Homepage A to Z Index Book outline EJ Phillips Facebook Fan Page
How a 19th-century character actress and single
mother performed with the great actors in the Gilded Age, and raised a family
in her spare time
Mary Glen Chitty mary@maryglenchitty.com
* Draft available for beta reading. Please email me.
Plucky 19th century Canadian Elizabeth
Jane “EJ” Phillips (1830-1904) finds an acting career and love in Toronto. but
must support herself and her two young children when John
Nickinson, their much older father (and possibly her husband) dies in 1864. She
becomes a notable Broadway actress, touring California seven times and
performing for and meeting Grover Cleveland in the White House. . An
indefatigable letter-writer, she left a cache of over 1,000 letters to her
young adult son Albert Nickinson, which ended up in a family attic to be transcribed by her
great-granddaughter and researched by the author, her great-great
granddaughter.
Table of Contents
About EJ Phillips and these letters
About Mary Glen Kuhl Chitty, Acknowledgments
Cast of Characters
*Prologue : Climbing Pike's Peak 1883
*The Traveling Patchwork Quilt 1878-1930
*Chapter 1 EJ Phillips' early life:
1830-1852 Hamilton Ontario, and Amateur Theatricals
Chapter 2 Toronto and the Royal Lyceum Theatre
1851-1860
John Nickinson comes to Toronto’s Royal Lyceum Theatre 1851
EJ Phillips joins the Royal Lyceum Theatre 1852
*SIDEBAR Uncle Tom's Cabin 1853-1861 and other slave plays
Nickinson children born Charles Alderman ((1858-1859) and Christine Harriet
Melanie “Hattie” 1860
SIDEBAR Toronto colleagues: JW Wallack James
Wallack Jr John Brougham CW Couldock Louisa Lane Drew Wm J Florence Fanny
Morant Denman Thompson
SIDEBAR John Nickinson's first marriage and family: New York
Mitchell's Olympic Theatre 1837-1850; Did Charles Dickens see John Nickinson
act? Laura Keene's 1862
Peripatetic Years 1859 Sept-1863: Theatres in Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Toronto
again, New York and on the road
Civil War in Canada 1861-1863
*Chapter 3 Cincinnati and Pike's Opera
House 1862-1866
Pike’s Opera House hired EJ Phillips September 1862 John Nickinson March 1863
Civil War and Cincinnati 1862-1865 Duffield’s Theatre Nashville 1863 July
Albert Edward Nickinson born 1863 July 8
John Nickinson dies 1864 February 9, “Spirit Letter” from Jno Nickinson
Lincoln Assassination and Othello Junius Brutus Booth Jr. as Iago, EJ
Phillips as Emilia
Pike’s Opera House burns 1866 March 22
Woods’ Théâtre employs EJ Phillips September 1866-1867
Chapter 4 Single Parenthood and no fixed
abode 1867-1875
Indianapolis, Metropolitan Theatre 1867 September-1869 September and Edwin
Forrest
SIDEBAR Childcare and boarding 1868 May-1875 September
Ben DeBar, theatrical manager New Orleans and St Louis 1869-1873
New Orleans, Varieties Theatre, W R Floyd Theatre 1869-1870 September
Marston & Stowe’s Troupe, New England 1871 January-June
St Louis, Charles Pope and Olympic Theatre and touring 1871-1873
New Orleans, Varieties Theatre: and Travels with Lawrence Barrett to theatres
in Memphis, Mobile and Chicago 1873-1875
SIDEBAR Charlotte Cushman and Lawrence Barrett
Chapter 5 Philadelphia and the Chestnut Street
Theatre 1875-1877
Centennial Exposition 1876 and Our Boys
Chapter 6 Golden Age of the American Theatre:
New York and AM Palmer
SIDEBAR Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore 1878 Patience 1881 The Mikado
1886 The Gondoliers 1890
*Trips west 1882-1896 Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Portland Oregon, Tacome and Seattle, Washington, Vancouver and Victoria
Union Square Theatre Company 1877-1885
SIDEBAR Union Square Theatre Company colleagues: Rose Eytinge Fanny Morant
Clara Morris Stuart Robson Sara Jewett Charles Thorne Ida Vernon Thomas Whiffen
and Kate Claxton
Chicago 1878, Boston 1880, 1881, 1882 San Francisco Sacramento
*Oscar Wilde’s Vera the Nihilist 1882-1883
1883 Boston Denver Colorado Springs San Francisco Sacramento
1884 Boston Salt Lake City San Francisco
1885 Washington DC Grover Cleveland's Inauguration and Inaugural Ball
March
Madison Square Theatre Company 1885-1888
Saints and Sinners by Henry Arthur Jones 1885-1891
W S Gilbert’s Engaged 1886
1886 Boston Chicago Salt Lake City Mormon Tabernacle, San Francisco Telegraph
Hill, Sacramento
Jim the Penman by Charles Young 1886-1892
Statue of Liberty and Bartholdi Day Oct 29 1886
SIDEBAR Washington DC Actors' Fund Jim the Penman performance and visit to
the White House April 17, 1887
1887 Boston and Baseball, Chicago
1888 Blizzard of 1888 March 12; Boston Chicago Salt Lake City Great Salt Lake,
San Francisco Chinatown, Sacramento Los Angeles
Palmer's Theatre Company 1888-1893
1889 Centennial of George Washington's Inauguration April 29-May 1, Boston
Chicago Cleveland
1890 Boston Portland Oregon Seattle San Francisco Los Angeles and Lucky
