H.J. Sargent (1843-1896)

[RPHill]

Just registered and hope this is the appropriate site to ask...

Recently found HJ SARGENT on MagicPedia. He was my great great grandfather and I was wondering if anyone had additional info on him? Being in showiness he was moving around a lot. I have had difficulty finding facts about him. He is rarely mentioned in the US Census records. He married a Hannah BAILEY in 1873 and had two children Harry B and Hannah May. Unfortunately the MagicPedia site does not list the source of its info.

1. His date and place of birth, 1843 in Machiasport, Maine
2. Moved to Boston at age 4
3. Began acting in 1858 in Boston
4. Was in the mercantile business

If anyone has information to share about him, I would greatly appreciate it.
A. Are there any other images of him?
B. Any information about abilities as a magician.
C. I know he died in England. Is there any information on where he was buried?
D. Any thing about his family?

Thanks

[Bill Mullins]

The Magicpedia article references an article written about Sargent by Harry Houdini. I just read Houdini's article, and everything in the Magicpedia article came from it. Houdini's article has further details about Sargent's life.

If you will send me your email address via the PM I will send you a scan of Houdini's article.

[Bill Mullins]

Further info:

From the Charleston SC Courier 8/14/1869:
"It will be remembered by our citizens that when Sargent, the magician, last visited our city, he was indicted on the charge of "lottery" by the Grand Jury of the Special Court, and it will be further be borne in mind that the ventriloquist, like a prudent general, retreated before being captured.

On Tuesday evening the Clerk of the Special Court learned that Sargent was performing in Raleigh, and he immediately telegraphed to the Sheriff, instructing that officer to arrest him, and accept no bail unless it were good beyond doubt. This order was complied with, and the magician is now under arrest at Raleigh."

An obituary in the London newspaper The Era says that he was buried in Woodhouse Cemetery, in Leeds. The cemetery was closed in 1969, and its records are now in the collection of the University of Leeds.


The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC has a letter by Sargent to William Winter.

[Dustin Stinett]

Here’s all that is published in David Price’s Magic:

He was known as “Colonel H.J. Sargent, the Wizard of the South.”

In 1891 he performed a combined show with Hercat (the stage name of R.D. Chater). The name of their show was “Cagliostromantheum.”

It shows that he passed away in an “infirmary” in Leeds, England. The gist of the section this information appears in is of magicians who died penniless, I’m sorry to say.

Dustin

[Q. Kumber]

Eddie Dawes has been publishing articles on little known magicians in The Magic Circular, the magazine of The Magic Circle, for decades. It is quite possible he has written about Sargent.

A CD-ROM of his articles was put on the market a while back. Use the Genii forum search button for info. I believe it was marketed by Peter Scarlett. You could contact him through his website and see if Sargent is listed. If not, he could put you in touch with Eddie Dawes.

[RPHill]

It has surprised the response that I have received.

Thanks to everyone.

I will look for the CD.

[Dustin Stinett]

I found a tiny bit more:

The show I noted above opened on March 11, 1891 at Waterloo House in Pall Mall East, London.

The MUM article that Bill has is the best source, though.

Good luck with the rest of your search.

Dustin