Florence Melton Gerald (1858–1942) was an American stage actress, poet, and writer. She was known for her acting roles in

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

Early life and education

Florence Melton Gerald was born on September 23, 1858, in New Orleans, to parents Omega Melton (1836–1918) and Judge George Bruce Gerald (1835–1914). Her maternal grandfather James G. Melton had owned the only hotel at

Washington-on-the-Brazos Washington-on-the-Brazos is an unincorporated community along the Brazos River in Washington County, Texas, United States. The town is best known for being the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independenc ...

, Texas in the 19th-century, which had been a gathering place on March 2, 1836, after

Texas Declaration of Independence The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was form ...

, and was once home to the original Texas Liberty Bell. Gerald attended Waco University (now

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

) in Waco, Texas, where she studied poetry and graduated in 1873, and in 1880. She published the book, ''Adenheim and Other Poems'' (1880).

Career

After graduation, she was hired as an

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compel ...

instructor (public speaking) at

Waco Female College Waco Female College is a former private college in Waco, Texas, affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. It opened in 1857 and closed in 1895; the site was bought by Add-Ran Christian University, a precursor of Texas Christian University. ...

. Her interest in working as a playwright started after her graduation. In 1898, she headed for the theater district in New York City to begin her stage acting career. Under the management of

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...

, Gerald started her acting career on Broadway in, ''The Girl from Maxim’s'' (1898) at the Grand Opera House''.'' Gerald wrote the play, ''The Woman Pays'', which was adapted into the 1915 silent film by screenwriter Harry Chandlee. She appeared in the R. L. McLaughlin Stock Co. at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio in the summer of 1924. Gerald died at age 83, on September 6, 1942, at the St. James Hotel at Broadway and 26th Street in New York City. She is buried at

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, New York, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city ...

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

, Westchester County, New York in the

Actors' Fund The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. Se ...

area.

Theater

Publications

References

External links

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Florence Gerald
at

BroadwayWorld BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City, New York. Launched in 2003, the site covers Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, and international theater productions, with sections devoted to particular countries, cities, or regi ...

Florence Gerald
at

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerald, Florence 1858 births 1942 deaths Actresses from Manhattan Actresses from New Orleans American women dramatists and playwrights Baylor University alumni Burials at Kensico Cemetery Poets from New York City Writers from New York City