Baldwin, Sacramento Salt Lake City Denver Chicago
1891 Boston, Washington DC Arlington House, Lee Mansion, Soldier's Home and
Lincoln Cottage
SIDEBAR Actors' Fund Fair May 1892 at Stanford White's new Madison Square
Garden,
1892 Chicago, Columbus Celebration, New York October 6,
1892-1893 Ramsey Morris and the Joseph Company Hamilton Toronto Detroit
Washington DC Richmond Cincinnati Milwaukee
Chapter 7 Charles Frohman, AL Hayman and
Decline of Stock companies
*Oscar Wilde and Lady Windermere's Fan 1893-1894 Buffalo Chicago
Cleveland Milwaukee Detroit St. Louis
Columbian Exposition October 1893 Chicago
Olga Nethersole 1894-1895 Pittsburgh Baltimore Washington DC Toronto Montreal
Chicago Boston and Cambridge Washington Elm and Longfellow’s House
Gay Parisians 1895- 1897 March Chicago San Francisco and Cliff House
Sacramento Los Angeles Portland Oregon Vancouver and Victoria BC Seattle Salt
Lake City Knoxville Charlotte Atlanta New Orleans
Charles Frohman and the Theatrical Syndicate 1896
Chapter 8 Retirement in Philadelphia 1897-1904
Recalled from Retirement March 8-9, 1898 A Bachelor’s Romance
Arrival of the 20th century Dec 31, 1900
Death of Mrs. EJ Phillips August 3, 1904
Obituaries and West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia
SIDEBARS
Acting life
*EJ Phillips' reviews and career
*Acting the profession as reported by EJ Phillips and others
Acting Lessons, Actors Fund, Amateur Theatrics, Critics and Criticism,
Theatrical Advertising
Producers and Managers: Augustin Daly AM Palmer
James Wallack Lester Wallack
Playwrights: Dion Boucicault Augustus Cazauran Hendrik Ibsen Denman
Thompson
Actors and Actresses: Barrymores and Drews, Booths
Palmer Companies Colleagues: Marie Burroughs William Pleater Davidge William
Jason Ferguson Maud Harrison EM Holland Herbert Kelcey William L. LeMoyne
James O’Neill McKee Rankin Annie Russell JH Stoddart Ramsey Walden
Zavistowskis: Christine Antonio Alice Emeline
Children and Grandchildren Daughter
Harriet “Hattie” married John Dolman Jr. in Philadelphia 1887, Grandchildren
born Jack 1888, Elizabeth Ellen 1891-1892, Melanie Nickinson 1897
Son Albert moved to Middletown New York in 1886, Albert’s Career, Married Mary
Penelope Macardell 1889, Grandson Edward Phillips Nickinson born 1890
*Costumes: Stage Clothes Street Wear
Children’s Clothes Laundry Sewing
Machines
*Fires: Fire Prevention Flameproofing Volunteer
Fire Departments
Hard Traveling: Strenuous Business of Travel,
Hotel Life and Letterheads, Railroads and Train Wrecks, Boat Travel
*Health and Medicine
Pharmaceuticals, Morphine and Opiates
Physicians and Medical Education Mortality and Life Expectancy
Aging and Strokes Cancer Dentistry Homeopathy
Infectious diseases: Consumption La Grippe Vaccines
Mental Health: Nerves and Neurasthenia
Suicides and Abortions
Tonics Patent Medicines and Home Remedies
Sarah Bernhardt's cold prevention recipe
Pregnancy and Childbirth: Morning Sickness Family Planning
Public health: Dr. John T. Nagle and Jacob Riis
Housekeeping and Boarding House Life
Household Accounts Food and Drink Infant Nutrition, Weight Food at
the Columbian Exposition 1893
*Legal Matters: Contracts Copyright
*Politics: United States Elections and Presidents:
General and President Ulysses S Grant 1885 Inauguration: President Grover
Cleveland 1885 Inauguration President Benjamin Harris 1889 William Jennings
Bryan vs. William McKinley 1896 Election; Voting Prohibition Party New York Politics Henry George’s Progress & Poverty,
International Relations: Hawaiian Trouble 1893 China 1886, 1898, Spanish
American War 1898
*Recreation & Sports: Athletics
Baseball Bicycles Circuses Dancing Fishing and Hunting Horse Racing and
Driving Masons Music Sleighing Swimming
*RUM and drinking: Did John Nickinson
drink with Edgar Allan Poe? Drinking at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Toronto;
Alcoholism and Dissipation
*Scandals and Respectability: Burlesque and
Vaudeville, Divorce, Lasciviousness and Violation of Public Decency, Bad
Behaviour at Theatres, Syphilis and Affairs, Homosexuality
*Shakespeare: From Burlesques to Lawrence Barrett,
Booths and Barrymores Player’s Club Lady’s Days and Shakespeare’s Birthdays;
Bawdy and Bowdlerized Shakespeare Charlotte Cushman, Macbeth, and drinking;
Charles Frohman, Maude Adams, and Shakespeare
*Slang: blues, down in the dumps, hang out, head of
the heap, hustle, kick, kids, knocked silly, Mom, razzle dazzle, snooze,
sore
*Technologies: Air conditioning
Electricity Elevators Gas Lighting Photography Refrigeration Telegraph
Telephones Typewriters; 20th century Films Web email and Internet
Appendices
City and Regional Maps
Nickinson and Phillips Chronology
Photographs, Playbills, and Artifacts
Principal Plays and Roles of EJ Phillips
Bibliography
Last updated March 5, 2022