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A second focus of my research, in addition to the life and work of T. A. Lyne, concerns a family of performers with deep ancestral roots on Nantucket Island, children of William Boylston Coggeshall (1811-1857) and Ann Maria Jenkins (1813-1899). Four of the seven siblings became performers of note, though none under their birth names:
- Caroline, (b. 1834);
- William, (b. 1836);
- Annie, (b. 1838), and
- Rosamond (b. 1857).
You can read about some of Caroline’s and William’s adventures in the following article:
Krähenbühl, Lee. “Actors Wandering through the Desert to Brigham: The Strange, True Tale of Carter’s Dramatic Combination and their ‘Spirit Guides,’ 1871.” The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, vol. 41 #2, Fall/Winter 2021, 67-100. Click here for full text.
I will be chronicling the Coggeshalls further in a series of historical journal articles, culminating in my book currently in progress, Their Dramatic Combinations: The Intertwining Lives and Turbulent Times of the Lynes, Coggeshalls, and Carters, Three Spectacular American Theatrical Families, 1834-1930.
Lee Krähenbühl, PhD 