Henry (Harry) L. Abbott

Henry Leo Abbott, the fourth son of John Joseph Abbott and Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Gallagher) Abbott, was born on 3 August 1880 at the family residence, located at 174 7th Avenue near West 20th Street.¹ He just missed being recorded in the 1880 U.S. Census that was taken in June. Although we do find census and other vital records that list him as Henry, he was most often called Harry by family and others. In fact, on some documents he signed his name using Harry instead of Henry.

Little is known about Harry's early years, and the whereabouts of his descendents is not known. Much of what we do know about him, other than data from official records, is based on memories of his niece, Dorothy (Abbott) Delaney, who is the daughter of Harry's brother, Jameson Francis Abbott.

Harry's World War I civilian draft registration card provides some insight into his life when he was about 38 years old. Along with about 24 million other Americans, he registered for the draft on September 12, 1918. Information on the card includes his wife's name was Margaret Abbott and that he was employed as the business manager for the Theatrical Protective Union, Local #1 in New York City. It is also the only document found so far that gives his middle name, which was Leo. Harry listed 3694 Broadway in Manhattan as his place of residence.

There is some sketchy evidence that Harry may have been in business as a rug dealer in Manhattan prior to _________. There is a reference to a Harry L. Abbott in that occupation in the 19__ Trow's New York City Directory.⁵

We discover a bit more about Harry as well as his family from data contained in the 1920 U.S. Census. Harry is employed as the business manager for a stage employees union, which, based on the occupation he listed in 1918 on his draft registration card, may have been the Theatrical Protective Union, Local One.^6,7 Margaret, who is now 27 years old, and Harry have two children, Henry L. Abbott, Jr., who is eight years old, and a seven year old daughter named Felicitas. The family is residing at 3694 Broadway in New York City, the same address that Harry provided two years earlier when he registered for the draft.

Sometime in the early 1920s, Harry and one of his brothers, Richard Abbott, went into the theatrical stage prop business in the theater district of Manhattan. Their business was known as Abbott's Scrim and Profile Company, which we find listed in the city directories beginning in about 19__. Harry is listed in the directories as the president of the company and Richard is listed as the __________. The business appears to have been a prosperous one since Harry's family lived in some of the more well-to-do areas of the city. In 19__ we find the family residing at ______ and in 19__ they have been located in city directories at _______________. Abbott's Scrim and Profile appears to have survived the Great Depression, at least into the mid-1930s, as it was listed in Trow's City Directory for 19__.

Abbott Scrim Profile Company's 1928 trade catalog lists Harry as the "President and Treasurer, but makes no reference to Richard Abbott.⁸ The first page of the catalog states: "Thirty-Two Years Of Practical Progressive And Successful Experience With The Entire Theatre." Since Harry (Henry L. Abbott) was born in 1880, the reference to 32 years would seem to indicate that he had been involved in the theater business since about age sixteen. It is, however, unlikely that the business known as Abbott's Scrim Profile Company was in existence that long.

The catalog consists of 28 pages of hardware items and other supplies that would have been utilized in the theater trade. For many of the items, Abbott was the acting as an agent and distributor for J.R. Clancy, Inc., which was a manufacturer of theatrical stage hardware. However, some of the hardware items and supplies appear to have been Abbott's own proprietary items, such as "Harry L. Abbott's Stage Curtain Track, " Abbott's Stage Peg and Plate" or "Abbott's Ever-Ready Paste" and "Abbott's Theatrical Rosine." The catalog indicates that the business was located at 266 West 44th Street in Manhattan.

Based on information from the 1930 U.S. Census, Harry and Margaret ( ____ ) Abbott were married about 1910, when he was 28 years old and she was 17.² Two of the couple's three children, Henry L. Abbott, Jr. and Felicitas T. Abbott, were born quite early in the marriage, whereas their third child didn't arrive until the mid-1920s. Henry, Jr., who may also have been known as Harry or Harold, was born about 1912.³ Felicitas, whom Dorothy (Abbott) Delaney remembers being called Phyllis, was born about 1913.⁴

We don't know how long Abbott's Scrim Profile Company remained a viable business, but by 1938 we find some evidence of another one of Harry's occupational pursuits: scenic designer.⁹ Harry L. Abbott is listed as one of two scenic designers for a production of Henrik Ibsen's play titled "The Wild Duck." The other designer was Edward Sundquist. This revival of the the play, staged at the 49th Street Theatre in Manhattan, was produced and directed by Henry B. Forbes. The production opened on April 16, 1938 and closed a few days later after only three performances. "The Wild Duck" appears to be the last play produced in the house before it was closed due to financial difficulties during the Depression.

Harry continued to be active in theatrical union affairs as indicated in a May 6, 1940, New York Times article announcing his candidacy for vice president in an upcoming Theatrical Protective Union (TPU) election.¹⁰

Harry's World War II draft registration card provides evidence that he was still involved in the theater business in 1942. He listed the Strand Theater, located at 47th and Broadway in Manhattan, as his employer.

Several years later, we find that Harry is still active in the Theatrical Protective Union, having been elected in 1950 to the board of trustees.¹¹ His whereabouts after that point are unknown at this time. His niece, Dorothy (Abbott) Delaney, the family member who remembers the most about "Uncle Harry," lost track of him and doesn't know what happened to the other family members.¹²

The children of Henry (Harry) and Margaret were:

Henry L. ["Harold"] Abbott, Jr., b. about 1912
Felicitas ["Phyllis"] T. Abbott, b. about 1913
Edna Abbott, b. 1925 or 1926

¹ N.Y.C. Return of Birth #290961, Manhattan, 1880
² 1930 U.S. Census, T626, Roll 1579, Page 22B, ED1083
³ 1920 U.S. Census, T625, Roll 1226, Page 25A, ED 1476, Manhattan Assembly District 22
⁴ Ibid
⁵ 19XX
⁶ 1930 U.S. Census, T625 Roll 1226 Page 25A ED 1476 Manhattan Assembly District 22
⁷ U.S. Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration, April 1942. In response to one of the questions on the form, Harry listed the Theatrical Protective Union as the "person" who would always know his address.
⁸ A copy of the catalog was located by Robert Delaney in early 2007 in the Romaine trade catalog collection, which is one of the special collections in the library of the University of California at Santa Barbara. Call number HF5861 A23268 T44 1928.
⁹ Information based on data discovered while performing a search in March 2007 under "Henry L. Abbott" in the Internet Broadway Database: http://www.ibdb.com
¹⁰ New York Times, May 6, 1940, page 17.
¹¹ New York Times, May 15, 1950, page 31.
¹² Personal telephone communication with Robert F. Delaney; June 10, 2006.