C. Howard (1815-1887) was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He appeared in amateur theatricals in Boston in 1837, then took engagements in Philadelphia and Baltimore. In 1842 he joined the company at the Tremont Theatre in Boston where he met, or was reacquainted with, thirteen-year-old Caroline Emily Fox (1829-1908). Caroline, already an experienced actress, had appeared as a child as one of the "Little Foxes" with her brothers George L., James A., Henry N., and Charles K. Fox. She married Howard in October 1844. In early 1846, Howard took over the management of the Fox troupe and began billing them as "Howard and Foxes." The troupe toured through New England, securing engagements in previously theater-hostile towns because of the air of respectability lent by their status as a family. As the Foxes grew up they left the troupe as they developed careers of their own. James A. Fox quit the stage in 1850, much to the advantage of George L. Fox, who had been overshadowed by James. Little Henry had died in 1844. In the fall of 1850 George L. Fox was hired at the National Theatre (N.Y.), though he continued to work with George C. Howard throughout the 1850s. | |
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