The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-27
~cHAuNcEY oLcorT-
Facts Regarding the Home Life Of
Bennington's Favorite Actor

5ennin9ton's FaVorite Actor
The following is an extract from
an article written by John F. Byrnes
in the January issue Of the Extension
Magazine
Many years Of association with
Chauncey Olcott has given me a more
intimate personal impression of the
man than il is the good fortune of the
general public, who know him only as
the altor, TO possibly possess. The
home side of his life, those ties which
frequently become loosened in men of
the profession he follows, seem 10
have become even more firmly in
grained into his character as he grows
older and his successes become great
er.
Mr. Olcott has always been Of a re-
firing disposition, and perhaps that
is the reason why his dominant char
acteristics, love of home life, affection
| for his relatives and answering 10y
atty to the faith of his mother and
/ father, have not been SO well known
/ 10 the general public. Chauncey Oh
colt was born in Buffalo New York,
his baptismal name being John Chan.
cellor Olcott His father was Mellen
Whitney OlcOtt and his mother was
Margaret Mary Doyle, a native of Kill
leah County Cork, Ireland In Sep
TENDER, 1897, Mr.. Olcott was married
to Miss Margaret Mary Donovan by
the Rev. Father William Penny In
New York. Miss Donovan was ma.
tive of San Francisco, California.
where she graduated from the Sacred
Heart Convent. 1t is an interesting
coincidence that the given names OF
both mother and his wife were the
same
Mr. Olcotts love for his mother has
always been one of the most notice
able characteristics of the man. For
the last ten years of her life she was
never separated from him, travelling
with him on all his tours in this coun-
try, from Portland, Maine. to Port
land, Oregon, and in all his starring
trips in Europe At Limestone Hill
cemetery, in Buffalo, n. Y, there is a
grave which is covered with flowers
the year round--a mantle of pansies
during the summer and a blanket of
myrtle through the winter, and in
scribed on the tombstone is the fol
lowing touching tribute from Chaun-
cey Olcott:
ITO one Of the best mothers God
ever gave man."
Coming of pure Irish ancestry on
both sides, brought up in the faith
from his earliest boyhood, educated
in the Christian Brothers school at
Buffalo, ii is the delight OF Mr.. Oh
colts life to do what he can for the
clarifying of the church, and in aid
ing those less fortunate than himself
His liberality in these respects has
been known to but a few of his most
intimate associates, but believe once
in a while the veil should be lifted
on subject of this kind
1t is matter of personal knowledge
TO the writer that Mr.. Olcott has SET
aside fund for endowing a room in
the parochial school in Buffalo, out
Of which schoolbooks will be furnish
: ed free, as a tribute to the memory Of
his mother. But the event which he
looks forward to with the greatest de
light every year is the benefit which
he arranges for the st. Leonard's
Christian Brothers school at Brook
lyn n. Y. Another charity benefit
which Mr. .Olcott always arranges /.
that for the Sisters school at Sarato
ga, ~ Y, where his home Is located
He is a conscientious Catholic and ha!
, consistently lived up to his faith il
all his every day affairs.
His hpnutifu1 homo Tnnfcoarr,
: House. at Saratoga, one of the SHOW
places of this picturesque resort, Il
always open for children. who deligh
: to stroll through the well kept shrub
berry and play beneath the immens,
trees with which the premises abound
\ The house itself is artistic, from tn,
y gables to the porch. while the pergo
= la, the GROWING attraction of tn,
q spacious garden, is a delight Mr.. Oh
4 colt possesses undoubtedly one of tn,
q finest collections of ancient Irish ar
Il work in the United States.
n When he is not on the road or spent
ing his time at his home, Mr.. Olcot
4 devotes his leisure to pilgrimages t,
historic spots of Ireland, and has pait
n many visits to the birthplace of hi
a father at Rosenberg. It was OF
a these tours that Mr. Olcott has picket
Il up and brought together the larges
q collection Of Irish music, carefully Sc
lected from all the leading Libraries o
81 Europe. He also has a collection o
8 Irish manuscripts, the envy Of collec
n tors in the East. Mr. Olcott recent,
4 pledged $1,000 for the erection of
chapel to st. Margaret In memory o
q his mother.
4 Mr.. Olcott will appear at the loca
opera house in his greatest success
u "Ragged ROhinn this nunninp