The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-04-21
DENMAN THOMPSON DEAD.
Author of The Old Homestead Expired
Friday at West Swanzey Home.

friday at Wesb oWahNoy AAoe'
Denman Thompson, the famous Uncle
"Joshuay" OF The Old Homestead, ,ol
which he was also the author, died at ms
country estate in West Swanzey, n. ~
Friday morning. lie was "a years old. Mr..
THOMPSON had been i'll OF heart trouble
and uremia since last month, Ten days
previous TO the end the actors condition
was extremely critical, but he rallied, and
for a week his recovery was thought pos
sible. .,,
MIR. Thompson was married in 1860 to
Maria Ballou, who died at West Swanzey
in 1904. He is survived by three children,
Mrs. w. l. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Il. A. Mcfar'
land and Franklin Thompson, who have
homes at Swanzey lake, three miles from
Mr.. Thompson's estate, or the odd home
stead" as it is always called, sharing the
fame Of the play.
after 1903, and in the later years, though
reappearing ON the stage at intervals, he
was often the subject OF rheumatic at.
tacks. This year the old fascination OF
the fOotlghts returned stronger than ever,
and early i'm the season he started out
with his Old Homestead company playing
in New York, Philadelphia and Washing
ton, and planning to 20 with the company
to Boston, but rheumatism and failing
health forced him TO abandon the idea.
Denmau Thompson was II New England
boy who followed the circus and made
good When he did attain success, how
ever it was almost by chance, and after
a long period of wandering about the
earth. His ancestors founded the town OF
Swanzcy, y H., but he was born IN the
backwuods of Pennsylvania in a hamlet
near Giard, in Erie county, whittier his
father had gone, apparently discouraged
over the prospects OF farming at home The
date OF his birth was Oct. 10, 1873. The
family moved back to SWanzey when Den
man was II years old, For three year,
Denman helped his father, who was then
in the carpenters trade, attending at ola
times a seminary IN the village, where ne
took part IN amateur theatrlcals disguised
by the principal under the name OF eN'
| hibitions. to evade the New Hampshire
prejudice against "play.acting. In 1880
| Denman LETT the old homestead and went
| To Boston. There he Joined a circus, with
which he spent one season.
The next year, 1851, found Thompson
,upenumeraTy in Charlotte Cushman $
production of Macbeth at the Boston
Museum, an undertaking that so little
| satisfied his ambition AZ TO make him
turn his eyes longingly toward New York.
| Following his incllnatlons, he went to New
York, and, dropping into the Dusseldorf
| art gallery, was gwen Job as doorkeeper
| and lecturer. He had TO talk about George
Catlms paintings Of Indian chiefs. He
knew nothing about art, but thought he
| knew something about Indians. This kind
OF talking was not congenial to him, and
| he wandered back into New England, this
| time going to work IN his uncle's store in
| Lowell This is worth mentioning because
while in Lowell he spoke his first lines IN
part on the stage and did some dances
| between the acts Soon after his contin-
uous career on the stage began A year
of varied ventures brought him TO Toronto,
where. at the Royal Byeeum theater, he
PLAYED Irish and negro parts for the great
| er part OF IA years. During this time. he
| went to London, hoping to play Salem
| Scudder. but being disappointed at not
| getting an engagement at Drury Lane thea
| ter. became low comedian for a stock com
pany. Giving up the stage In 1868, the
| year that he left Toronto, be went into
| business, but in 1871 was back on the
stage.
The idea, which resulted in the character
Of Uncle Joshua and later the play OF
| The Old Homestead came to Thompson
while he was lying i'll with rheumatism IN
hotel in Pittsburg, Pa, in 1870. He
| knew that this rheumatism would prevent
| further dancing, and while thinking over
possible material for a sketch, hit upon the
| characters he had known when boy in
Swanzey. The sketch which he first wrote
| had two scenes, in one of which Josh
| Whitcomb has amusing adventures in the
city. and in the other of which he appears
| at birthday party and has his homely
| talk and manners laughed at. For two
years the sketch developed and was seen
as three-act play in Chicago in the spring
| of 1877. For six months or so the fate OF
the play was doubtful, but finally 1t IN
! terested Denver, and then San francisco
began to enjoy its New England realism
1t was brought back from the West by
easy stages, and in the fall of 1878, amid
predictions of failure, was presented IN
| New York at the Lyceum theater on Four
teenth street. This theater was then I'M
der the management OF A. NJ. Palmer.
| Uncle Joshua" as the play was still
called, began to make fortune for its
author and principal actor. The Old
Homestead, the form in which the play
is known to most paygoers, was first pro
duced at the Boston theater, Boston, in
April, 1856, Just % years ago.
Denman Thompson counted among his
| friends many celebrated men. p. I. Bar
mum, Robert Collyer and Col lnngerso3liI
were intimate acquaintance In the old
DAYS One night, as he related not with
out pride, four of his friends went to Nc
| Vickers theater in Chicago and took a
! box. The four were Gen. Grant, Allen
Pinkerton, Potter Palmer and Gen. Phil.
| Sheridan.
Mr. Thompson's residence and grounds
| in West Swanzey were long known as the
principal attraction in the village, and 1t
was familiar sight to see him sitting in
his favorite armchair in the big door Of
chairs for neighbors and friends, who
| would drop in to chat and listen. to his
droll stories. He always felt an interest
in the affairs of the town, and his benefac'