Re: James E Murdock, Actor, Amer Civil War, Cincinnati, OH
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In reply to:
James E Murdock, Actor, Amer Civil War, Cincinnati, OH
Duchess Martin 4/16/08
You seem to have found out a great deal about Murdoch/Murdock already.Here's a bit more.He was born in Philadelphia in January 1811 to Thomas Murdoch and Elizabeth Kiel (or Keel) Murdoch.Originally, he apprenticed in his father's trade, bookbindery, but was released in 1831 to become an actor.He performed in the U.S., Canada, and England over the next 30 years, reaching the top of his profession.At the outbreak of the Civil War, he gave up acting to support the Union.He was credited with raising $250,000 for various soldiers' causes.The book you refer to is "Patriotism in Poetry and Prose," and it can generally be found for sale on sites like amazon or biblio.com.He also published 2 books on the subject of elocution.Materials on Murdoch can be found in the special collections dept. of the Cincinnati Public Library, as well as at Princeton University, LSU, and the Harvard Theatre Collection.The spelling of his name varied throughout his life, sometimes ending in "k," sometimes in "h".He seems to have preferred "Murdoch," at least for professional purposes.
I spent the last 2 years researching Murdoch both for my master's thesis and for a play I have written and performed about him.